We need to boost the profile of freestyle in aus - if there was some sort of comp or nationals - whos interested?
Just starting the discussion :)
Definitely count me in, if+when in town.
Here in my neck of the woods, we have an annual Jam. It's organised informally by a PWA type who happens to be in town. Sailors on shore judge those on the water, according to his instructions. We even move around in cars looking for the best spot depending on the wind. Couple of clinics are given too.
Relaxed, lotsa fun, informal, not snotty one bit. Well recommended a format.
well i've been trying to in WA.
We were considering running a nationals. So far the biggest hurdle is not knowing any freestylers over east, and then finding out if they might be keen on travelling. Also finding a number of capable unbiased judges might be hard :)
we have had 3 freestyle video comps over here but only 1 video submitted.
Talking to a couple of ppl recently we were considering organising a National freestyle video comp which is judged by the public. To do it all we really need is a good web developer dude who has some free time and i can arrange some sweet prizes. Whos up for helping?? if we can get this off the ground then i'd be prepared to put the big effort into organising a nationals over here later on 
I think it's a great idea but the main problem with freestyle is there are very few people who are really good at it, IE I think it would end up quite one sided. Most people can have a lash at riding a wave or going fast and be quite competitive but freestyle is a totally different ballgame. The hours, dedication and repetition required to learn a lot of the tricks is daunting. I'm not trying to detract from the idea at all, I think it's a part of the sport that is sorely lacking in Aus, but maybe a slightly different approach is needed.
Perhaps a 'nationals' in freestyle would be more about like minded individuals getting together and pushing each other to learn new tricks rather than a straight out competition. After all you learn a lot faster when you have others around you all pushing each other, imo.
Pity there was only one video submitted.
It would appear that freestylers aren't into video editing.
Full marks for trying Bertie, and don't give up, you'll hit upon a winning formula eventually.
unfortunately wind and "planned get togethers" in qld = never, but cjw's idea for a regular get together to push one another would be tops 
Laurie, would it be possible for you to make the poor freestylin folk a forum of their own? 
might be surprising how many people are interested and it's easily accessable
Yeah all great points. I think a freestyle forum is a great Idea, at least a starting point. As HC said, it's super accessable, the board plane early and can be ridden in most conditions. The video comp is a good idea, but also means that even if someone lands something only once and captures it on film, then it's a bit unfair cos you might never do it again!
Also, I think there is a common misconception that freestyle is out of everyone reach. The skill it takes to learn to sail, waterstart and carve gybe, or smack the lip of a wave etc, are all things that took time to learn, but with some practice, freestyle moves are easily within the reach of any sailor who can plane and jump. Be sure not to look at gollito and assume it's out of reach because it looks technical. Also, I'm not only talking about new school freestyle, there are plenty of old school moves that hold thier own on the water.
The main thing that would be cool is actually recognizing that it is much more accessable for the everyday sailor, as there is no need for waves, and as soon as you are planing then the possiblity is open for learning moves, which means even crappy gusty conditions are still lots of fun and challenging.
I'm sure the nationals idea may be down the track, but if we can recognize the discipline itself and start to build some exposure, it can only be a good thing. Also from a public point of view, it's a very entertaining discipline to watch, so windsurfing in general can benefit from pushing it I think.
Anyway, I am glad there is people out there who are into it across the country, you are not alone haha!
If you organise a comp I'll voulunteer to be a spectator!
Freestyle is a great spectator sport IMO. It doesn't need a lot of wind and it can be done close to shore. I'm sure you'd get a lot of support from the beach.
I watched a casual comp in Maui and it pulled a big crowd with a lot of interest from general beach goers and a lot of ooh ahh...mind you the guys doing their stuff were good!
Hey bertie, Im in WA now, where are all the west coast freestylers?? guna be in perth over the next week where are the local spots?
If we cant hold nationals give the title to Si @ severne by a mile
I nominate Gerroa for an event location, 90% of the time its a freestyle spot!
And Promo girls! You need Promo girls!!!
hmmm. I wonder what Bridget the Midget is up to these days...
Maybe we just combine with wave nationals? Means that people only have to make a trek once and even if there is no waves then there is still a comp to run?
yeah will, agree we need to boost the freestyle scene here in aus.
one idea is to do a decent video, covering some of the best spots in the country, to show people firstly that there are nice conditions to be had and also there are good sailors. for example if you search youtube or continent 7 for a WA freestyle video there arent many, and non which are filmed really well.
Would be a cool project to start once I've got a bit more settled here in Perth. house car job friends etc are still on my todo list!
apart from saftey bay and woodies does anyone know any other spots with super flat water near Perth?
Al
Yeah man There are no vids really, nothing compared to the stuff these euro kids are chucking out :) Are you and maeli staying for a while? If so, am keen to organize some trips this year. West coast obviously has better wind, but some sort of super adventure with some vans would be pretty sick too.
we are going to be here for a while dude... like a few years, so would be awesome if you popped over!!
Do not combine with other events such as waves. The more constraints, the less chance you have of it happening.
Judging: why complicate things? Give instructions to participants, and let those not on the water judge the others. This way all get involved.
At first, this should be an informal thing, perhaps state-level but all welcome, rather than push for a national (more constraints). Informal = more fun, less elite, less snotty, and more chance of involving the average freestylists.
As I was mentioning, I've partaken in such an event here. It's seat-of-pants organisation, but works really well. And all go out regardless of conditions.
Also: have fun sections such as that flowstyle thing, and old-style Windsurfer freestyle. Fun for all to be had. If only 1 participant in those sections, make it a show. After all, many sailors have never seen the other types of freestyle.
Anyone got any tips on Vulcans. I'm new to the freestyling scene
I can only get about halfway around then stack it.
I'm using a 99L starboard flare with 16cm fin
Agree with the get-together - that'd be awesome.
The comp would probably be fairly limited in competition - the ex-Club Vass guys (Barn and Si) would probably run away with it, but I reckon a freestyle get together would be awesome for showcasing and progressing the sport and getting more into it.
There are a handful of guys here in Melbourne who can spock/flaka/shaka/grubby and trying some clew-first stuff.
Trouble is that it's all pretty fragmented here. There is definitely some talent out there - down at Safety Bay in WA last week there was a girl and a guy running Vulcans and Spocks, and the girl was giving a fair effort at Flakas as well. Be good to concentrate it for a bit and get some new talent into it.
Life is fairly complex at the moment, but if something was planned for next spring in either WA or VIC I'm willing to help out and get involved.
As for the cure for "halfway around the vulcan syndrome", it's all in the hands. From even before the fin is out of the water you've got to be concentrating on bringing the sail across your body and getting your hands on the otherside of the boom - that's what creates the rotation. It is virtually nothing to do with your feet or the jump - it's EVERYTHING to do with the hands. If you think you're trying to get your hands on the far side of the boom early enough, you're not.
