windsurfing has just been cancelled...

[Duncan Adam]

So James, in four years time, who are the UK names that might be representing Britain?

[peter b]

Nothing against kitesurfing or its inclusion in the games but I'm struggling to make the connection between kitesurfing and sailing (as I would the connection between wavesailing and sailing, other than at least a wavesailor can/will operate in a similar manner to any other sailing vessel when not on a wave).

[cob1]

reactions as suspected you lot don't disappoint.

What reaction? I guess you're suggesting some sort of anti-kiting ranting but I don't see that, mostly it's a worry about how youth windsurfings funding will be affected.

I'm ambivalent myself, in a lot of ways I think the death of RS:X can only be a good thing. Regardless of whether windsurfing is replaced or not I think that including kiteboarding in the Olympics is a stupid idea.

The olympics jumped the shark a long time ago, for me it's supposed to be about "higher, faster, stronger" sports like athletics, swimming, endurance events. Plus a collection of smaller team sports for who the olympics is the pinnacle and the only time they are likely to get mainstream coverage. Instead of staying true to it's principles (and tackling doping but that's a whole other story) you end up with the stupidity of now including things like rugby 7s (i'm a rugby fan but it's not an olympic sport), a million stupid snowboard events, david beckam ... i could go on. That's my rant not anti kiteboarding, but anti what the olympics has become

[PK1111]

James.
The fact that rsx is a minority sailing sport is plainly down to the organising authorities and their insistence on a board that could handle all conditions, ie needed a daggerboard.
If they had accepted a planing only sport as they have with kiting then the whole world of formula, slalom etc would have been open to them.
This would have bought costs down, massively increased potential activity and gene pool and made Olympic windsurfing relevant to a much wider audience.

We don't decry kitesurfing for this.
Many of the forumites quietly have a kite or two stashed away in the garage.
But this decision making process is completely contrary to previous guidance.
It would have made far more sense to evolve the windsurfing class and give kitesurfing another 4 years to mature.

But that's logic. This is purely down to fashion and lobbying.
Watch prude group push to be appointed sole supplier to this new kitesurfing sport!
Pk

[Redsurfbus]

Did Locog make the decision to get rid of windsurfing from Olympics??

No, nothing to do with it in all honesty. I and many friends here in Weymouth are now so disillusioned over the Olympics that many of us are going away while it is on. They have already fenced off our launching and parking area at Portland Harbour almost 3 months before it starts.

It is going to make a few people very very rich while the rest of Weymouth and Portland suffers. This is already happening, funding has been taken from youth incentives, from the local athletics training ground and put into 'the olympic legacy' leaving the kids without their old playing fields, without equipment etc. Locog are constantly advertising in the area for 'Ambassadors' to work while the Olympics are on, Locog themselves are raking it in and getting people to work for free for them all in the name of the Olympics, it is disgusting! I know its off topic.

On topic I personally think its best to disassociate with the Olympics anyway, Windsurfing may well grow better without it but its up to us to make sure it does, by helping kids into the sport.

I only hope that Nick and Bryony become the eternal Windsurfing Gold Medal Olympians.

[jamesboards]

Duncan, who would represent GB in Kiteing?

Steph Bridge from Exmouth 4x world champion, sadly for most of the men they race mixed fleets, she is usually top ten in the combined fleet at international/ world events

for the men, Probably her son, Ollie Bridge, he is only 14 but is utterly dominant this year faster than his mum already and in Four years time will be at the very top, Euro Youth champ 2011 when he was 13 and 3rd in the youth worlds, ( youth is up to 18 years old)

PK1111, the planing vs non planing thing is tricky, Kiteboarding is a planing only sport and the way the equipment is now if there is enough wind for teh race officer to open the course then kiters are now a fully planing option, 5kts and they are fully powered up and down wind, they tested at a regatta a month back in front of ISAF with and against all the existing and potential classes and were found to be faster on all points of sail and round every course that was preposed as soon as a course was opened with minimum wind speed.

The kit is specialist yes and 85-90 liter boards are closer to what most recreational windsurfers will use rather than a recreational kiter, but it is also cheaper and more portable, both factors that counted in its favour.

[guest104]

reactions as suspected you lot don't disappoint.

I kite race at the moment and have done since 2009, from my perspective it doesn't mean the end for windsurfing in the slightest and the implications that you all seem worried about wont effect you at all, it is the death of a minority sailing class no more no less much as when they canned some of teh other classes after the last Olympics, the world still carried on turning did it not?

As usual James reads into it what he wants. You are wrong, it will affect us as I am 100% certain that as a result of this decision funding for T15 will be hit and probably quite hard.

as said earlier maybe it will give the race scene a kick up the ass to find a new pathway to regain the popularity rather than focussing in solely on the holy grail of the RSX, this could actually be a good thing?

I never was a fan of RSX and agree that the UK racing scene needs a slap. What it needs for that to happen is fresh blood. If what I expect to happen funding wise comes in where will that new blood come from? IMHO this will mean more old farts racing around on 2K+ longboards with a few grand of rig perched on top that the rest of the normal windsurfing population cannot afford nor want (especially the youf) clogging up a few select venues with their camper vans. The youf will either take up freestyle or waves depending on where they live while others will take up kites.

For kites this is a good thing, for windsurfing (at least the race scene) it is not. Unless something new can be invented to keep lottery and RYA fuding coming into the scene. At the moment that funding is small and most of the T15 scene is run by dedicated volunteers.

For my money the RYA will take complete control, who has the top level experience and coaching set up, who has a large number of highly trained athletes that have had time and money invested in them already that know their way around a course, it sure as hell isn't the BKSA.

I do hope the RYA take control of kiting. It is certainly a sport that needs more regulation to prevent total noobs buying kit then killing themselves on their first time out. It is also a sport that needs a big body like the RYA behind it to protect the rights of kiters and to prevent perfectly good venues being made off limits to them. I think the RYA could do a lot of good here and this could be advantagous to both sports.

I am not a kiter myself but it is something I would like to get into (comes out of the closet and wraps himself right around the nearest electricity pylon). However windsurfing is my passion sport wise so I am sure you can understand that I am a little dissapointed to see this decision. Let's hope the Weymouth event sees perfect conditions and that team GB can go out in style in all the sailing events.