Gestalt said..


out of interest, over the past 3 years the only times (there has been a couple) people have wanted to try my kit at the beach has been when i'm on the LT.
never happens with the shortboard kit.

Mark _australia said..
I really don't get the responses here.

Like Formula1 - the PWA is concerned with being the pinnacle. It does not primarily exist to increase numbers of people windsurfing, and I feel they mentioned that as an aside to the other aims. People are picking up on that one phrase and having a sook about grassroots participation. No.
Increased participation is what all the state and national associations do. Its what people like PVB are doing with a wave slalom event. Or what the LT has done.
Increased engagement overall is what the PWA can do (more watchers, better sponsors.)
Why are folks bagging them out for trying to make the PWA better and thereby maybe help windsurfing as a whole?

sheddweller said..




I'll give it a go.
"Professional " windsurfing dissapeared up it's own arse some time ago.
The continually more extreme, faster higher bigger waves more technical imagery and emphasis by the pwa and it's industry partners is directly responsible for the low participation rates in the sport.
The problem now is that those still windsurfing are the self selecting group that respond and responded to what windsurfing is now. We are at the limit of those people. If you want more participation you need a fundamental change in emphasis.
To be fair to the pwa at least they are asking for help. It remains to be seen if they will listen to the answers

Mark _australia said..
I guess the suggestion is the PWA should have average Joes, everyone on secondhand gear, and a ribbon for every participant saying "I ran a race"

curac said..






that's dumb

Chris 249 said..






Why? And on what basis do you say it's dumb? Have you done historical analysis, read studies about what motivates people to take up sports, run a windsurfing class or club, participated in the PWA or its predecessor, etc etc etc?

Chris 249 said..








Completely and utterly wrong. The PWA itself states that it is intended to "help promote grass roots growth, strengthen the bonds of friendship between existing associations, classes and disciplines of windsurfing and to provide support and services for all windsurfers."


An association that claims itself that it is there to "promote grass roots" and "provide support and services for ALL windsurfers" clearly cannot be said to an association that has "nothing to do with providing "grass roots" entry". The PWA ITSELF SAYS IT IS THERE TO HELP PROMOTE GRASS ROOTS GROWTH. So don't tell me it's dumb to say it shouild do what it says it does itself. If you can't be bothered to look at what an association itself says it does then don't throw insults at those of us who actually do our homework.


[b]The statement you cherry picked from says a lot more than that:

About us[/b]
The Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA) represents excellence in windsurfing. It's current and past members constitute the very best windsurfers in the World. We the PWA are the sailors who represent the sport at the highest level of competition, we strive to improve everyday and make windsurfing better for you, the public. The PWA organize and sanction professional events, make new rules for the sport, help promote grass roots growth, strengthen the bonds of friendship between existing associations, classes and disciplines of windsurfing and to provide support and services for all windsurfers. The PWA is the official organisational body of Professional Windsurfing as sanctioned by World Sailing and is exclusively authorised to run the Professional Windsurfing World Cup Tour. Since 1996, the PWA has run over 250 events in more than 50 locations worldwide, from Fiji and New Caledonia to Poland and Denmark.

www.linkedin.com/company/the-professional-windsurfers-association-pwa






All trumps to them for helping to promote grass roots, but it's not at all the baseline of what they do.


The images clearly don't work well to get people into windsurfing because the sport is far smaller than it was, and people like the head of the biggest brand, the head of the biggest manufacturer and windsurfers with independent expertise in related areas have noted that promoting only one side of the sport is a major part of the problem.


How are the pictures only one side of the sport? I can see at least two different facets of the sport in the images. The ad is for advisers for the PWA, The images are of competitors at PWA events. it's not an ad to try to get people into the sport. Developing the growth of the sport is only one article of what they are looking for advisers for. Are they required to put some photos of windsurfer LTs or RSX or club level windsurfing on there because they are looking for advisers? There's only one portion of the advert that suggests they're seeking help to grow the sport.


The factors that influence a sport's popularity include the level of publicity, the type of publicity, the design of the equipment, the emphasis of the development, leisure time, geography, storage, demographics, the governing bodies and many other factors. It's an extremely complex area. To say that someone who has never studied these factors and their effect on participation levels is such an expert that they can insult people with a different angle is just dumb.


So why are you and shedweller doing it then? You're not the only two person/s here who have been in a position of trying to grow a sport in one way or another. There have been some different angles posted, but no one has claimed to be an expert on the matter (yours and shedwellers posts have been very assertive on the matter though.)


Oh, and the top athletes in every profession are people who have devoted themselves to being the very best in what they do. In bigger sports the level is almost certainly higher due to the sheer pressure of numbers and greater incentives. However, the legends don't have to do things that the average person in their sport can't do - they can just do it better.


Yes they certainly are devoted to being the best across the professions. But why exactly you think the level/pressure is higher in other professions, I'm not sure. Professional windsurfers are under a significant amount of pressure. They have to perform for their sponsor/s. At the top end that is where and how they are paid. Can the average motor sports enthusiast jump in an F1 car and drive it around a track?


Popular sports don't normally just promote the "extreme" parts of the sport that most people cannot do; they have a more rounded approach. Plenty of us love the "extreme" end but that is not the whole sport and if we pretend it is, we will turn off far more people than we turn on.


when was the last time you saw a junior league footy match on the news? Or a local cycling event that didn't involve the pros? The ad is seeking advisers for the PWA, not the local club. Are they not allowed to use pictures of what they do because it's not grass roots?


Even your inference that the world's best much be the ones who do PWA style events isn't correct. The last time I sat down and worked out the numbers the RSX (a board I really didn't like so have no reason to be biased) had more active sailors, more coaches, more money and a bigger feeder class than the PWA so would logically probably have had better sailors. So you can be among the best and not do the 'extreme' events, just as in cycling, football, running and just about all major sports.


I said "the very best at what THEY do" I did not infer they were the best sailors in the world, but it's quite arguable that they may well be that on occasion. Having coaches and money isn't everything. Would an RSX sailor be able to perform at PWA level in the wave comp?