2014 National Slalom Standings Taking Shape After Hawaii State Championships!
(Drone video courtesy of Daniel Barreiro)
By Tamara Bockius
Thank you to all the sailors and their families who traveled to Maui to race with us this summer! The Maui Race Series (MRS) enjoyed beautiful trade winds and a smoothly organized set of 5 events run through June and July with the 5th event, the Neil Pryde Hawaii State Championships, in early August. Enjoying its 30th year, the MRS is like a mini Olympics of Windsurfing because of all the different nationalities in attendance. The Japanese racers are seriously fast and train hard. A large group of Kiwi Sailors (New Zealanders) show up ever year well trained and equipped. We have racers from the Dominican Republic, US Virgin Islands, Australia, France, Germany, Canada and Argentina, a 15 year old Russian Jr. girl from Moscow competed this year, Italy was well represented with Luciano, several British racers show up every year to devastate the fleets as well.
Sailing at the Maui Race Series events will expose you to a very high level of competition (it’s Maui, everyone and their mom is an old Pro!) but at the same time, it is relaxed, just for fun. Every time that you show up to compete, you will enhance your sailing skills. You learn from watching the other racers, checking out their various equipment and individual sailing styles. You can become a better sailor if you want to. It takes training and familiarity with your equipment and all the conditions that you can take it in. Racing pushes you to sail better, faster, longer, and with a purpose. Recreational sailing is always fun also, cruising and playing with friends. We want to encourage you to take your Windsurfing to the ‘next level’ though, get out on the water and train towards a goal, competing at one or maybe all of the NRT windsurfing events offered around the U.S.
See you at the Races-
Aloha from Maui,
Tamara Bockius (Tammy)
US Windsurfing – Pacific Regional Director
Like those drone videos? Here are a few more from this year’s Race Series in Maui (credit: Mauizoom’s Reinhard Elischka):
Maui Race Series, Neil Pryde Hawaii State Championships Aug. 2. 2014
Maui Race Series, Meanline Slalom July 5. 2014
Maui Race Series, Carbon Art Challenge June 7. 2014
The US Windsurfing Association has been working hard this year helping cross promote regattas around the country. Along with a new, updated website to keep track of all the events around the country, US Windsurfing has created a national Slalom ranking on its National Racing Tour (NRT). The title in 2014 is calculated from the points from four select regattas in the US. Those four events are: 1) the slalom portion the US Nationals that took place in Worthington in June; 2) the Gorge Cup event held July 19-20th in Hood River; 3) the Neil Pryde Hawaii State Championships on the MRS held August 2nd; and 4) the final event, yet to take place in 2014, is the Miami Slalom Open, scheduled for November 8-9. At this final event US Windsurfing will crown its first US National Slalom champions!
All US Windsurfing members attending any of the above four slalom events get automatically ranked on the NRT. With the finish line clearly in sight, here are the standings after event #3 in Hawaii (click to zoom in):
