DaNewsBlog

Sunday, June 8, 2014

2014 Calendar: July - August - September

MRS Meanline Fins Slalom | Maui | July 5
http://www.mauiraceseries.com/

CISA Advanced Windsurfing Clinic | San Francisco | July 7 - 9
https://www.facebook.com/CISAsailing?ref=stream&fref=nf

ABK | Hood River OR | July 7 - 11
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/311

St FYC Twilight Series | San Francisco CA | July 11
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Cabrillo Race Series | San Pedro CA | July 13
http://cabrilloracingseries.blogspot.com/p/schedulle.html

PWA | Gran Canaria | July 16 - 20
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=2033

Gorge Cup - USW Slalom | Hood River OR | July 19 - 20
http://gorgecup.com/?page_id=7

Reservoir Rendezvous | New London OH | July 19 - 20
http://www.mowind.org/wp/?page_id=729

Jem Hall Clinic | Solo Sports Baja | July 19 - 26
http://www.solosports.net/Holiday%20schedule/schedule.htm

St FYC Twilight Series | San Francisco CA | July 25
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Aloha Clinic | Gorge | July 25 - 28
http://www.shawnacropas.com/alohawindsurfingclinics/

Gorge Cup | Hood River OR | Aug 2
http://gorgecup.com/?page_id=7

MRS Neil Pryde Hawaii State Championship | Maui | Aug 2
http://www.mauiraceseries.com/

Jem Hall Clinic | Solo Sports Baja | Aug 2 - 9
http://www.solosports.net/Holiday%20schedule/schedule.htm

ABK | Rio Vista CA | Aug 15 - 17
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/309

AWT Quatro Desert Showdown | Solo Sports Baja | Aug 16 - 23
http://americanwindsurfingtour.com/events-2014/

St FYC Twilight Series | San Francisco CA | Aug 22
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

CalCup 4 | Berkeley YC CA | Aug 23
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Waconia Wind & Wave | Waconia MN | Aug 23 - 24
http://fleet8.com/

PWA | Alacati | Aug 26 - 31
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=2033

Ronstan Bridge to Bridge | San Francisco | Aug 29
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

St FYC Twilight Series | San Francisco CA | Sept 5
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Endless Summer Sailboard Classic | Shell Point FL | Sept 12 - 14
http://www.20knotsnob.com/uswsched.cfm

East Coast Windsurfing Festival | Cape Cod MA | Sept 13 - 14
http://www.ecwindfest.org/capecod.html

AWT Hatteras Wave Jam | Hatteras | Sept 15 - 20
http://americanwindsurfingtour.com/events-2014/

PWA | Klitmoller | Sept 15 - 21
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=2033

St FYC Twilight Series | San Francisco CA | Sept 19
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

ABK | Long Island NY | Sept 19 - 21
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/313

Wind Power Championship | Fond Du Lac WI | Sept 19 - 21
http://www.windpowerwindsurfing.com/

CalCup 5 | Berkeley YC CA | Sept 20
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Kona Calema Fall Series Race 1 | Cocoa FL | Sept 27 - 28
http://calema.com/events/

PWA | Sylt | Sept 26 - Oct 5
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=2033

Canadian events

Mowind does a detailed schedule for the Great Lakes / North Central U.S.

Calcup covers the west coast U.S. races and more

Maui Race Series

Gorge Cup schedule

CGWA Events

ABK continuous tour schedule

U.S. Windsurfing National Racing Tour

Southeast U. S. events will be found here

iWindsurf Events page

Solo Sports events

PWA World Tour Events

American Windsurfing (Wave) Tour

BABA events

Matt Pritchard & Shawna Cropas Aloha Clinics

Techno 293 calendar

Windsport events

Curacao events

San Diego FW events

Calema events

OBX events

Thursday, March 27, 2014

2014 Calendar: April - May - June

St FYC Twilight Series | San Francisco CA | Apr 4
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Slalom Race | Curacao | Apr 13
http://windsurfingcuracao.com/cat/Caribbean+Windsurfing+Events/page.php?section_id=13

Cabrillo Race Series | San Pedro CA | Apr 13
http://cabrilloracingseries.blogspot.com/p/schedulle.html

ABK | South Padre TX | Apr 17 - 20
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/299

St FYC Twilight Series | San Francisco CA | Apr 18
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Regatta | Curacao | Apr 18 - 19
http://windsurfingcuracao.com/cat/Caribbean+Windsurfing+Events/page.php?section_id=13

CalCup 1 | Berkeley YC CA | Apr 19
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Matt Pritchard Wavecamp | Baja | Apr 19 - 26
http://www.solosports.net/Wavecamps/Mattclinic2014.htm

Kona Calema Spring Series Race | Cocoa FL | Apr 27
http://calema.com/events/

St FYC Twilight Series | San Francisco CA | May 2
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Kashy WET WS Festival | Seaford VA | May 2 - 4
http://uswindsurfing.org/event/kashy-wet/

St FYC Elvstrom Zellerback Regatta | San Francisco CA | May 3 - 4
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Wyatt Miller WS Camp | Baja | May 3 - 10
http://www.solosports.net/Wavecamps/Wyatt-flash/wyatt-camp-2014.htm

ABK | Hatteras NC | May 5 - 9
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/301

Walleye Wagatta | Fond du Lac WI | May 10 - 11
http://www.mowind.org/wp/?page_id=43

Cancelled PWA | Korea | May 10 - 16
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=27

Freestyle | Curacao | May 15
http://windsurfingcuracao.com/cat/Caribbean+Windsurfing+Events/page.php?section_id=13

St FYC Twilight Series | San Francisco CA | May 16
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Cancelled ABK | Long Island NY | May 16 - 18
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/302

AWT | Santa Cruz CA | June 5 - 8
http://americanwindsurfingtour.com/

MRS Carbon Art Challenge | Maui | June 7
http://www.mauiraceseries.com/

MRS DaKine Classic | Maui | June 21
http://www.mauiraceseries.com/

Gorge Cup | Hood River OR | June 21
http://gorgecup.com/?page_id=7

St FYC Twilight Series | San Francisco CA | Jun 21
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

CalCup 3 | Berkeley YC CA | Jun 21
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

Grosse Pointe Regatta | Lake St Clair MI | Jun 21
http://uswindsurfing.org/event/grosse-pointe-windsurfing-club-regatta/

Heineken Regatta | Curacao | June 21 - 23
http://windsurfingcuracao.com/cat/Caribbean+Windsurfing+Events/page.php?section_id=13

St FYC Twilight Series | San Francisco CA | Jun 27
http://www.calcupevents.com/Schedule/Race%20Schedule-list-All.shtml

ABK | Rio Vista CA | Jun 27 - 29
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/306

Sunday, December 22, 2013

2014 Calendar: Jan - Feb - Mar

North American Championship Regatta | Coconut Grove, FL | Jan 18 - 20
http://cgsc-nac.sailspace.net/

Lord of the Wind Showdown | Los Barriles, Baja | Jan 22 -26
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-of-the-Wind-Showdown/142026572492055

Miami Pro - Am 2014/Spring | Miami | Jan 25 - 26
https://www.facebook.com/events/734884413201370/

ABK | Bonaire | Feb 10 - 14
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/294

2014 RSX - Techno 293 N.A. Championship | Cancun, Mex | Feb 20 - 23
http://www.puertocancunsailing.com/nawc/index.html

Windsurfing Classic | Sarasota, FL | Feb 22 -23
http://sarasotasailingsquadron.org/ai1ec_event/windsurfing-classic/?instance_id=313

Aloha Windsurfing Clinic | Maui | Mar 15 - 22
http://www.shawnacropas.com/alohawindsurfingclinics/

ABK | Bonaire | Mar 17 - 21
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/297

Cancelled PWA | Margarita, VEN | Mar 22 - 29
http://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=27

ABK | Bonaire | Mar 24 - 27
http://abkboardsports.com/camps/details/298

S.A. WS Championship | Mendoza, Arg | Mar 25 - 27
http://www.internationalwindsurfing.com/windsurfing_competion_0393v01.htm

Canadian events

Mowind does a detailed schedule for the Great Lakes / North Central U.S.

Calcup covers the west coast U.S. races and more

Maui Race Series

Gorge Cup schedule

CGWA Events

ABK continuous tour schedule

U.S. Windsurfing National Racing Tour

Southeast U. S. events will be found here

iWindsurf Events page

Solo Sports events

PWA World Tour Events

American Windsurfing (Wave) Tour

BABA events

Matt Pritchard & Shawna Cropas Aloha Clinics

Techno 293 calendar

Windsport events

Kona events

Curacao events

San Diego FW events

Calema events

Sunday, November 10, 2013

The 2013 Aloha Classic: Where Was the Windsurfing?

What does a former windsurfing magazine editor do ? Raise a super hero wannabe, run a large circulation magazine, get better at playing the guitar, learn to surf, enjoy family life and every now and then windsurf with the locals. Last time we sailed together, Eddy had Aloha Classic on his mind. He sent me the words below:

"The 2013 Aloha Classic: Where Was the Windsurfing? Ho’okipa delivered. The world’s best arrived. And what a show it was. The organizers, sponsors and competitors deserve our gratitude.

So it’s not without trepidation I offer what follows. It boils down to this: If the 2013 Aloha Classic was an event by windsurfers for windsurfers, it was an astounding success. If the event’s goal was to showcase our sport to the world, it wasn't given a chance.

My beef is the event’s judging format. It eliminated any hope of broadening windsurfing’s reach. With just two waves scored – and nothing else – competitors rigged small, limped out, and jockeyed for two rides that totaled less than thirty seconds of a 20-minute heat. To the non-windsurfing public, those brief seconds of wave riding look a lot like surfing with a sail. Neat, but not novel.

I realized this coaxing my non-sailing friends to pay attention. Ho’okipa on demand, the world’s best sailors on the water, a corduroy horizon, the sport’s apex moment and … my friends’ eyes are drifting. Worse, I can’t blame them. There onscreen, four sailors bob, and not due to marginal winds. Not in some earlier rounds.

In fact, to my non-sailing friends, the Aloha Classic’s highlight moment might have been a push loop performed by a 50-year-old. Only, the video coverage didn’t catch it, the judges didn’t count it, and that’s where this rant was born.

My friends’ interest peaked during the event’s promo ad. The one between heats with archived footage of the original Aloha Classic. The neon nirvana, nonstop, high-flying circus. Where was that sport?

The wind made it vanish this year, but not in every heat. Not when Robby Naish can throw a 20-foot push loop on the way out. And not when gear makers boast bigger, better light-wind wave gear than ever before.

What eliminated any chance of the circus was the absence of an overall impression category. Something, anything that encourages sailors to focus beyond just 30-seconds of riding, and instead, put on a show for the entirety of a heat. That mindset is in Robby’s hardwiring. Ditto for Josh Stone who threw a non-scoring forward.

Sure, the wind’s appearance was fleeting. But why not leave a door open to its arrival? Why not offer a judging category that encourages sailors to grab bigger gear and pounce on available wind, and yeah, get on with the show? You know, the one that’s unique to windsurfing?

When an event’s most spectacular selling point to the public isn’t part of the event itself, it smacks of a fatal flaw. Leave the two-wave-only judging format to surfing, where you MUST sit and wait because that’s the nature of the sport. But that’s certainly not our sport. Windsurfing is more than surfing with a sail. The original Aloha Classic showcased that to the world, and the world tuned in. Keep the circus in the mix and, who knows, maybe they will again."

Eddy Patricelli in Florida

The Aloha Classic ran from 1984 to 2006. It returned to its home at Ho'okipa Beach Park this year. Here are a few videos from past events.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

AWT ~ PWA: JP Aloha Classic ~ Live Webcast

Sam Bittner and the American Windsurfing Tour, that she started and runs, have done what no one else has been able to do: bring the PWA back to the USA !!! The JP Aloha Classic will run at windsurfing's most famous wave venue, Ho'okipa Beach Park from October 24 - November 6. Maui is 6 hours behind the east coast US: Noon, New York City = 6:00 AM Maui. Watch the Live Webcast on the AWT JP Aloha Classic Website and PWA Live. While you're here, watch it below (zoom your screen for a better view) on the fully functional, mirror image, iframe of the official JP Aloha Classic website.

Robby Naish, Kevin Pritchard and Josh Angulo have each been automatically entered directly into the main PWA event via a "Champions Wildcard". Bittner reports that as many 15 AWT competitors could qualify for the PWA side of the event. Depends on how many PWA riders actually show up and register. For the latest event info, go to the AWT JP Aloha Classic Updates. And as usual, DaNews will be linking you up to the latest reporting from Ho'okipa.

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