Macro respectfully, the case for a youth windsurfing class has already been made and Techno 293 is that class.
Why reinvent the wheel??
Why fragment the youth windsurfing into multiple classes?
Why go for a board that performs better in a narrower range of condition, cost's more and is very fragile. Parents would need to spend 6 times as much in order to have three times the amount of gear to cover the full range of conditions.
Alternatively you could choose one high performance discipline and sail far less often, competitions would be far more reliant on conditions and the reality is many would be cancelled.
Imagine sending your kid to the nationals or the worlds, spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars and they don't sail cause the wind didn't quite get to 12 knots.
Why not just get behind the class that already has the runs on the board
Select to expand quoteMacroscien said..
As an instructor on public wages you may have a hidden agenda to propagate communist era sporting equipment and mass participation Cammd.
......Select to expand quoteMacroscien said..
Why is that always on SB while you argue about concepts everything comes to personal attack?
Kettle.
Black.Select to expand quoteMacroscien said..
I am happy ( like all M***scientist listen to counterarguments and change my stand accordingly to presented facts.
...Select to expand quoteMacroscien said..
I am just not completely convinced that Techno is the best option to bring masses onto the water.
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On what basis have you determined that Techno isn't a good way to get the masses on the water ?
Have you raced Techno class and found the other competitors to be aggressive and not encouraging of each other ?
Have you taught hundreds of kids to sail and found the ones that sail Techno drop out after a couple of years but others don't ?
Have you seen the decline in numbers from the hey-days of the early 90s being due to too much Techno class racing ?
Has your effort to get windsurfing on the SEQ schools curriculum been sabotaged by Cammd getting kids into the Techno class ??
One minute you extol the virtues of using a 8m2 in 25 knots, the next you say that Bic, who have built more windsurf boards than any other company have failed to develop a suitable sport for young people to learn despite 8,000 boards being sold and the Techno class being the largest windsurf competitive class in the world, all because they market a 6.8m2 sail.
Select to expand quotecammd said..
Macro respectfully, the case for a youth windsurfing class has already been made and Techno 293 is that class.
Why reinvent the wheel??
That is fine. As an expert you express your expertise on the subject and I respect that.
I may have different view and we could leave it as is.
Obviously nobody propose asking kids what do they want to sail if they have any choice at all.
As parents and adults we know already better what is good for them and Techno is the best.
Unfortunately windsurfing has this inbuilt defect that require WIND to windsurf, so wind Sailing , or Sail boarding is more adequate for organized sports events that could be perform in windless condition by pumping sails.
As for multiplying the classes I don't think will be that bad if you have hundreds of young kids willing to sail in your club.
Then you could create profiles that cover Techno or RSX , slalom, waves or different styles of windsurfing.
I wish to see one day school of teenagers swiftly sailing on Broadwater on 50-70 L boards with 4- 5 meters sails .
Twenty or more at the time and that will be for me sign of that change.
Select to expand quoteCarantoc said..
company have failed to develop a suitable sport for young people to learn despite 8,000 boards being sold and the Techno class being the largest windsurf competitive class in the world,
All I suggest is give youngsters an option to sail 50-70 L boards with 4-5.7 meter sails. Could be BIC or Mistral doesn't matter.
I am sure they will learn and master such equipment in no time at all.
Obviously not as entry beginner board but for that can stand on the water already and want to progress to real board.
Cost wise also shouldn't be more expensive that Techno.
Select to expand quoteMacroscien said..
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I may have different view and we could leave it as is.
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it seems you couldn't
In 1990 board manufactures decided everyone need 70 litre boards. Windsurfing went from 1 in 3 households in Europe to 3 households.
In 2000 Starboard, Bic, Pryde and a few others realised everyone didn't need 70ltr boards.
Dwbh You are very welcome to bring your 14yo down to have a look, the club has spare boards and we would be happy to introduce him/her to the other kids and go for a sail. If your both interested to check it out send me a pm and we can get something organised.
