Just looking through the team info on GTC and I see in the top team, SRM, Chris Lockwood is the 2nd youngest and is almost a Master now.
Fortunately for windsurfing, those in it seem bitten for life and usually get finacially better off as they age but what happens when they all get too old to sail?
Maybe there are sailors in their 20s but they are wave sailing or doing tricks but I think the large majority of this demographic are kiting.
What to do? Maybe nothing... more room on the water for us oldies. But then the choice of kit decreases as the market shrinks.. see F2 probs etc. Additionally the secondhand market dries up for those who want to upgrade.
Perhaps those with garages full of unsellable old stuff should give it to teenage relatives with appropriate instruction... just a thought.
saw a report once on our annual biggest event here after all nationalities were registered the mean age for a windsurfer was 36 and a kiter 24..i really can't say factually what makes that so..but i do believe you can windsurf at past 60 and kite only at a much lesser age due to the extreme dangers the sport has even though well advanced...as for upgrading it's a bit hard to sell old stuff or teach newbies..we as a group here well just 6 of us has tried unsucessfully even with a starboard go and kiddie rigs for the past 7yrs...once in a while there'd be one who has mastered tacking and for some reason doesn't want to advance past that and the enthiusiasm dies off...i wonder if it's all the stuff you have to lug around do all the rigging and still have to rinse to go back to work
i have stuff from the yr.00' and still stuck with it
even with a package of 100$ for board sail mast and boom, still a lack of interest..maybe we should get AA over here demo his speed and transistion tricks to lure in some solid interest...
Developed countries have aging populations with the population pyramid of a bunch of youngsters and not many oldies, turning into the population trapazoid. Windsurfing is reflecting the demographic changes in society.
There is no problem with the average participant of a sport getting older. However perhaps we do need to do more to get younger people involved, as has been mentioned 1000 times before.
However the great thing about speed windsurfing is age does not seem to be a barrier to good performance. Its usually the old fat bastards who go fastest in a strong blow anyway. I'm happy to be involved in a sport where age doesn't seem to be a problem until you are decrepit. As I get older I think about how many years of windsurfing I have left in me. Adding them up shows I am finishing the first quarter, having sailed all up for about 10 years, aged 37 and planning on windsurfing till I am at least 70.
Companies aways have problems when expenses exceed income, witness General Motors in the USA. There are tonnes of second hand gear floating around, most of it is unsellable.
Water off a ducks back, it was me who chose the name.
People have to feel free to use the word in it's true context without worrying about offending me.
And I think there are at least another 7 years of windsurfing in me.
But I don't seem to have fattened with age and gained any speed advantage!
If half the crew GTC had a ****teenth of your ability we would see PB's flooding the boards.
If half the crew GTC had a ****teenth of your ability we would see PB's flooding the boards.
Well thanks guys, that makes my day!
Was feeling a bit peed off after this mornings effort.
Pffft...our invalid is better than your invalid!
Let's start Gps Invalid Challenge.
What comes with age is a realization that you have to strike the iron while it's hot.
I wish i met Roo when he was in Weymouth. I've a feeling he would have kicked my ass into gear.
those who know me are sick of hearing this : BUT
the person who has the most fun wins
- age isnt in that formula -
