Yes interested

This is a great idea.

When is a good age to start the windsurfing lessons? My boy is way too young at present but I am interested to hear from those who have kids that sail as to when they started sailing.

Merry christmas

Fun, Fun, Fun and did I mention - make it Fun ?

I've done a bit of instructing on other sports and with kids you need to make it fun and they will come !

With my two boys, who are now aged 12 & 14, I didn't even ask them if they wanted to start windsurfing. They saw how much fun I was having and they just naturally wanted to be on the water too.

We enrolled them in the Summer School run by WV, but in the meantime they learnt pretty much all they needed from our own local instructors !

Within 12 months - plenty of TOW !! The eldest and I have our own running bet about who is fastest on GPSTC and the youngest isn't far behind at 2sec PB 18kns already !

My favourite recollections of spending time on water include my kids standing alongside me commenting on how gnarly the conditions are - especially if its a SW with Low Tide !!

Great idea akim. My 5 year old is already hooked I think! Just needs a bit more height and he should be right to go. He would love the idea of a weekend sailing with other kids, he was awestruck watching Alex sail down at jervis.

jamesf said...
My 5 year old is already hooked I think!

He was hooked James, quite literally with the back of his neck on your harness hook!

FiremanSam said...

We enrolled them in the Summer School run by WV, but in the meantime they learnt pretty much all they needed from our own local instructors !

Windsurfing Victoria's Kids Club is fantastic! We came for a visit last year and I was really impressed. We'd love to have something like that in NSW. There are a few things going on for kids of various ages around the country - another that I know of is Jason Juretic who is doing great work with the Scouts in NSW. I was really happy to see that the Windsurfing Victoria's Kids Club was starting the kids nice and early. I think that it really helps to see other kids windsurfing. It also makes it more fun to learn with other kids.

From talking with other Windsurfers, it seems not all of us are finding it easy to get the kids enthusiastic about Windsurfing though. Some of them (maybe sensing that we are so keen to get them to windsurf) are even reluctant to learn . Others, watching only adults, think that windsurfing looks fun but is not for kids. I know a professional windsurfer who thought that he should wait until his daughter asked him to teach her to windsurf because then it would be easiest - she is now almost an adult and he has waited in vain (even though she saw that he enjoyed windsurfing). Another point to think about is having commitment (not the kid but the parent) - there are a lot of people who wait to get the appropriate gear when they are sure the kid will continue with the sport. Although there are always exceptions, generally if you don't make it easy (and fun) and have the right equipment to start with you ensure that this won't happen.

I think we need to share tips and techniques, give the kids an environment that encourages and supports them and sometimes provide them with different equipment. Sometimes a certain board is needed for just one or two sessions (to teach a specific skill for example) and it would be good to borrow something and not have to buy it. We have found that there are times when we've been trying to teach something and not having much luck but another kid comes along and teaches it effortlessly. Sometimes another adult can step in and explain something in another way to make a certain breakthough. Either way, the more kids and parents there are, the easier it will get for all of us.

Another benefit of meeting a couple of times a year is potentially making friends with someone who you can arrange to sail with more regularly. So the kids need to have fun as you have said but we need to put more thought into creating it for them if we are to succeed in giving our children the gift of windsurfing.

Chris 249 said...
... and we could lose a lot of them if they don't get to sail when it's light.

Luckily kids weigh less and so can often plane when it's light.

I would like to see the young kids planing, in the straps and harness and doing chop hops years before they have the strength to uphaul the Wally

Shortboarding isn't considered extreme these days. And kids are more likely to enjoy windsurfing if they are shortboarders. They think it is cooler. And they like the speed. Most love doing freestyle too. The rigs these days are also more responsive and the kids can learn better rig handling skills.

I don't want to put down the Wally (I have enjoyed it in the past) but there is now a better way of doing it. I think the old way has had it's chance and although many have stuck with the old gear and appreciate it, it's time to try a different approach to getting kids into windsurfing. Just relying on learning with Wallies has not necessarily helped to increase participation in the sport. It may be because kids like more adrenaline or it may be that they can't start early enough with it - what ever the reason it's not the best way anymore. I think shortboarding (like the vast majority of adults) is the way to keep kids interested in the sport.

Haven't checked with the boss yet but I think I'd be a pretty reasonable chance for at least one of those days.

hey, hows it going, sounds like a sweet idea, goodluck and nice one ka360, i agree with your longer post as well, i grew up on scotland Island in the, magnificent eighties, we were all windsurfer by about 5, but we played, paddled on one designs everywhere, making the sailing of them easy, really its more like sailing a small boat then windsurfing on such a big board, it enables the kids to sail in nothing, go anywhere, have adventures, we would sail to places a few ks away, waterfalls etc, great time, that form of sailing, zero performance exceptations, soley fun, exploring, playing, that was the greatest as a kid i think, then i guess about the age of ten, started being more concerned with performace, the gear, the heros, etc,, its a great sport for kids, i loved it and there was a massive crew of kids sailing as well, all different ages, all different ability, it was sweet, some still windsurf too, ha, goodluck to all involved

A few photos are probably more useful than my written description....

We have racing on that weekend so all of us with kids from lake macquarie would not be able to come.
we basicaly dont have a free weekend untill after the oceanic titles. 23 & 24 Feb.
This is the weekend before we actualy come down to Jervis for the last round
"heat 7" of the state formula series. so would mean two weekends in a row driving down there but this could be managed.

KA360 said...

Chris 249 said...
... and we could lose a lot of them if they don't get to sail when it's light.

Luckily kids weigh less and so can often plane when it's light.

I would like to see the young kids planing, in the straps and harness and doing chop hops years before they have the strength to uphaul the Wally

Shortboarding isn't considered extreme these days. And kids are more likely to enjoy windsurfing if they are shortboarders. They think it is cooler. And they like the speed. Most love doing freestyle too. The rigs these days are also more responsive and the kids can learn better rig handling skills.

I don't want to put down the Wally (I have enjoyed it in the past) but there is now a better way of doing it. I think the old way has had it's chance and although many have stuck with the old gear and appreciate it, it's time to try a different approach to getting kids into windsurfing. Just relying on learning with Wallies has not necessarily helped to increase participation in the sport. It may be because kids like more adrenaline or it may be that they can't start early enough with it - what ever the reason it's not the best way anymore. I think shortboarding (like the vast majority of adults) is the way to keep kids interested in the sport.

I wasn't trying to push any particular style of sailing, but simply saying I could help out if needed.

I'm fairly sure that the biggest group of windsurfing teens and kids in NSW was the Junior One Design group, which has faded only because of kids growing up (and sometimes doing Olympic efforts and World Youth titles) and a lack of organisers. That, like the popularity of slow sailing dinghies, shows that not every kid wants the same thing.

.

KA360 said...

I don't wish to offend you or anyone who sails the Wally - good on you - at least you are out there. But, it isn't for me anymore or the majority of windsurfers around the world.

I'm a vintage board sailor at only 30yo, I started on a Wayler in September of this year for fathers day. I have now moved up slightly to newer older gear which is lighter and more manageable. I can see where Chris 249 is coming from. Some kids might be put off by the strong winds and constantly getting thrown off the board when learning on faster short boards. I think in what Chris249 is saying is to have an option of when there is little winds bring out the long boards.

Since I started I have had my past Wayler out in 20-25knot winds with gusts of up to 35knots at Lake Cootharaba. So winds dont really bother me too much, but to some of the younger kids that will be starting I think it would bother them quite a bit until they get the hang of controlling a board first before hitting waves and trying to be as fast as they cant be.

In the last 4 weeks I have met some amazing guys that still sail the old boards. One fellow sailor has just bought a Brand New Modern Windsurfer One Design from Sydney. another like minded person has 2 trailer loads of old boards that he still uses. If you look in the QLD section a fellow sailor there is cruising an old Kona at Lake Cootharaba when so many other sailor cant get on the water due to little winds.

If we can get the kids out in low winds on old Wallys etc, and shorter boards in stronger Wind days that would suit them perfectly fine, as long as they are having fun.

deejay8204 said...
Some kids might be put off by the strong winds and constantly getting thrown off the board when learning on faster short boards. I think in what Chris249 is saying is to have an option of when there is little winds bring out the long boards.

Little kids CANNOT use Wallys. They are too small and not strong enough (often weighing between 20 and 35 kg). There are modern boards that are used in light winds. Light wind sailing does not have to be done on a Wally.

I taught my 5 year old daughter on a new board (made around 2005), same as the board in the photo above. It has padding and is friendly and kid sized.

I don't know if you have experienced only vintage boards but you may have found it easier and more fun if you had learnt on modern gear. How long did it take you to plane?

It might be interesting for you to try a 100 litre freestyle board with a light rig for comparison. Let me know what you think once you've had a go. I guarantee you will find it exhilirating.

When there was no choice the one design was "better than nothing" but this is no longer the case in my opinion.

CaptainHadoc said...
... he was planning yesterday in a NE at Kyeemagh after 10ish lessons... So either he's damn gifted, or there must be some truth to that...

Woohoo! Awesome!

Are you/his parents able to come down to Sanctuary Point mid Jan?

Give me a ring - He is about ready to use an S-type for a few sessions (same for Elli). They will probably be carve gybing by next Christmas and everyone will say that they're naturals.

To put it in perspective, they are at least 4 years too young to uphaul a 4.5 metre on a Wally.