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Forum Index: DISCUSSION: Dock Talk: To grow windsurfing in the U.S.

Britt Viehman * Sep 7, 2009, 11:12 AM Post #1 of 6 (3316 views) Shortcut To grow windsurfing in the U.S. Log-In to Post/Reply Techno 293 World Champs in Weymouth UK Aug 22-29 by Britt Viehman, U.S. Team coach A record 261 sailors from 25 countries, under age 17(!), competed in the BIC Techno 293 Worlds at the site of the 2012 Olympics, Weymouth UK. It is likely that most future Youth Worlds and Olympic competitors were competing at this event. This was the first Worlds experience for ten new countries, including the four member US Team- three kids in the U17 and one in U15 classes. If you wonder why the Europeans are dominant in the Olympics, you only have to look at the full integration of windsurfing into junior sailing there. There were over 100 kids from GBR alone who had qualified for the Worlds from their ‘Team U15’ Youth Program. Talking with some of the coaches, they are predicting that the T293 will rival Optimist numbers in Europe within 3-5 years. For a sailing program the gear is less expensive, more durable, strict One Design, but above all, the kids have a blast. The T293 is to the RS:X Olympic board like the 29er is to the 49er or the 420 is to the 470 - great fleets at the junior level with the cream moving into the Olympic classes. With the T293 windsurfing class already strongly established in Europe and growing rapidly around the world, the US team was learning and taking notes. One of USA’s brightest prospects, thirteen-year-old Marion Lepert’s (St Francis YC) first words upon arriving home were “Dad, I need to go next year. It was really fun and I know what I need to work on. I can’t wait for the Worlds in San Francisco”. According to Rasmus Sayre (Vineyard Haven YC), “Wow! It was really cool being on a starting line with 66 kids (U15) all crossing the line at 25mph.” USA will host Techno 293 Nationals at StFYC, July 20-24, 2010 and T293 Worlds, July 19-24 2011. As more junior programs add fleets of T293s, we are at the early stages of building stepping stones. Our schedule of training camps and regattas has tripled in the last year so a youth sailor age 10-14 can start sailing a T293 and compete in the SF Bay Worlds in two years and then grow into RS:X for future Youth Worlds and Olympics. More and more sailing programs, driven by results, are finding the early stages of youth windsurfing in the U.S. as the path to glory. Britt Viehman 727.656.6569 For Margot Samson’s, age 15, Clearwater Community Sailing Center FL, perspective on Weymouth please visit http://www.windsport.com/news?news_id=321&uniqid=1060

The Publisher ***** Sep 8, 2009, 6:12 AM Post #2 of 6 (3301 views) Shortcut Re: [Britt Viehman] To grow windsurfing in the U.S. [In reply to] Log-In to Post/Reply Here is a report from the BIC Techno 293 Worlds: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/...elease_2009-09-3.pdf

jrb *** Sep 9, 2009, 10:20 AM Post #3 of 6 (3201 views) Shortcut Re: [Britt Viehman] To grow windsurfing in the U.S. [In reply to] Log-In to Post/Reply Best of luck reviving windsurfing in the U.S. The U.S. sailors doing well, despite windsurfing's waning popularity, are to be commended. Windsurfing started off as a simple and inexpensive sport. In the beginning, a windsurfer only needed one board, one rig, and a sail or two. It was easy to transport on the top of the car/in the trunk or even by bicycle. Then things got complicated and specialized. A dedicated windsurfer found he/she needed multiple boards, multiple rigs, and multiple sails. Typically, dedicated windsurfers needed to purchase trailers to carry all their gear. It used to be commonplace on the east coast to see vehicles pulling trailers full of windsurfing gear to Hatteras. That's becoming more and more rare. In and around Hatteras, you'll find relatively few windsurfers compared to many more kite boarders and kite surfers. Kite boarding does not lend itself well to being a self-taught skill. It's not inherently safe. It's not particularly inexpensive and dedicated kite boarders/surfers will have multiple kites and multiple boards. However, kite boarding equipment is compact and easy to store/transport. Learning to kite board takes approximately the same amount of time as it does to windsurf and the physical requirements are somewhat similar. Why is kite boarding on the rise and windsurfing declining, as indicated by the numbers in Hatteras? I'd guess it has something to do to the relative newness of kiteboarding, coupled with the rush and visual impact? What is for sure is that kite boarding currently requires somewhat less equipment and the necessary equipment is more compact and easier to transport. It's not uncommon to see four people emerge from a compact car, like a Honda Civic, somewhere in Hatteras, take their gear out of the trunk, set up, and enjoy a day of kiteboarding on the sound. Try that with four windsurfers.

Britt Viehman * Sep 10, 2009, 12:04 PM Post #4 of 6 (3131 views) Shortcut Re: [jrb] To grow windsurfing in the U.S. [In reply to] Log-In to Post/Reply To grow windsurfing in the US, with only hi wind equipment, where you need multiple boards, I will wholeheartly agree, that is like pushing rocks uphill. However what my vision to grow youth windsurfing takes a different tack. I remember that when I started windsurfing, I was racing one-design boards, the Mistral IMCO. That was the Olympic board for a while. That board and one sail was raceable from 2 to 30-35 knots. Yes, you needed some skills and seeing how I was training with a college based windsurfing team at Eckerd College with a great coach, those skills were acquired. Fast forward to now, at the Worlds in Weymouth it was very impressive that kids 13-14 were sailing quite competently in 5 to 20-25 kts with one sail (6.8m) and board (the Bic Techno 293). The 15-16 yr old were sailing with a 7.8 sail and the same board up to 35knts when the wind came up one day. Yes those European kids train with a coach and race all the time with first rate competition. The US kids as well as I saw what the potential was and now we are working towards that. Next year will be better in Marseilles France. This is just the beginning. There is US Sailing support for this, as there is a recently established Windsurfing Task Force with a Board Member that is part of it. They also supported the Weymouth trip, thanks again. There are a few windsurfing programs that emphasize racing have started out. One in Martha Vineyard (VHYC), another in FL (Clearwater Community Sailing Center), another is in StFYC in San Fran. These are just the opening steps, so yes it is small, but it is growing with important steps being taken. Training camps with international teams, more regional regattas across the nation as well as Nationals. It wasn’t hyperbole that many of the Youth Worlds and Olympics medalists will come from there as the Europeans teams are motivated and percolated to the top with learned skills. That pipeline is what is keeping France, GBR, ESP, etc at the top in the RSX, the Olympic class board. In a summer sailing program, windsurfing fits quite nicely in a program as opposed to kiting. The same insurance covers windsurfing and instructors are in the US Sailing Instructor program. In the Summer Sailing program at Clearwater, where I am, windsurfing fits quite nicely next to Optis, 420’s, Sunfish etc and the kids that are stoked form the racing team. Just like the different classes of boats. I would encourage more kids to look at this path as it is part of the Olympics and we are working hard to open the path to more kids. I guess that I will give my soapbox to the next guy now.

jrb *** Sep 10, 2009, 7:07 PM Post #5 of 6 (3116 views) Shortcut Re: [Britt Viehman] To grow windsurfing in the U.S. [In reply to] Log-In to Post/Reply Windsurfing is great. I’m actually kind of bummed that Hatteras is now a former windsurfing hotspot and I was not being facetious when I wished you luck in promoting the sport. I too worked hard at promoting the sport for a span of several years. I count myself as being fortunate to have had an association with James Coutts, the author of the original “Start Windsurfing Right”. Based upon my experience, I’d venture to say there was something close to a perfect storm working against growing the sport in the United States at a critical time. U.S Sailing was supportive, but not nearly to the extent it was supportive with dinghy sailing. Also, the windsurfing industry stateside seemed bent upon promoting specialty boards and rigs to the near exclusion of one designs. One year, I had trouble getting anything that approached timely delivery on a fleet of IMCO’s with a deposit made and balance in hand. However, if I wanted a selection of short boards, I could have had them right away. All this, while the importer was located only a short drive away, near BWI Airport. Congratulations to the powers that be for selecting the BicTechno 293. It’s fantastic, and I think necessary, that the board can be sailed well by juniors in a wide range of wind speeds with size determined one design sails. Cheers to VHYC, StFYC, and Clearwater Community Sailing Center. I have a soft spot for Florida community sailing centers as I completed my Instructor Trainer Course in St. Petersburg many years ago. Let’s hope the current incarnation of a Windsurfing Task Force can be effective, were others were not fully successful. Perhaps I feeling a bit guilty because I’ve taken up kiteboarding while my windsurfing equipment gathers dust in storage? I resisted for quite a while, but now all of my old windsurfing friends, that I still keep in touch with, have all switched to kites. Given that I like to sail with my friends, can pack my gear in a case that looks like a golf bag, and can throw that faux golf bag in a car or check it on most commercial flights without an upcharge, I find I’ve accumulated the gear necessary to board in 8+ knots of wind. Still, I’ll miss windsurfing until I find the time or motivation to dust off my trusty, but now “old school” equipment. At least you’ve gotten me thinking about it. Cheers

DanW ** Sep 11, 2009, 11:53 PM Post #6 of 6 (3087 views) Shortcut Re: [jrb] To grow windsurfing in the U.S. [In reply to] Log-In to Post/Reply Through the efforts of US Windsurfing, the Windsurfing Task Force of U.S. Sailing as well as the U.S. Sailing Foundation, over 40 new windsurfing one-design programs have been established during the last three years. What appeals to JSP organizers is windsurfing's ability to bridge the gap for so many kids who otherwise might be lost once aging out of Optis and the like. These kids had every reason to drift away from sailing and, specifically, continuing their participation in organized instruction: skateboards, tennis, video games -you name it. Windsurfing keeps many of these kids involved in sailing when they might otherwise have flown the coop thinking about sailing larger dinghies in summer's light air. The integration of windsurfing instruction and racing into the overall JSP curriculum not only helps keep the kids interested over the critical ages of 12 to 16 years-old but creates better dinghy and keelboat sailors from this group. Windsurfing is likely the best teacher of sail tuning as each change is much more easily felt and seen than on any other JSP boat. And windsurfing teaches best that speed is the first step in becoming a fleet leader. Here in Vineyard Haven, I now see as many windsurfers sailing around the harbor on the average breezy day as I did back when windsurfing was supposed to have been in its zenith. Most of these windsurfers are under 21. Nothing makes me as happy to sail in that great harbor along with a few kids keeping pace -and these are the sons and daughters of many people who encouraged me to windsurf. The priority for windsurfing's continued growth in clubs and sailing centers is developing a quality group of instructors. Most clubs presently fill this role with a "traditional" dinghy-certified instructors who happen to windsurf. Most of these instructors do not hold Level 1 Windsurfing certification but, in my opinion, a dual certification is not required to be effective. Yet certification does tend to keep these instructors in the game for longer and that benefits all the kids. Please consider active support of US Windsurfing and the Windsurfing Task Force. Our work load will only increase as we come closer to our goal. -Dan Weiss Director, US Windsurfing Northeast Region www.uswindsurfing.org Member, U.S. Sailing Windsurfing Task Force http://homepage.mac.com/sailing/wtf/wtf2.html

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