bulae99
Since 12 Jul 2006
1691 Posts
I give out bad advice.
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 Thu May 19, 11 7:33 am The best lesson is the one you take, in The Gorge!! |
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I'm always amazed when the spring hits and people who are from around the world start showing up at the Event Site. The excitement is a little like the carnival coming into town. All the master instructors, Jim , and the Red Beard, Brian's, Tonia, Craig at Gradient, Carlos and everybody start building their little circus tent cities. All Buzzing around getting ready for the onslaught of starving wind addicted, magazine reading, extreme sports enthusiasts, attempting to improve their grip on the sport of choice.
I noticed Brian, Brian's Windsurfing, teaching an advanced windsurfing lesson yesterday, May 16th, 2011. Brian along with the entire gaggle of lead instructors in Da Gorge is all exceptional and very different. Some are short, some are tall and some kite and some windsurf and one does both. Each instructor offers a really different experience to the student, but in my opinion it's impossible to compare them. In fact, it's probably not fair to do comparisons of good versus bad lessons as the experience is in large part a tug of war between a student’s zeal for the sport and an instructor’s ability to keep it safe and fun. As a windsurfing and Kite boarding instructor I can tell you that even the best lesson may leave customers unimpressed, cold and to some degree completely ready to complain. So many factors play into learning a sport that requires physical ability and brains.
The excitement that draws people to the Gorge exists because people who love wind and water dream about it year round. I remember being one of the landlocked tunas and closing my eyes thinking about the strong winds that allowed me to rig my 4.2 and ride my fanatic 8-6 board. Yummy!! It still makes me excited to think about how stoked I was to be here. The excitement would build over the winter and by February on a sunny day in New Mexico I would rig my sail and play with it in the front yard. Very fun and I wish I had that same level of stoke as I did back then. The stoke is there, but the game has changed.
I'm an old wind junkie now. I’m a wind snob. 10 meter and my surfboard on a warm day is what I expect. It used to be that I just wanted wind, any wind would do. Now I just am glad to get out. I guess my point here is to just tell you that the best lesson is the one you take. Doesn’t really matter who, if you ask me, just take one. Be honest about your ability and jump on that learning curve.
Ron
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Hey, I'm being hahahahahrassed! |
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