The origins of the Windsurfing Task Force

Over a year ago, US Sailing created a slate of sailing vessels that it recommended to ISAF for future Olympic events. Windsurfing and multihulls did not make the cut. This surprised many people, including Nevin Sayre (who was at the US Sailing meeting when this sudden announcement was made). While I was not at the US Sailing meeting, the announcement prompted me to write Jim Capron, the president of US Sailing, in this regard (Jim and I used to work together on the US Sailing Appeals Committee before Jim left the committee to become the president of US Sailing).

On March 25, 2007, Jim Capron asked "How can we make Olympic Windsurfing a USA strength?"

In March of 2008, Nevin Sayre, Dan Weiss and I presented to the Board of Directors (BOD) of US Sailing. Our presentation was on how Windsurfing can help US Sailing and how US Sailing can help Windsurfing. We provided a thorough background of the state of windsurfing in the US and the world as well as the many advantages to supporting youth development and windsurfing in general in yacht clubs. Jumping to the punch line (if you are interested in the full preso, you are welcome to drop me a line) and conclusion of the presentation: We requested US Sailing support the creation of a Windsurfing Task Force that focused, basically, answering Jim's question above. Our strategy was simple: focus on developing youth windsurfing that included:
- the formation of the Windsurfing Task Force to include key BOD and OSC members
- a budget to send juniors and coach to 2009 and 2010 junior events
- task US Sailing staff to eliminate road blocks for JSPs to include windsurfing (insurance & outdated certification)

The presentation was very well received, US Sailing approved the formation of the task force and a key BOD member, Susan Epstein joined our the initial task force.

Here is a press release:
http://www.ussailing.org/News/2008/windsurfingtaskforce.asp

Windsurfing Magazine has done a terrific job following the WIndsurfing Task Force:
http://forums.windsurfingmag.com/showthread.php?t=357

Scuttlebutt has published some cool Windsurfing Task Force updates too:
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/archived_Detail.asp?key=3942
* US SAILING's newly formed Windsurfing Task Force has just announced new grant funding received from the United States Sailing Foundation (USSF). The Windsurfing Task Force was established at US SAILING's Spring Meeting last March to foster youth development in windsurfing with long term goals of the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. The grants will be used to organize a clinic at the East Coast Junior Windsurfing Championships (held July 17-18 at Vineyard Haven Yacht Club (MA). In addition, the grants will help to create a video to promote competitive junior windsurfing. -- Read on: http://www.ussailing.org/News/2008/windsurfingtaskforce.asp

http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/archived_Detail.asp?key=3946
* From Bryan McDonald: Regarding the Bic Techno 293 Windsurfer,
1) The Techno 293 One Design is affordable, durable and sailable windsurfer
for ages 5 to 77.
2) In almost every country now, the Techno 293 One Design is the designated
Youth Development board for ages 5-17.
3) In the last three years, over 40 U.S. Junior Sailing Programs have
included fleets of Techno 293s into their programs with popular success.
4) For the price of 3 Optimists (or 1.5 420s), a junior program can have a fleet of 8 T293 windsurfers and 14 complete rigs that cover all size sailors and all age groups.
5) The East Coast Junior Windsurfing Championships (July 16-18 at Vineyard Haven YC (http://www.vhyc.org) will have junior windsurfers from as far as California racing on the Techno 293.
6) The St. Francis YC in San Francisco, CA recently purchased a new fleet of Techno 293's for their junior sailing program.

The U.S. is behind the rest of the World's continents in the area of competitive Windsurfing infrastructure (for example, over 300 kids under 17 competed in the 2007 Techno 293 Windsurfing Championship in France), though the recent formation of US SAILING's Windsurfing Task Force (affectionately, known as WTF) plans to narrow the gap.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xirq4uZ5Z6A
More info at http://www.BicSportNA.com/Techno293

From the RS:X class website:
http://rsxclass.com/blog/?p=165