I may have been raw, sore and shell shocked when
I got home from the ISAF Mid Year Meeting in Streza,
Italy but a quick check on the web told me that I was
not the only one.
As I write the petition inviting ISAF to review their decision is past 13000 subscribers and the Facebook Group set up by others has 16,000 followers and climbing.
The campaign to put windsurfing back in the Olympics will not be easy. Nor will it be a sprint. It is more likely to be a marathon but when the the going gets tough the tough get going. The RS:X Class fully realize that this is not a matter just for them. It is a matter for the whole sport of windsurfing.
The initiatives to set up a petition did not come from within the RS:X Class nor did the Facebook Group. They came as a result of the spontaneous combustion of anger and frustration felt by windsurfers round the world. People from more than 100 countries are involved in some way or another.
So what happens now...
Well, we have to make a strategy and execute it whilst crowd sourcing volunteers to carry some of the load.
In the short term, it could look like this...
1. Identify and pull together all of our assets
2. Organise a meeting of MNAs and other stakeholders at Sail For Gold
3. Create a 'Vote Windsurfing Campaign Team" drawn from all corners of windsurfing and be made up of a full range of experience, youth, stars and MNAs
4. Make a multi-layered strategy and action plan
5. Lobby, Lobby, Lobby
6. Send a Lobby team to the ISAF November meeting with a clear strategy
We feel very strongly that everyone with something to lose has to be engaged in the process. Those with time to spare, expertise to share or resources to offer should contact
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in the meantime there is plenty to do...
If you have a smartphone or video camera and know a young racer - Do this...
Use a smartphone, make a short video with each young racer... Ask 2 questions?
1. Why do you love windsurfing
2. What impact has the ISAF decision had on your hopes and dreams?
If you know a parent of a young racer with Olympic dreams - Do this
Ask how they feel about putting their kids into what some might view as an extreme sport that many feel has the potential to impact the rest of their lives in a bad way.
Don't over complicate what you're video clips. Keep them simple. We can edit, convert, encode and upload on to the dedicated Youtube.com channel and facebook. Just send your raw footage.
It's a simple thing to do. Anyone can get involved. Then we would ask you to share, tweet, and blog your hearts out.
Send your video clip to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it together with any ideas that you thibnk will help.
If we all pick up a stone, we can move Mount Everest
Go here to sign the Petition
Go here to visits the Facebook Group
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