The State of Club Sailing

Originally posted by iiiiitick Nice sunny day today so I took loads of photos from my rescue boat. Nova's on screaming reaches, Byte sailors shuffling back to keep the nose up, Lasers trailing a boom before cartwheeling into oblivion. Now if that grabs you and you want to try it then you don't give a damn if the Commodore is an executive general manager, Zaphod Beeblebrox or the Mother Superior.

Exactly my point Mr Tick. 

Once you're in the sport you know that it's the sailing that's more important. The problem is getting folk into the sport. Folk outside cannot see past the packaging. 


Golf mmmm not a good example. People know exactly what golf is all about, it's televised regularly and as such not subject( as much) to negative stereotyping.......Folk outside can see past the packaging.

Just a perspective from a different sport, but my rugby club has been suffering with numbers down over the last few years. However, on past form we expect to see a 20% increase in membership following the rugby world cup this year. That's a direct relationship between top level and grass roots. I hear that those numbers involve kids starting up and people that may have played in the past getting back involved.

Are there any studies on how the Olympic medals and other successes have filtered down in sailing? Perhaps this is a reason to still focus on the elite level to help the majority or maybe the RYA and clubs haven't capitalised on any momentum gain at the top.

Originally posted by Do Different Changing the words will be little more use than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Your right in a way. But you know that it's more than just changing a few silly words don't you?. It's more about changing attitudes.

The decline in sailing has many complex causes most of which are out of the control of the institution. But, it would be foolish to think that there is nothing that can be done. Some things can be influenced from within.


I'll say this simply ;-) 

Sailing as a sport has a slight image problem. 

(as discussed ad nauseam in previous threads over the years)

The negative stereotype is difficult to overcome, folk cannot "see past the stereotype" because of poor media coverage and consequent poor public awareness.

Sailing has to change the way it projects itself.

As Mr Iiiiitick suggested: When charging around on a 3 sail reach with the crew flat on the wire who gives a sh8t who's called what, I certainly don't. There is nothing wrong with the sporting activity itself......but....the institution that has grown around the activity comes across to the wider public as pompous, pretentious and elitist......and more than a little bit old fashioned.






 




Edited by transient - 29 Jun 15 at 11:07am

Originally posted by JimC and there's nothing more unfashionable than last years fashionable language.

I couldn't have put it better myself. I would swap the word "years" for "centuries" though.

Edited by transient - 29 Jun 15 at 1:02pm

Can anyone name the person responsible for promoting Dinghy Racing in this country?