July 2008 LTW Event

The fourth installment of the 2008 AWC Learn to Windsurf series was held on July 26. Concerns about volunteer availability led us to reduce the class size to three students and the number of hourly classes to four. This adjustment worked out quite well, and we even managed to squeeze in a couple of students from the waiting list.

Mike S was definitely the heart of the operation. He brought all the gear (as usual) and ran the whiteboard and simulator instruction. Water coaching was handled by Brian N, Dean, Andre, and myself. Kate kept things running smoothly at the registration table, and Tim and Mike joined everyone else in equipment setup and tear-down. Apologies to anyone I forgot to name or give proper credit for their contribution.

I only managed to take a couple of photos at the beginning of the day, before getting too busy and forgetting about the camera. My usual m.o. at these events is to wander around, assist where I can, and maybe even sneak off for a little sailing if the wind is good. Since there was plenty of work to go around this time, I ended up spending most of my time coaching students on the water - my first real experience in this capacity. I even gave the "towing method" a try, which worked out pretty well except for a couple of incidents where the wind died completely and we got a little tangled. But I don't think I inflicted too many scars on the students - mental or physical.

All in all, I think it was another successful event. The wind was mostly cooperative and the students seemed to enjoy themselves. In fact, a couple of them are already shopping for some beginner gear - resulting in a great discussion on the Austin Windsurf Club mailing list.