It's official,,Windsurfing is about to be canceled

[Marty Lowe]

At least in the Olympic world.

" If men’s and women’s kiteboarding is selected, it will replace windsurfing."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/sport ... ref=sports

[bordy]

I saw the video of the "trials" The kiters all launched in the bay and rode out to better wind. However there were boats towing out all the other sailers, I think this really showed the light wind capabilities of the kite to the IOC reps. There were of course some dropped kites and some swimming in, but that is just what light wind is about.

Poor Leo he wants to be a olympic windsurfer so bad... Now he may not have a chance.....so sad...

[Sarah Ranes]

I got to go to the last Olympic trials, and watch a friend compete for a position on the team. I must say that it was pretty boaring to watch. Kinda like watching paint drying. I can imagine what it is like for a non WS'r. I don't think they would watch for more than a minute. It was kinda like watching a person stand out in the ocean on a board, with a sail, and you could hardly tell they were moving. Not what you would call, exciting racing. I know what talent and training it takes to do RSX sailing, but it still was boring to watch. Not exactly the type of thing to draw people to the sport. It does not show the type of Gorge/ Maui WSurfing that we all try to learn, and do, which is alot more fun to watch. Unless the Olympics happen near a Gorge like spot, windsurfing will look boring and slow to most. When People see Gorge type windsurfing, it is a copletely different reaction, they are usually amazed.

[Marty Lowe]

I would think watching kites racing would get boring very quickly also.
our wind sports are more suited for X-games, for sure.

[Leo Chan]

Honestly, I don't even care about windsurfing at the Olympics. The wind conditions in which they compete in are the kind of conditions I'd rather stay at the beach and drink beers. Olympics windsurfing is nothing like real windsurfing. . .

[bordy]

I was in CA during the first games that windsurfing was in, It was one of the moments that made me want to keep trying to learn after having a hard time as a little kid trying to muscle big guy gear around. I only saw everyone practicing around Santa Barbara but it was the most windsurfers I had seen at once, It for sure modivated me as a salior, I was so excited to ride standing up, by my self, after sailing sunfish and lasers, and at that age I was little and light so I was always crew but never captain , but on a windsurfer...I was the KING! well of that windsurfer at least... It would be a bummer to see a RSX sailing event replaced by kiteing, but at least its not bass fishing, or something lame. Kiting is the new way to sail, I am not saying its the best for everyone but it is new and should be showcased. Just like windsurfing was in the LA games....I wonder what it bumped out then?

[JimSouthwick]

I agree with Sarah that racing on the type of gear that has been used at previous Olympiads is BORING to watch. However, as I understand it, the plan is to switch to Formula gear, which should be a lot more entertaining for spectators. Substituting slalom racing for course racing would be even better, but perhaps that is too much to ask since the sailing events at the Olympics appear to be under the control of traditional yacht racers.

[Leo Chan]

Substituting slalom racing for course racing would be even better, but perhaps that is too much to ask since the sailing events at the Olympics appear to be under the control of traditional yacht racers.

That's the real problem with the windsurfing event at the Olympics. The yacht racers make the rules! The only way to make windsurfing fit into the traditional "sailing" definition is to make it as boring as possible. Imagine a slalom race with board/sail crashing into each other or a photo-finish as another racer coming from behind being followed by a camera? That's the kind of windsurfing I know.
Maybe windsurfing and kiteboarding can apply to be in the Olympics as a separate group from the sailing event.

[RickHeninger]

Hilarious.

I agree with you Marty. Our sports are better geared for the X-Games... They've been talking about the feasibility of Windsurfing in the Olympics for a while. I think that the Gorge games could have worked better with more boom and mast cams... (see Craig's latest Gorge vid)...

However, the current Olympic rig, whatever it's called ah, that's right Sarah, RSX, IMO is only boring because, usually, STRONG wind doesn't line up with the dates... Yeah, Jim, Formula would allow for earlier planing etc... The old gear is bad so they're usually going wakeless speed over the start and finish lines... That's the problem with our sports. We rely on the wind. I wonder how well Nascar would do if every few days gas supply ran out for a week or two. Good idea.

I'm trying to think of what year it was where the wind was super strong for the Olympic windsurfing event and the race was absolutely a riot to watch. Violent, competetive, unique view of it... I watched a Windsurf racing event at Kanaha a couple years ago under 4.0 conditions. It was a lot of fun to watch how fast they would come in around the bouys. A few of the wipeouts were cringers.

Kiting has a better chance I think simply because of the way it looks. AND, it can still look exciting with relatively low wind. However, I agree that Racing, if the wind isn't strong enough=paint drying regardless of whether it's kiting or windsurfing.

What I wanted to see was Freestyle windsurfing in the olympics if anything. Not much different than Half Pipe. A sport has gotta be extremely fun to watch if it's gear intensive and expensive. Not as many people can relate. I'm sure if I owned a Nascar car (I don't even know what they're called) or a Formula I racecar. I'd watch the races a lot more or actually at all. Maybe I'd even grow a mullet.

One thing I do know. Racing in a windsurfing race is a riot. Even in low wind. Our sulphur creek races we did at the campout a couple of years ago were a lot of fun. The wind was pretty strong. People going over the handlebars. Dropping the sail around the bouy's, grabbing the back of other people's boards...

It's time they mix it up... Windsurf Joust, Windsurf crash up Derby, Dodgeball Windsurfing, we've come up with a few ideas for Sulphur.