Star back in?

You are right, what Scheidt is doing now is not necessarily relevent. How much time did Ben spend in the Finn in 2009, or for that matter in 2010 or 2011? Surely you are not suggesting that because he is spending time in a Laser he would not be capable of getting back into a Star should he choose to do so.

Today I spoke to a well known Brazilian ISAF member and ex Brazilian Olympian. 

Originally posted by Mark Jardine As reported in Scuttlebutt today, it's not the Star that has made the return to the Olympic fold... it's the Yngling - http://email.sailingscuttlebutt.com/t/ViewEmailArchive/j/3BE6427666AE3FA3/C67FD2F38AC4859C/

Originally posted by pondmonkey Personally I still think there should be a keelboat in the event, and without any knowledge of a better alternative, the Star seems to fit the bill quite nicely.   Maybe the SB20 would be good- mixed crew?  I remember getting a free DVD from VW Toureg featuring Chris Draper in one, that was good to watch iirc.

I believe the audience in Oz is quite high; certainly high enough for the TV companies to put in some real effort to get good footage.  I remember watching some 18ft skiff sailing once - it might have been on the Ronstan stand at the dinghy show.  I was thinking that the coverage was really good when I saw something in the water.  I had to wait for the film clip to finish and restart before I could see what it was.  Yep - that's a cameraman in a flotation suit, camera on a shoulder mount and tethered on a line to the windward mark!  2/10 for elf 'n safety, but 12/10 for balls!

Don't forget though that Australia is probably a special case. Almost all of its inhabitants live either on the coast or very close to it, and therefore the exposure to water sports of all kinds is probably much higher than over here, even given the number of river and reservoir clubs we have.  And the result is a kind of virtuous circle, with a high level of participation feeding the TV coverage, which in turn further promotes the sport.  In the end, it's all about critical mass.


Edited by Sheetpuller - 29 Mar 13 at 11:25pm