Promoting windsurfing

Probably because we have decent surf and Europe's is probably not as good, most of our population lives on the coast (easy to surf, harder to windsurf in)

Surfing = less gear, cheaper and more often better conditions for it then windsurfing

Totally agree about using TV, anyone getting the news crew or something like that to Woopi NSW Wave Comp next weekend?

Sorta hard to set up a media thing, as windsurfing is not something you can schedule down to the hour for the media (the romance of the sport doesn't follow the strict nature of society needing to put things into certain boxes and times)

England have a good T-15 comp for under 15 kids to promote racing on one-design kit in all winds and have fun - prob the best way to keep windsurfing alive, as the majority of Aus windsurfers get older (sorry fellas/chicks but it's a reality - at least you can windsurf better then me atm!)

Maybe need to team up with the kiting craze and get the gov'ts anti-fatty-kid campaign dollars to set up comps for kids. win win?

I think one of the good things about our sport is that is doesnt have that "I'm so cool check me out" surfer image. I agree the grass roots is where it needs to improve, badly.
Speed, Waves and freestyle are all exciting to watch.
Maybe some of the yaught clubs could start one design racing for the younger kids. Equipment is alot more user friendly than it used to be (although pricey).
I think Bic have a board suitable for a One design racing class.
If TV crews get to these events they could slot something into sports tonight etc. Even being able to hire beginner windsurfers on safe main beaches might be a good way to promote windsurfing.

You guys haven't obviously watched Elmo perform on a speed run then have you[}:)]

> they always come back

Not sure. Most of me friends, most of which were at a high competitive level, they all dropped and never came back. Family, kids, work, life. Wives, divorce, arthritis, etc.

Sad. Not that I care, but I'm going to the kitchen put my head in the oven now.

What he said.

Actually its not as mainstream in Europe as you would think... windsurfing still struggles for air-time even here (although its publicity is far more widespread than in Australia).

I believe the problem stems to having not enough PR and marketing teams for windsurfing. As far as I know, the PWA is the only tour with its own PR team. I look at all the mainstream sports in Australia (surfing especially) and they have large teams working full-time to get the sport the coverage it deserves. Sure, there's more to it than just marketing (not going to delve into the other things now) ... but its a good start.

I am trying to get something started on this front in Europe to promote Formula. There's two of us here (in Europe) currently working on a 'Windsurfing Lifestyle' project aimed to inspire youth about the important life-lessons pro windsurfers learn through travel, racing, working together on a team etc. We believe this idea will sell more than competition coverage as anyone can aspire to a 'lifestyle' even if they don't windsurf. The project is called FollowTheWinds.com and the website will be launched hopefully early next week...

Ps. I also hoped this project could inspire others to be PR ambassadors for windsurfing too. I have 'ziltch' experience in marketing however I don't believe it requires that much experience to figure it out. If this project works in Europe then we will bring it to Australia one day and hopefully get some more coverage for windsurfing and build the sport's profile again.... if others could do the same in their own way that would be all it takes for the sport to rise again :)

More coverage means more money in the sport, more kids becoming pro's, more sponsorships and maybe even cheaper gear... we can only dream.

Yachting SA is running a Bic Techno couching Course at Adelaide Sailing club. Which I am doing but unfortunately we have only have 1 lesson left we are a month behind due to bad weather.I have found it really good and we all get given a Bic Techno 293 one design for the duration of the program. This course if we choses to buy a Bic Techno 293 one design it leads on to sailing for SACI windsurfing (state level) the to national and if good enough Olympic level which would be pretty awesome.

http://www.sa.yachting.org.au/default.asp?Page=36841

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P.C_simpson said...

I think windsufring was big when it started as it was mostly on long boards, so you could go anytime you liked, when the sport progressed it ditched the light wind stuff and concentrated on the planning board that need more wind, most people got sick of waiting for the right amount of wind.
When i started everyone had a long board and we would go sailing all day all weekend.

But on the other hand, planing is what gets us addicted, so maybe the people in the old days just lost interest in cruising around on big boards in light wind?

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Wet Willy said...

P.C_simpson said...

I think windsufring was big when it started as it was mostly on long boards, so you could go anytime you liked, when the sport progressed it ditched the light wind stuff and concentrated on the planning board that need more wind, most people got sick of waiting for the right amount of wind.
When i started everyone had a long board and we would go sailing all day all weekend.

But on the other hand, planing is what gets us addicted, so maybe the people in the old days just lost interest in cruising around on big boards in light wind?

I agree, equipment has become very specialised. They need a "cheap" package rig (under 1.5k) which familes can easily take to the beach and rig and just have fun, just like the long board days. They should be sold in surf shops and marketed. The windglider tried this but didnt take off, probably too big.

Don't get me wrong, i love high wind sailing ,more than most, but i also enjoy just sailing.

I could put my biggest wave sail on an old one design and amuse myself for hours and come away from the sesson just as stoked as if i was sailing in perfect 5.0m weather with glassy waves.

I think most of us have forgotten that windsurfing isn't just about planning around in 18.68 knots when it's 32.5 degreess out side, it all about the buzz of gliding across the water thinking of nothing else but the sail and board.

So my main point is that windsurfing would be noticed more if there where still people sailing on those nice sunny days when people arn't running inside out of the sand blasting there kids, like we where when windsurfing was in is hay day.

Who else but a sailor would be at the beach when is 25knots.

Well said.

The cheap tough package still exists; Windsurfer One Design! It's NOT perfect, but it's got a big place.

With the proper small rig on it, it's quite a good beginner's board in the right conditions. Because it goes so well upwind and in light winds, it's great for beginners in a light water/flat wind location. I don't think we've ever had a single pupil (out of 100+) who couldn't get going first session.

I'm not knocking other boards, but they are not ideal for all locations; our local commercial school has got rid of its Starboards because the beginners could not get upwind well enough to get out of the moorings. Brilliant board for some uses, yes, but not for all uses.

As PC says, it's bliss to get out on glassy days and just glide along, and it's great for windsurfing to be seen as a sport that everyone can do - even those who can only sail at fixed times, when the wind may be light. And at 25.4 knots speed on a verified GPS the only time we timed a One Design, they're not too slow at top end.

Jessica Crisp (two time world Pro champ in the PWA waves/slalom/race format, Aloha Classic wavesailing winner, three time Olympian) is now on a mission to get the One Design and Junior One going flat out. She's already been joined by a bunch of top dinghy sailors from the last Olympics and the front end of the world fleets, and this year's One Design and Junior One nationals could have 60+ sailors, including entries from every state if we are lucky.

The sport was huge in the days when light winds and longboards were popular, then some sectors of the industry started to sneer at and attack them in an effort to get people to shift into high-wind sailing. I was there overseas at team meetings where the M.D. preached the word of making people dissatisfied with their old boards so they would buy "funboards". It worked in one way - some people bought funboards, but people drifted out of the sport because shortboards are fantastic, but don't work for everyone; just like a modern shortboard still doesn't really work where I sail. There are reports that Svein Rasmussen has been saying the same thing to Starboard dealers.

Meanwhile, slow and simple sports like kayaking have taken right off.....there's a lesson there.

So if we can just promote the WHOLE sport, giving equal respect to every one of its fantastic disciplines, then we could grow again.