Windsurfing is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of sailing. It is included in the Olympic Games, and is practiced by thousands of people across the US. Windsurfing is not just incredibly exciting and fun to do; it makes you a better all-around sailor. To this end, US Sailing is offering a beginner windsurfing course to certified Level 1 instructors.
When you windsurf, you can feel the wind in your hands and the waves under your feet. The experience and sensations of being so connected to the elements of sailing makes people better all around sailors. Many of the top ranked sailors in the US (including Ed Baird, Mark Reynolds, and Charlie McKee) are avid windsurfers as well.
Sailing organizations across the country are beginning to integrate windsurfing more and more. This year, US Sailing is offering a new two-day course for certified Level 1 instructors called Beginning Windsurfing Instructing. The idea is simple: giving sailing instructors windsurfing lessons makes them better instructors. Windsurfing lessons not only give intructors fresh insights into sailing, but can help grow and integrate windsurfing programs. The course on western Long Island Sound will be at Belle Haven YC, Greenwich CT, June 21-22. It is an innovative way to create new windsurfers who are already great sailing instructors and know the sailing centers and racing.
Instructors and sailors who have taken such courses and begun to experiment with windsurfing can attest both to how much fun it is and how much they learned.
Alex Hering, a JSA instructor who took the windsurfing course said that learning to windsurf made him both more marketable as an instructor, and a better racer and sailor:
When I was traveling to junior regattas around the country, I felt windsurfing was a great cross training activity for building strength and endurance. It also made me much more sensitive to reading wind shifts and puffs on the water, which really helped my C420 and 29er sailing.
Instructors who want to take advantage of this course can talk to their clubs. Windsurfing instruction can open new doors. As clubs begin to grow their windsurfing programs, they need capable instructors. Furthermore, the shift towards producing all-around sailors who can competently handle a variety of boats makes having windsurfing on your resume a real plus.
Alex also said: The other reason I took the course - it made me more marketable and gave me more options in the job market. Not only did I receive offers to teach at JSA programs, but I also am approached to to teach private windsurf lessons, and private hourly rates can really add up if you're looking to earn some extra cash. Having the official certification also is a credential that I can use in other parts of the world, depending on where I go after college.
The course offered by US Sailing, can provide great benefits to instructors who want to take advantage of it. It can give instructors a new perspective on the mechanics of sailing and make them more effective. Plus it is just a plain fun way to spend a couple days.
The details are on the US Sailing website and on the course calendar. The course is $200 and candidates have to bring shorty wetsuit, PFD and beach or windsurfing booties. Ned Crossley is teaching the course and may be contacted for further info (914) 299-7552.
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