Growing the sport! (Windsurfing) w/minimum commitment Cont'd

[RickHeninger]

The GOAL of this post is to mention some of the "concerns" we all have with the landboard to sailboard plan, and to address some of the solutions. Also, to reduce the amount of reading people have to do to get up to speed.

STILL IN FINAL STAGES OF PLANNING... REMEMBER, BECAUSE OF ANY LIABILITY ISSUES, WE ARE KEEPING IT AN INDIVIDUAL THING SEPERATE FROM THE OFFICIAL UWA... THE FLYERS WILL BE FOR PERSONAL HANDOUT FOR PEOPLE WHOM YOU KNOW WILL WANT TO GIVE IT A GO! I PERSONALLY CAN THINK OF 8-10 PEOPLE RIGHT NOW WHOM I'LL INVITE. JUST LET ME KNOW IF YOU WILL FOR SURE HAVE MORE THAN 5 coming. WE AREN'T LOOKING TO POST FLYERS YET IN PUBLIC. WE THINK THAT PERSONAL INVITES WILL BE SUFFICIENT (for this time around). WE MAY POST IN A COUPLE OF PLACES. TOM SMART EVEN OFFERED TO POST IN DESNEWS. BUT WE MAY HAVE TO WAIT ON THAT TILL WE CAN DO THIS ON A MORE OFFICIAL LEVEL.

ONCE THE FLYER IS DONE IT'LL BE EMAILED OUT AMONG THE GRAPEVINE


JUNE 16th and 17th FREE WINDSURFING AND INSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITY... NOW JUST WORKING OUT THE KINKS FOR LOCATIONS... IF IT ENDS UP BEING DEER CREEK, WE WOULD RESERVE A PAVILLION, JUST LIKE A FAMILY... THE INSTRUCTION WOULD BE SMALL GROUPS... NO DIFFERENT THEN ANY OTHER TIME YOU'VE BEEN UP THERE WITH FRIENDS...

PEOPLE w/ LANDBOARDS COMMITTED: Emmanuel P, Fred G, Sarah & Linda, Josh S, John D., Layne P, Ivan, Brett L., Rick H....

PEOPLE w/BEGINNER SAILBOARDS COMMITTED: Brett L (2), Dave O., John D, Fred and Lana G. (1), Mike R...


RUSH IS AN OPTION, BUT SO MUDDY, WE DON'T KNOW HOW DEEP IT'LL BE... BUT SHALLOW IS NICE... HOWEVER, REMEMBER THAT THE NEW BEGINNER BOARDS AREN'T AS SENSITIVE TO WATER DEPTH BECAUSE YOU CAN STAND and CLIMB ONTO THEM SO EASILY. PINEVIEW HAS BEEN MENTIONED

(please, try not to get sick of how much I'll be talking about this... it's the only way we can keep on it and make it happen)

KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE, IF YOU HAVE PERSON ON A LANDBOARD WHOM YOU THINK WILL REQUIRE EXTRA ATTENTION. YOU JUST DON'T TAKE YOUR FOOT OUT FROM UNDER THE LAND BOARD WHEELS... YOU "GROUND" THE BOARD AND THEY SIMPLY LEARN SAIL WORK ON LAND BEFORE GETTING ON THE WATER... I HAVE FOUND IT VERY USEFUL TO STAND ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SAIL AND SIMULATE WIND, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S NOT WINDY. OR IF IT IS WINDY WHERE WE WILL BE, WE GO ONTO THE GRASS BEFORE ONTO THE ASPHALT!


PLEASE START KEEPING YOUR EYES OPEN FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE YOU ARE GOING TO INVITE... I AM GOING TO POST ONE OF THE PICS THAT'LL BE ON THE FLYER... IT'S A GREAT IMAGE TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE YOU THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW PARENTS AND KIDS WHO WILL WANT TO COME...


EXCESS JABBER BELOW, READ ONLY IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF EXCESS DISCUSSION:

Well, after the swap I realize that this effort is going to take stamina, endurance, and realistic expectations. Actually I have known that, that is exactly why we haven't focused on this very much in the past.

NO STEAM LOST ON THIS EFFORT... Just more simplified... I am so glad that we are talking about this... We've "talked" many times before, but we have to do this to get the discussion flowing...

Kieth Baxter (Starboard's Youth Wizard) was sharing an experience with me on the phone today about his son Connor... Many of you have probably met Connor... A little mighty might in the world of windsurfing... Anyway, he took over a clinic once that was in WISCONSIN... The kids had a blast... A BLAST... That is what it's all about.

We need to remember to keep it a BLAST and not get too worried that people are going to THINK that Windsurfing is ALL our lives are about. Obviously it's not... However, windsurfing for many of us may be one of the pillars that holds up part of what our lives are... Sometimes one pillar of 10 in a structure is just as important in maintaining the structure as all 10. So, Kieth was saying we need to remember to have a BLAST out there and not be embarrassed to show how much we love the sport... That's what I thought was so cool about Kevin Pritchard in Maui... His "wa hoos" out on the water while he was sailing with a bunch of amateurs... John D, your kids are going to be a key... KIDS are the key...

In fact, If any of your kids are getting pretty good, they will be so important.

As far as Kieth could remember both on the Landrigs and Water, no legal issues have come from it... The "KIDS" clinics are going crazy internationally... So, there is no reason to be discouraged. He said that they just signed waivers before stepping on the boards. So if you supply a board and your services as a "teacher"... You have them sign a waiver if you want...

It can work....