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5th November 2009 11:18 PM
Lessacher I am since 39years a Windsurfer, now 68years old our young, have all it for windsurfing,
my own boards and fins. With 65 I finished my job and started to work more fins in carbon. Since Döblin made 50knots with a fin from me, I hope that the most dont read that, I have to work fins and fins.... no time for 70km/h (my dream)Weekends at home,
not in Strand Horst in Netherland. But now I think: How many knots are 100 km/h???
When get he the wind? Wolfgang
4th November 2009 03:16 PM
John Kemsley Addicted - definitly. Got a torn medial meniscus - hurts but when surgeon said i cld try to get on a board yeeeehaaa. Yes I am over 50, fat (93kg), bald and totally addicted
2nd November 2009 04:25 PM
agrelon Hahaha, well hopefully when I'm old I'll have enough income to afford proper gear which will get me on the water more often and more comfortably...

Seeing as this morning when I was out with my 6.0 the wind picked up from a steady bft5 and started gusting at 6, maybe 7. Gameover. trip to the rocks, cut up feet, broken ego. gladly no equipment damage. Should've taken my 4.5, arrogance of youth.
2nd November 2009 04:19 AM
Ken agrelon,

My point exactly. With all the available choices, it's very difficult for teenagers or younger guys/gals to take up windsurfing. Without the support of parents that are into the sport, it isn't going to happen for most of the youth out there.

I admire you for your tenacity to pursue windsurfing. Keep it up and in a several decades, you will be an "old dude windsurfer" too. "Dude" being a term from my youthful days growing up in Southern California.
2nd November 2009 02:50 AM
Phill104 Keep it up agrelon. It is great to see anyone with that kind of dedication, especially someone who has to deal with school too. Fantastic effort
1st November 2009 09:18 AM
agrelon
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken View Post
If you were between 8 and 18 years of age, which one would you choose to get your adrenalin flowing?

1. Skateboarding
2. BMX
3. Surfing
4. Rollerblading
5. Youth sports - soccer, football, baseball, basketball, gymnastics, wrestling, etc., etc.
6. Windsurfing
7. Kiteboarding

For the most part, 1-5 are relatively inexpensive, easy to learn the basics, accessible almost any day and fun.

Windsurfing will never be able to draw vast numbers in the younger age groups. Unfortunate, but that's the way the games are played.

However, once you master the basics in windsurfing, it truly is addictive and will likely keep you hooked for the rest of your life. That's why there are quite a few of us "old dudes" still around.
I BMX too. I've got the basics in both windsurfing and BMX and at the moment I'm focusing much more on windsurfing because it's more addictive and my wrist has taken a lot of crap recently in BMX.
30th October 2009 10:13 PM
Ken If you were between 8 and 18 years of age, which one would you choose to get your adrenalin flowing?

1. Skateboarding
2. BMX
3. Surfing
4. Rollerblading
5. Youth sports - soccer, football, baseball, basketball, gymnastics, wrestling, etc., etc.
6. Windsurfing
7. Kiteboarding

For the most part, 1-5 are relatively inexpensive, easy to learn the basics, accessible almost any day and fun.

Windsurfing will never be able to draw vast numbers in the younger age groups. Unfortunate, but that's the way the games are played.

However, once you master the basics in windsurfing, it truly is addictive and will likely keep you hooked for the rest of your life. That's why there are quite a few of us "old dudes" still around.
30th October 2009 09:34 PM
agrelon
Quote:
Originally Posted by steveC View Post
A lot of folks just can't get over the fact that the windsurfing fad ended years ago, but many of us that started 20-25 years ago are still religiously involved, hence the growing age of windsurfers. Water sports in general don't always attract the masses, because the majority of folks just don't want to recreate in the water. Also, there is a lot of competition for those that do with other popular water sports, like surfing, kiting, SUP, waterskiing/wakeboarding, kayaking, boating and jetskis (I have to admit that I would have little grief if jetskis vanished from the face of the earth).

Is windsurfing going to grow? Sure, but folks will also leave the sport too, so the overall numbers aren't multiplying markedly. Windsurfing is a highly specialized sport, even if we're looking at a relatively simple longboard kit. The fun in windsurfing requires wind and water, and that's not always available in a convenient way that fits folks' schedules. As a result, the sport requires a significant amount of dedication and tenacity, to include an ability to tolerate a certain amount of frustration and disappointment. Add to that the fact that windsurfing requires some wallet to keep updated and viable across a broad spectrum of conditions. Where are you going to store the stuff when it's not in use?

I could go on and on about this topic, but I think we all recognize the realities in the sport. Frankly, I can accept the fact that windsurfing is not going to be super huge, but I can readily appreciate its esoteric qualities, and I'm particularly glad that some others feel similarly.

Quite honestly, I have no fear that windsurfing will die.
I agree about the frustration, it does take commitment. I get up at 5am some days to get an hour and a half in before school if the wind is up. A while ago my friend tried for 2 days and by the end was 100% not going to persevere.

But putting so much in does make the rewards feel good. I hate waiting on the wind.
26th October 2009 10:21 PM
Jean-Marc
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg I. Stered View Post
Most will agree that us old foagies are actually a liability to marketing.
Do you think Jim Drake is a liability to Starboard's innovative and most debated evolution in recent windsurf history (the Formula, the Hypersonic, the Serenity to name a few) ?

Do you think Bjorn Dunkerbeck is a liability to 20 years-old marketing with Volkswagen's T1/T2/T3/T4/T5 SUV series program?
http://www.windsurfjournal.com/front...BB_LANGUAGES=1
http://www.bz-berlin.de/archiv/20-ja...cle320345.html

Do you think Robby Naish is a liability to kite- and windsurfing marketing ?

Do you think Svein Rasmussen himself (owner of Starboard BTW) is a liability to windsurfing and SUPing marketing?

All of the above are well known figures that are truly inspiring legends for experts and newbies exposed to either watersport or outdoor life, or both. I don't think that getting older and older is detrimental with getting more and more people on the water to learn and keep up with windsurfing, kitesurfing or SUPing. If Jim Drake can do it until his 80th birthday, almost everybody else can do it, health permitting.

Cheers!

JM
24th October 2009 01:31 AM
Hot Ice
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phill104 View Post
How is the shop going
Don’t tell me you still believe that nonsense.

Anyway you are spot on with NWW and T15.

Maybe export it to a few other countries.
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