Bruce Kendall

Kari Kari Peninsula Property FOR SALE $100 k - Northland New Zealand

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +1200

Bruce is SELLING his Land

Northland New Zealand

24 Bay Heights Drive, Karikari Peninsula, NEW ZEALAND

$100,000

(C.V 170, 000)

Join the growing community on the hill enjoying Fishing, Kiting, Blokarting, Diving, Golf and Wine Tasting! Tokerau Beach and the cruising Northland vibe in stunning Whatuwhiwhi, Doubtless Bay. This property is located on the hill above an Olive Orchard with views that cannot be built out. A great little 811m2 section for a great home or bach far enough away to enjoy the stunning vista yet close enough to enjoy the wind waves and fishing.

Only 4 hours drive from Auckland, New Zealand or 35 minute flight!

We have held this property for 10 years in the hope of building but have come into some other projects and have to let it go.

Overseas Buyers Welcome! (Linked to Land Info NZ)

Email Bruce to find out more!

or see OUR PROPERTY LISTED

Kiters on Tokerau Beach 2008

see article on this camp from Anabatic Website

Source: Kari Kari Peninsula Property FOR SALE $100 k - Northland New Zealand

Last paradise - New Zealand Film

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +1300

Film by Clive Neeson...

http://www.lastparadisefilm.com

In the beautiful wilderness of New Zealand, when necessity was the mother of invention, a maverick bunch of kids had a dream that would change the world. In 45 years of stunning original footage we experience first-hand the adventures of early adrenaline seekers and join them on the roads less travelled to discover the world's secret paradises.

Last Paradise is the untold story of extreme sports innovation from its comical beginnings to the cutting edge of what it is today. Between the lines is a shocking revelation of a wilderness lost, but through the same story we discover a science to save it.

Source: Last paradise - New Zealand Film

New Youth Windsurfing Trophy Announced

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +1200

The Kendall Cup 2010

New youth windsurfing trophy announced

A new season championship for youth windsurfers, to be known as the Kendall Cup, was announced today by Dave Mackay of the NZ Techno class association.

“Windsurfing is New Zealand’s top Olympic event of the last 25 years, with seven medals from six Games including three Golds” said Mr Mackay. “Yet we don’t always get the profile and participation we’d like. We want to get more kids into the sport, and see them spending more time on the water, to ensure that we have the talent to remain top performers in the world in years to come. That’s what the Kendall Cup is about, and we’re delighted that both Barbara and Bruce Kendall have got in behind this initiative.”

The Bic Techno One Design is the international racing class for under-17 year olds. There is also an under 15 division and both boys and girls divisions. Like in other youth sailing classes, regular racing happens at a number of yacht clubs around the country, and through the summer there are weekend regattas. The National Championships is the most important regatta which everyone wants to do well at. But until now there have been no ongoing national rankings and there has been no overall winner for the season.

“The Kendall Cup will be awarded to one sailor in each age and gender division at the end of each season, starting this coming summer. So there’ll actually be four trophies, which Barbara Kendall has kindly donated. Points will be awarded at each regatta, so the more regattas you go to, and the better you place, the more points you’ll get. Sailors will be allowed to miss one regatta out of eight in the season without penalty.

“This means that the national champion will not necessarily win the Kendall Cup – they will need to race regularly and consistently. Someone who keeps improving after the national event, and keeps racing, may well overtake the national champ by the end of autumn. They will get the glory, the trophy, and the handshake from one of our absolute legends of sport.

“The Kendall Cup format will also allow us to keep running rankings of all the young Techno sailors, and by keeping these running rankings online, everyone will be able to track their progress and sailors at all levels will be motivated to get out there and race.

“As well, we want to raise the profile of and participation in our sport outside Auckland, so the Kendall Cup will include regattas in Tauranga and other centres as a way to help Techno fleets develop there. We’re keen to hear from more yacht clubs who want to get involved.”

Any budding young windsurfers should get in touch with their local yacht club for ‘learn to’ courses and to find out about racing.

Source: New Youth Windsurfing Trophy Announced

The Malta-Sicily Windsurf Race May 1989

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +1200

The Malta-Sicily Windsurf Race

Memories of an Event - 21 Years After

Bruce Kendall

“Of all the races I have ever done including 24-hour solo windsurfing races and the Olympic Games, this race was physically the toughest!”

Malta-Sicily Windsurf Race in 1989: (back row left to right) Christophe Syz (Switzerland), Andre Hauschke (Germany), Johannes Lippert (Austria), Haken Ling (Sweden), Paco Wirz (Italy), Wilfred Sultana, John van der Starre (Netherlands) and Stefan Verwisch (Belgium). Front row (left to right) Bruce Kendall (New Zealand), Jean Paul Fleri Soler (Malta) and Tom Dryton (UK)

In early May 1989 I was taking part in a windsurfing rally in Palermo, when I was introduced to Wilfred Sultana who, after a short chat asked me if I would consider taking part in the Malta-Sicily Windsurf Race, a marathon (53.4n.m.) event he was organizing and running. In fact my Sicilian friend Pace Wirz, who raced for Italy at the Seoul Olympics and who was instrumental in my being in Palermo at the time, was also invited for the Malta event.

The idea was instantly appealing to me. What an adventure! Quite a big distance and clearly visible on the globe!

Although all expenses would be covered and there was the chance of winning prize money ($890), it would be quite a mission.

Firstly all my travel plans and some commitments would need to be altered, I would also have to fly to France, purchase the necessary windsurfing equipment, fly it all back to Malta, clear customs, set up all this untried new equipment and race from Malta to Sicily then sell all the equipment! Easy to say, but time consuming more complicated than face value and expensive to do!

The lure of this unique and challenging event had me, I had to do it.

My plans went well until I tried to get the windsurfing masts from Paris to Sicily. They were too long and had to go freight. The Taxi was not really designed to drive 5-meter long masts around Paris and the airports! Due to the extra time this took, I missed my flights and had to stay another night in Paris.

Due to the size of the masts, even the freight company had issues and somehow the masts got lost in the system. After two weeks of constant phone calls from Palermo and various towns driving around Sicily with Paco Wirz on the way to Malta and calls in Malta by Wilfred, all of my windsurfing equipment made it to Malta the day before the event.

The next curve ball was clearing the equipment from customs. This took a full day of driving around Malta with the help of Wilfred and his team who handled the situation admirably well. Until the last minute I was not sure if I would be able to race, as I needed this equipment, as there was nothing else available that was capable of wining this race in Malta or Sicily.

I ended up receiving this new and untried equipment the morning of the race – 28^th May!

Due to the nature of the area, a wide range of conditions were possible so I had sails from four meters squared to nine meters squared. I had three different boards. This was quite a volume of equipment and not cheap!

I was fortunate that on the morning of the race, the weather conditions suited me perfectly. It was a light swell from the southeast with a chop on top and a steady 10 knots from the northeast and forecast to drop and back to the south. Not great for breaking the race record of 5hrs 56mins 35secs, but good for my chances of winning with the equipment I had bought.

There were 10 competitors invited from 10 different countries. Each sailor was designated a support boat that carried spare equipment, food and water. The support boats also relayed our positions to the shore during the race, were security if the weather turned bad and gave us guidance as to where we were going. My boat, I recall, was “Maid of Arundel” skippered by Anthony Demajo.

Most competitors chose round-bottomed boards designed for sailing up wind with sails of around nine meters squared.

We started at 9 am. The fleet spread out pretty quickly after the start due to the different speeds of the equipment, technical ability and tactical choices. I quickly took the lead.

Within one hour, I had lost sight of land due to the haze and was really glad to have a support boat to ensure I was sailing in the straightest direction towards Sicily.

Within 3 hours I was only able to see 3 other competitors. The Sicilian Paco Wirz was my closest threat. The wind had dropped to about 7 knots and the seas became smoother.

At 5 hours I was only able to see 2 other competitors and I was concerned that the sailors I could not see may be passing me without my knowledge. The wind had backed and we were on a beam reach in about 6 knots. I was still fully powered up with the equipment I had chosen and had a clear speed advantage over everyone. As we had been on one tack the entire time, the prolonged strain on my body was beginning to take its toll. My only consolation was that I knew I was probably in better shape than the others having finished the Olympic Games with a gold medal 8 months before and had not stopped training.

When I was only about an hour away from the finish – some five hours on the water - I was at my physical end. We had been on the same tack the entire time. I could see land and knew the finish was close and I still had the lead. The wind had dropped to about 3 knots and had backed almost to the south east. We were having to butterfly pump the rigs down wind on very unstable round bottom boards. Paco Wirz was a few hundred meters behind and was also pumping his sail as hard as he could. Both of my hands were blistered and bleeding and the soles of my feet had worn through and were bleeding. I felt exhausted.

Within sight of the finish line I lost control of my rig and it fell in the water. I remember trying to pull it back up but had absolutely nothing left. Paco was still only a few hundred meters behind me and third was out of sight. I was not able to pull the sail out of the water and continue. All the sacrifice, effort time money and stress that had gone into being able to do this event and first place and the prize money was being put in jeopardy by a total break down of my body within sight of the finish. My support boat crew was shouting at me to pull the rig up but all I could do was sit on my board and wait for a recovery that would be enough to pull the sail out of the water and make it to the finish. I sat there and watched Paco slowly gaining on me in the 2 knot down wind breeze.

Fortunately for me, before Paco got within a hundred meters of me, I was able up haul the rig and make it through the finish line without any more dramas – finishing in 6hrs 49mins 42sec ahead of Pace Wirz (Italy) 7hrs 05mins 38secs and John Van Der Starre (Netherlands) 7hrs 34mins 18secs.

Of all the races I have ever done including 24-hour solo windsurfing races and the Olympic Games, this race was physically the toughest. It took me 3 days to recover.

Fortunately when I returned to Palermo, I was able to sell all the equipment and pay back the money I had borrowed. The prize money and consequent profit meant more to me some how than normal for this race although in reality the time, effort and financial risk did not really stack up, especially considering including my traveling costs were all covered by the event organizer.

In the big scheme of things and at this time, I still feel very privileged to have experienced this story and to have come out on top. Due to the equipment issues, I spent more time with Wilfred than normal and getting to know him was also a great pleasure. In my first meeting with him I was snooping asking questions about Malta one of which was “On which side of the road you drive in Malta? With a persuasive look he answered ‘in the shade’. I asked no further and learned the real answer when I arrived for the crossing; yet recalling the episode still brings a grin to my face.

Caption to photograph:

The ten protagonists on the 6^th Edition of the Malta-Sicily Windsurf Race: (Back row l. to r.) - Christophe Syz (Switzerland), Andre Hauschke (Germany), Johannes Lippert (Austria), Haken Ling (Sweden), Pace Wirz (Italy), Wilfred Sultana, John Van Der Starre (Netherlands) and Stefan Verwisch (Belgium). Front row (l. to r.) - Bruce Kendall (New Zealand), Jean Paul Fleri Soler (Malta) and Tom Dryton (United Kingdom).

Source: The Malta-Sicily Windsurf Race May 1989

Smooth Sailing into Marriage

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1300

By Caroline Botting 2010

The sports star's big day made for smooth sailing into marriage

Olympic gold medallist Bruce Kendall is used to pushing himself to extremes, and his wedding day to his true love Stephanie Hogan was no exception.

For 12 months this free-spirited couple had planned a 'wedding extravaganza' on Auckland's Great Barrier Island – a day that kicked off in the early morning and ended with the couple rocking until the break of dawn.

Unforgettable moments were many, including the moving singing solos throughout the day, the drumming and guitar sessions, the new romances which blossomed under the whirl of fire pois and a friend's beachfront engagement.

But there was one moment that stood out above all of the rest – when Stephanie walked through the lush island forest and down the aisle towards Bruce.

'It was magical. First, children blew bubbles along either side [of the bridal walk], then the bridesmaids walked out of the forest throwing bright orange petals. Stephanie turned the corner and she looked so happy and beautiful,' recalls the 44-year-old sports champion.

Bruce, brother of fellow Olympic medallist Barbara Kendall, was waiting with his 'five best men' on the balcony of Medland's Palm House.

It was the residence the pair had hired on the island's picturesque beachfront and where guests continued to celebrate for three days following the wedding.

Former Wellingtonian Stephanie – who wore a stunning strapless silk ribbon gown and carried pink, orange and white gerberas – admits that she felt overwhelmed with emotion when she locked eyes on her beau of the past seven years.

Time to celebrate

'I realised all our effort was worth it. I had a few tears in my eyes and Bruce looked gorgeous,' says the 31-year-old full-time mum.

Their wedding was a culmination of a jam-packed year for the duo. They'd become first-time parents to their daughter Katie, who arrived by water birth at the Kendall family home in east Auckland 11 months earlier.

They'd also recently made the life-changing decision to leave New Zealand for Europe so that Bruce, who won gold at the 1988 Korea Olympic Games, could take up his position as the coach of Hong Kong's Olympic board sailing team.

With the couple's imminent departure, quality time spent with the 180 family and friends they'd invited to their big day was vital.

The remote island of Great Barrier – located 90km north east of Auckland – where the pair had first met seven years ago, was the clear choice for guests to congregate for a few days.

'I liked the idea of an old-fashioned wedding where you go to a particular place and stay for a while,' says Bruce. 'It was great.'

But with the island more than a two-hour boat trip from Auckland, almost everything for the wedding – including drinks, crockery and most of the food – had to be shipped in.

The Kendall clan is renowned for chipping in together, and the night before their big day it was all hands on deck to help out.

'We fed guests sandwiches and cheeses for lunch and a Hangi for dinner with freshly caught seafood, including crayfish, kingfish and kahawai. Before the wedding we had to rob the bees [a process of taking the honey from the hive].

That was a big mission, as there was over 100 kilos of honey that got distributed throughout family and friends,' explains Stephanie, who, along with Bruce, is a keen beekeeper.

There were a few small hiccups on the day, including the power shutting down momentarily during speeches and the slightly-too-small wedding rings.

'Mine was really tight to get on,' Bruce says with a laugh, 'We had them sitting in a little tray of olive oil to make it easier to put on. Steph wasn't able to get it over the knuckle so I had to do the last part myself.'

In a surprise twist for guests, Stephanie and Bruce held their daughter Katie's naming ceremony after the wedding.

'It had been quite hard for Katie in the days leading up to the wedding because Stephanie and I had been so busy. She was getting passed around to different people – there were many willing baby sitters,' Bruce says with a smile.

'She got a bit upset at the beginning of her ceremony, but when everyone started clapping she realised something was going on that included her, and she had a big smile on her face.'

Guests got to know one another through Stephanie's and Bruce's 'wedding mission' – a questionnaire designed to get the guests socialising and learning interesting things about each other – during a much needed three-hour break for the newlyweds.

It was a chance for some precious alone time and the perfect opportunity for Bruce to head to the place he loves best – the sea.

'There was massive surf coming in,' Bruce says. 'I hope there's a photo of us with the waves at our back.'

On the couple's return, fairy lights and candles lit up Palm House for a night of wild partying.

Former Dancing with the Stars contestant Barbara had spent weeks teaching the pair the foxtrot for their first dance to Lisa Ekdahl's version of It Had To Be You.

'By that stage I'd taken off my shoes and was tripping on my dress, but we were just laughing and dancing around the floor,' Stephanie says.

Later that night, fire pois lit up the gardens to Tiki Taane's powerful song Tangaroa.

'That really rocked everyone,' says Bruce, who then DJed for the rest of the evening. 'After Tiki's song we moved to the upbeat dance song I Feel Love by Donna Summers, and that set the mood for the rest of our fantastic night.'

Source: Smooth Sailing into Marriage

New Zealand Bic Techno Launch

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +1300

New Zealand Bic Techno Launch

At 4pm on Thursday 3 December, at Takapuna Boating Club in Auckland there will be an event for the launch of the Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy Trust’s (BOPSAT) six new Techno boards (thanks to Stuart Pedersen, Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy)

, which will support a new windsurfing development programme in Tauranga.

Meet the Legends

Olympic Gold Medallists Barbara Kendall, Tom Ashley and Bruce Kendall
PWA World Champion Scott Fenton

Watch them race and join them on the water!
Find out about our Junior Learn-toWindsurf programme
Become involved in this International Class of Yachting

Come and join the fun!
... and the sausages will be on the BBQ!
Thursday 3rd Decdember 4pm to 7pm
Takapuna Boating Club, Takapuna

Each of the boards will be named after one of New Zealand’s windsurfing legends, Tom Ashley, Barbara Kendall, Bruce Kendall, Scott Fenton, Santha Patel and Aaron McIntosh.

Takapuna Boating Club will be supporting the event with facilities and will be making it an "Open Day" at the club. Evelyn Johnson and Janet Watkins are behind a move to get a junior windsurfing program up and running at the club.

The event will start at 4pm at Takapuna Boating Club (39 The Strand, Takapuna) with the following scheduled:

* 4pm – Welcome and Register – Learn about Takapuna Boating Club’s new Windsurf programme
* 4.30pm – Official Launch of the BOPSAT Techno boards
* 5pm – Race of the Legends – Come meet Olympic Medallists Tom Ashley, Barbara Kendall and Bruce Kendall, also PWA World Champion Scott Fenton and watch them race!
* 5.30pm – Open Race – A fun race for anyone who wants to join in on their own board and race the legends
* 6.30pm – Free Sausages
* 7pm - Close

Yachting New Zealand are supporting and driving windsurfing in New Zealand with an aim to get more kids on to boards and get fleets sailing all around the country. This is an excellent opportunity to come and see what windsurfing is all about, how to learn the skills and meet the very best in the world.

Info sourced from

Windsurfing New Zealand http://www.windsurfingnz.org/content/windsurfing-open-day

New Zealand Culture online http://www.nzlive.com/en/windsurfing-new-zealand/wind-week-techno-launch

Source: New Zealand Bic Techno Launch

Windsurfing Instruction Programme Review Document

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +1300

YNZ / NZWA Windsurf Instruction Program

and the

NZL Windsurfing Early Development Program.

Author: Bruce Kendall

October 2009

Current situation in NZL

The NZWA have a comprehensive windsurfing instructors system that is aimed at teaching windsurfing students how to windsurf competently as quickly and safely as possible. It is not designed to teach students to race or advanced techniques

In most places around NZL, windsurfing instruction is delivered by windsurfing schools that are either linked to a windsurfing shop or are privately owned and operated. The main focus of the schools is to teach windsurfing to a competent level safely to as many people as possible. Only a small fraction of these people go on to purchase their own equipment or reach an advanced level and even fewer ever race.

Current Windsurfing Schools

Most windsurfing schools teach a wide range of the population. The boards need to be stable for students of up to around 80 kilos, and the board still needs to turn easily. The best board design is a wide short board. For ease of the first stage of learning, it is best if the rig is in a fixed position and the center board and fin are fixed and not to long, so the board is easy to operate and can sail in shallow water. This hull design dose not go up wind well. The rigs need to be small and light weight. The sail size range is from 5.5 square meters down to 3 meters s.m.

The main intention for this style of equipment is to get students to use a harness and planning at an early stage so they can go short-board sailing.

Students generally get to the level where they can get back to where they started, but in the majority of cases not much more and they are often lost from the sport.

The skill set required for windsurfing is more than sailing and so learning time is longer and the conditions, equipment and instruction make a big difference to the learning experience and out come.

Recommended Future of Windsurfing Instruction in NZ.

While windsurfing schools continue to bring anyone of any age to learn windsurfing, retention of students for longer, needs to be worked on.

For windsurfing numbers to properly increase in NZL there needs to be a fresh approach so that future New Zealand windsurfers can continue to do well on an international level in all disciplines. There needs to be a NZL Windsurfing Early Development Program.

Primary and Intermediate schools, junior sailors at yacht clubs and sailing events need to be approached and regularly offered the NZL Windsurfing Early Development Program.

Based on successful over seas models, windsurfing is best taught to people at around nine years old. They then need to stay in an instructional program to reach an advanced level early so that students literally grow up with the sport. Their mental and physical reactions need to become second nature before they start to get a lot taller and put on muscle mass, [which happens normally from around 13 to 15 years old.] With a good follow up program, their potential level of performance by the time they are in their early 20’s is much higher and they are much more likely to win Olympic Medals and other world championships in all windsurfing disciplines.

It has been proven that any physical skill set needs to be repeated within 72 hours of learning it, so there needs to be several lessons over a short period of time to ensure the kids retain these skills well. The program needs to retain these kids during the year so that they sail all year round. New Zealand’s North Island is blessed with a climate where this is possible, unlike much of the northern hemisphere where it freezes over in some places. South Islanders need pretty good wetsuits, gloves, booties and hoods for the cold days there.

Teaching kids to race, is important, as it creates a need for kids to arrive at the same time to rig up, sail at the same time, de rig at the same time and wait around together for wind or what ever at the same time. This group will socialize and become friends and this will be a big part of the reason they will stay with the sport. Trying to out perform your mates is a big part of any sport, but not the only part, it is a good sport for growing good people and learning to care about the environment.

Windsurfing equipment for the

NZL Windsurfing Early Development Program.

For the first stage of level 1 the board should not be too big and most windsurfing schools already have suitable boards and rigs.

For the rest of the program the equipment needs to suit sailors from 30 to 50 kilos. The hull needs to be a good shape for general all round performance and feel fun to sail. It should relatively light so it is easy for maneuvering on and off the water. It should be durable and reasonably inexpensive and easy to obtain.

It should be an internationally recognized racing class with a strong class association in NZL and internationally.

The Bic Techno ticks all the boxes. There were 250 competitors at the 2009 Bic Techno world championships. This is the same number as the Optimist world champs and is currently the biggest windsurfing class world championships in the world. The BT is recognized by the developed nations as the feeder class for the windsurfing class at the Olympic games and gets generous support.

The rig size classes at the BT world champs are 5.8, 6.8 and 7.8.

For New Zealand, the sail sizes for level 1, 2 and 3 should be according to the needs of the sailor.

For racing events the rig sizes should be as per the international class size rules and a smaller rig is optional although sailors can only nominate one rig for an event. Racing divisions will be run by sail size. I would recommend that the size below the 5.8 would be a 4.8 and any size below.

If non-Bic sails were used to reduce costs, a sail size measuring system would need to be used to ensure non-Bic sails were below the maximum sizes. For any qualification events, only standard Bic class legal rigs should be used.

Operation of the

NZL Windsurfing Early Development Program

There needs to be a person paid to manage this program. It will require constant year round management and expansion of the program in general numbers and around NZL. The list of the functions required would be as follows.

Obtain funding to cover time and expenses to manage and run out the program. Possible funding sources. YNZ / SPARC, public trusts, sponsorships [windsurfing industry and out side]
Revise the current NZWA windsurfer’s instructor’s syllabus to ensure it encompasses the path way described here in.
Meet with windsurfing school owners and encourage them to participate with the program, up skill their instructors and obtain the correct equipment.
Help run an instructors seminar to qualify the required number of instructors to start the program with the interested parties.
Meet with priority targeted yacht clubs to encourage them to obtain the correct equipment and suitable windsurfing coaches. Encourage board storage at yacht clubs.
Promote the program to schools and city councils as a pathway to the Olympic games and other aspects to the sport such as slalom, wave sailing, free style etc.
Ensure the program is and continues to run smoothly through the windsurf schools and yacht clubs through emails, phone calls and visits.
Create promotional events to attract new participants to the program and encourage those in the program. These could be attending junior sailing events, school assemblies, sports trade shows [like “big boys toys” or “the boat show”].
Create motivational events to encourage those in the program to stay involved. These could be advanced coaching clinics, video evenings, and special sailing events in interesting locations.
Encourage inter club competitions and run inter school national championships.
Run the selection process for the Bic Techno class for continental and world championships.
Help ensure the NZL team at major over seas events is well supported so that NZL sailors achieve respectable results.
Run and manage the class rules and racing formats.

NZL Windsurfing Early Development Program.

Kids should be taught level 1 at 9 to 13 years old. Level 2 is taught 10 to 14 years old. If the kids are progressing well, by the age of 15, they should have completed level 3. The program on level 2 & 3 should be on the Bic Techno. Bic Techno sailors are normally no longer as competitive above 60 kilos in below 16 knots. From 55 to 60 kilos they should start sailing the RSX in the light wind races. The Youth RSX class sailors start to become competitive from 54 kilos.

The age limit to kids starting the program is 16 years old and the weight limit to start the program is 55 kilos.

A Youth Development Program on the ISAF youth board and Olympic Class Board will be running to look after the sailors coming out of the NZL Early Development Program.

Level 1

This is best done by windsurf schools, as they have the entry-level equipment and the experience to deliver most of the program. If they cannot deliver the second part of the program due to a lack of equipment, this can then happen with Yacht clubs who should easily be able to get funding for a set of boards for this purpose. Instructors from the windsurfing school or experienced windsurfers trained to deliver part 2 & 3 can do this at the yacht clubs or W/S schools.

This first introduction teaches them the basics of getting going to a level where they can sail in any direction. [wide boards]
Know general water safety, the rules of the road and self-rescue techniques.
Sail around a standard racing course that includes a start line, up wind and down wind, gybing and tacking. [long-boards and or decent size dagger board]

Level 2

This may be best delivered through yacht clubs with people correctly trained to teach these skills. This is to remove distractions from other learners and begins to integrate the sailors into a yacht club. If they have completed this level they are most likely windsurfers for life and will want to obtain their own equipment.

Operate an adjustable dagger board and mast track system around as standard racing course.
Basic rigging up a board and rig and how to carry and look after it.
Use a harness and know how to trim a sail for the conditions.
Sail around the standard racing course in 15 to 20 knots.

Level 3

This would best be delivered through private coaching or yacht clubs with people correctly trained to teach these skills. At this level sailors will need to have their personal board so they can set it up and maintain it to their personal requirements.

Proper racing tacking and planning gybing techniques.
Sailing the board properly in all conditions up wind and down wind.
Fine tuning a sail for racing.
Jumping the board and landing it for the various conditions. Jumping for height and distance, slalom and up wind jumping.
Beach and water starting.
Launching and sailing in an onshore beach break.
Pumping techniques.
Proper starting and mark rounding techniques.
Racing tactics and rules.

Level 4

This is where sailors will have decided they really want to excel at windsurfing. Specialist coaching and travel around New Zealand will be required. They may be looking at competing over seas. After reaching the top in this level they will be more than ready to make the transition to the Olympic class or any other part of windsurfing and compete at a reasonably high level.

Race tune board handling. Tacking and gybing in all conditions.
Fine tune rigs, boards and fins for speed.
Learn speed training and testing systems.
Fine tune pumping techniques
Fine tune starting various techniques for competitive fleets.
Fine tune mark rounding and tactical maneuvers.
Cross training. Introduction to gym and aerobic training and other sports.
Fine tune tactics for small and big fleets and regatta strategies.
Learn to use a peak performance program for on and off the water.
Learn wave sailing and freestyle techniques [equipment dependant]
Learn how to repair equipment. Hulls, fins, sails, masts and booms.

Learn how to manage racing their own campaigns, from sponsorship to travel and accommodation.

Summary.

This is a big undertaking and requires a full time position for a talented person with the right experience and skills to start up and run this program properly.

If this program is carried out correctly and has the support of the key organizations, the results will follow through to the Olympic games and the professional circuit. The skills learned will often be transferable to other yachting classes.

Source: Windsurfing Instruction Programme Review Document

Yachting New Zealand, Windsurfing and Olympic Success

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +1300

YNZ & Windsurfing & Olympic success.

Author: Bruce Kendall

October 2009

Back ground.

YNZ has never taken a roll in the development or management of a class or it’s class association or the promotion of a discipline other than in mono hull yachting. [The YNZ optimist “have a go” program.]

YNZ have recently shown an interest in windsurfing and its Olympic pathway, hence the meeting on Friday 9^th Oct 2009.

Olympic Class windsurfing is New Zealand’s most successful medal winning sport from 1984 to 2008. Yachting has not won a sailing medal since 1992.

Some people have recognised that the future potential of NZL winning medals in Windsurfing may be under threat from 2016 on and something needs to be done now to prevent this.

YNZ’s current position

YNZ is the governing body for all sailing in NZL.

Historically 60 to 80 % of YNZ’s annual funding comes from SPARC who are mainly interested in funding the elite end of Olympic Yachting.

Sport and Recreation NZ “SPARC” is YNZ’s biggest “customer” and SPARC are buying Olympic medals from YNZ.

SPARC have always have had and still do a policy of not funding the sports development, only the elite end of the sport.

For YNZ to provide these medals they currently provide the following.

Some coaching for the ISAF youth classes.
Full time coaching for the Olympic Sailing classes.
Part time coaching for Kate Ellingham. [Windsurfer]
Funding and a range of services for the elite Olympic squad members
Shipping organization and a shipping subsidy for sailors.
General admin support for some ISAF events.
Management of the Priministers scholarship program.

YNZ’s best carrot to retain sailors from the youth class to Olympic high performance is the Priministers scholarship program. This is government funding to encourage talented sailors with an academic need, to purse their studies while training for an Olympic games and have good potential to win a medal.

For a sailor to qualify for the elite Olympic squad they need to achieve a top over all result at selected international events.

NZ’s Olympic Yachting Competitive History since 1984

Up to 1992 the Olympic classes NZL has been most successful in were from strong fleets in NZL. Tornado, Fin, 470 and Windsurfing. In these classes NZL sailors sailed in high quality fleets in NZL during the European off-season. The top sailors from this group then trained in the northern hemisphere summer. The northern hemisphere sailors mostly only sailed for half a year and NZL sailors sailed all year. This was NZL’s main advantage.

As the northern hemisphere nations have recognised this, they started training all year in good fleets with professional full time national coaches. Countries without the organization or finance to maintain year around training for their Olympic classes with high quality coaching [except in rare occasions] have fallen by the way side.

From 1984 to 1992, USA and NZL were the dominant forces in Olympic Yachting. USA taking the lion’s share of Olympic yachting medals and NZL winning easily percapita. In 1992 USA won 9 Olympic sailing medals, in 1996 [Savannah USA] USA won 3, in 2000 they won 4. Since 2000 they have only managed 2 medals per Olympics. In 1984 and 1988 NZL won 3 in 1992 NZL won 4. From 1996 NZL have won Olympic sailing medals only in windsurfing.

USA has no organization to promote Olympic Yachting nationally and since 1988 no full time national coaches to look after elite squads. This continues to be the case and although USA is one of the biggest financial powers in the world, USA continue to founder in classes that are not well coached and their medal count in the last two Olympics was only 2 at each Olympics.

In the UK the RYA recognised in the mid to late 80’s that they needed a better national development program as they only won one or two Olympic sailing medals each Olympics right up until 1996. Then in the 2000 Olympics their development program delivered results with 5 medals wining the over all Olympic sailing medal count. GBR topped the medal count also with 5 Olympic medals in 2004 and 6 Olympic medals in 2008.

The RYA is fully involved with managing and supplying coaches for a national development program that includes quality coaching from learn to sail right through to the Olympic level. The RYA is the best example in the world to do this followed by others in some disciplines such as France, Australia, Spain, Holland, Italy and China.

New Zealand needs to do the same and focus on developing the less expensive yachting disciplines first such as windsurfing & Lasers then 470’s and so on.

YNZ has a history of not retaining talented successful NZL coaches. Losing talented NZL coaches has a double-edged sword. NZ sailors loose this valuable input and then have to compete against over seas sailors that now have the NZL coaches coaching them. Hamish Wilcox’s knowledge went to Japan and the UK and both counties have won Olympic Medals as a result. The same has happened in windsurfing with Bruce Kendall going to China and Greece. Aaron McIntosh’s Dutch windsurfers will be a real threat to NZL chances in 2012.

Since the 1992 Olympic success, YNZ has done little to promote Olympic Class Yachting around New Zealand. It has not been proactive in developing any Olympic class and apart from the Laser class; numbers in Olympic yachting have dwindled since 1988.

History of Windsurfing in NZL and the Olympics

Olympic Windsurfing has done well in NZL partly due to the same seasonal reasons NZL Olympic yachting did well from 1984 to 1992. Windsurf racing in NZL was attracting big numbers of sailors at many events that Olympic and non-Olympic windsurfers competed at from 1978 until 1992. In the mid 80’s to early 90’s there were some times up to 200 competitors at various NZ competitions. Although the numbers dwindled from the early 90’s, the industry remained strong and the Mistral One Design and race board classes were strong in NZL with a good depth of talent and sufficient support.

Up to 1992 NZL Olympic windsurfing medal success maintained the profile of the sport so people wanting to learn at windsurfing schools and the sales of windsurfing equipment reflected this. Also NZL had manufactures, retailers and outside sponsors promoting the sport. Grant Beck, Paul Page, the Kendalls, Aaron Macintosh, JP Tobin and Scott Fenton have all ridden this wave of plenty.

From 2000 to 2002 YNZ employed Bruce Kendall to coach elite level windsurfing for 6 months of the year. Bruce was also partly employed by the Millennium institute of sport to develop a junior and youth windsurfing program. Paul Page was employed full time by YNZ from 2003 to 2007. Paul provided elite level coaching and improved upon the junior development program. He integrated Mad loop windsurfing school’s learn to windsurf program with Murrays bay yacht club and their windsurf development program. He got a Bic Techno program going. He also organised regular coaching, racing and storage from Takapuna Yacht club. In 2007 YNZ stopped providing regular windsurf coaching or an YNZ contact to manage the development program developed by Paul or give the RSX fleet guidance.

Tom Ashley is a product of New Zealand windsurfing’s plentiful times. From an early age, he and his family have been around this strong NZL windsurfing environment and people. The people he has been mentored by and coached are amongst the best the world had to offer. Bruce Kendall, Barbara Kendall, Aaron McIntosh, Grant Beck, Paul Page and he raced against James Wells and JP Tobin and other top talented NZL sailors. He was also able to afford to train with the best sailors over seas for extended periods of time. He had very generous funding from an individual who was also part of windsurfing’s time of plenty and wanted to “put something back.” YNZ put huge resource toward Tom from 2000 onwards.

The NZL Windsurfing Decline

Around the mid to late 90’s when windsurfing evolved into extremely different forms of racing so that Olympic sailors no longer competed with the general windsurfing population and all forms of windsurf racing became too extreme and expensive, the numbers of competitors racing boards in NZL began to dwindle. The Olympic Windsurfing sport became too different from what the windsurfing industry was promoting and this further reduced the numbers coming into the sport. Around this time, Blake boards, the last local mass manufacture stopped. Also NZL’s biggest importer and retailer went under and major out side sponsorship of events stoped.

Although the industry and numbers of boards on the water declined the Olympic windsurfing class continued to deliver Olympic results due the strong base of knowledge and talent NZL Olympic windsurfers had acquired and they continued to put their knowledge and energy into Olympic windsurfing in NZL. There was still reasonable backing from YNZ so that the elite sailors were able to continue as the industry funding started to dry up.

Due to low numbers of talented and well-trained windsurfers, no structure, guidance, top quality coaching and a weak industry, NZL Windsurfing Olympic success after 2012 is under threat.

NZL Windsurfing’s Current Status.

Either Tom Ashley or JP Tobin and Kate Ellingham are likely to compete at the next Olympic games but for 2016 and beyond, the future at this time looks bleak.

The level of and amount of talent regularly competing in NZL is not as high as it used to be. The numbers of people coming into the sport and being retained is down and numbers of recreational windsurfing is down. Local spots that used to have 10 to 80 boards out whenever there was wind, any time of the week are empty. Due to the increased weight and performance of the equipment, the Olympic Windsurfing Class requires that the sailors need more help to get from entry level to Olympic level more than before. There is no organisation, infrastructure or business promoting and developing windsurfing for the Olympics in NZL. The windsurfing population Talent pyramid is too top heavy. There is no longer any local manufacturer of windsurfing equipment. [Possibly one in Taranaki?] The windsurf importers and retailers sales numbers are down and another long standing Auckland retailer is likely to shut down soon. Things look pretty grim.

Olympic windsurfing in the USA and Australia have been in a worse state since before 2000 and their Olympic successes over the last years reflect this. Their ISAF world cup events attract only one or two locals and over whelming over seas competitors and the total fleet numbers are less than what NZL has in the Sail Auckland event, which has a healthy ratio of local to international sailors. The NZL participation numbers and results spread could still be improved.

There is some activity in the Bic Techno class but the level and amount of coaching is not enough to ensure people coming out of this class will be able to compete well in the RSX class.

There is little or no windsurfing happening in yacht clubs in NZL apart from Takapuna YC [a left over from Paul Pages efforts] and a new push from a parent in Mount Maunagnui.

Windsurfing dose not have the history yachting dose or many land bases [yacht clubs] to have enough parents to promote and run a promotion and development program to ensure the long-term success of the sport. The Optimist and single-handed sailing dose, windsurfing doesn’t.

There are still some successful windsurfing schools in NZL but the drop out rate is high. There is no follow up promotion or pathway being publicized or properly carried out.

Over the years, the New Zealand Board Sailing Association became the New Zealand Windsurfing Association. On a very small budget, it managed the local events Calender, ran events, continually upgraded the learn to windsurf system, and defended and looked after the rights of windsurfers on such matters as water access and life jacket use.

There has been many times since 2000 that Olympic Class windsurfers and windsurfing administrators have wanted to take the lion’s share of money YNZ received as a result of Olympic class windsurfing success. With this money windsurfing could better manage, promote, and develop windsurfing in NZL and ensure Olympic class windsurfing remains strong. As a result general windsurfing would also benefit.

It is hoped that YNZ recognise this and Olympic windsurfing’s current vulnerable position employ a windsurfing development officer and work closely with the NZWA, and the windsurfing industry, coaches and sailors to ensure the health of windsurfing in NZL and NZLs Olympic windsurfing medal winning potential.

YNZ’s Current Development Program.

YNZ recognise they need to promote their sport and windsurfing to the wider community and nurture talent from the very beginning to the Olympic level.

This is happening with single-handed sailing but not very well if at all with windsurfing.

The optimist “have a go” program is backed up with strong and often large fleets based out of yacht clubs and managed by a large number of talented, experienced and dedicated parents who often employ professional and talented dedicated coaches. The large numbers of optimists on the water attract more parents and kids into this class.

Yachting has a large dropout rate after they leave the optimist and before they take on a more senior class.

After the Optimist, due to age or body size, sailors need to move into P class, 420’s, 29ers, starlings, splash, hobbie 16 etc until they are big enough for an Olympic class. This messy in between period is critical to retaining talent but gives sailors the chance to try different sailing disciplines. There needs to be good quality coaching at this transition stage to ensure basic skills needed for the Olympic classes. The YNZ coach development program is increasing the pool of sailing coaches and improving their skills and knowledge so that new and transition stage sailors have a better chance of getting to Olympic classes in better shape.

After the “transition stage” YNZ has full time professional coaches for the single handed and double handed Olympic Classes that have some involvement with these developing sailors, but focus mostly on the elite level Olympic sailors.

Yachting NZL has no coordinated development program for windsurfing.

The Windsurfing Pathway.

There are a number of windsurfing schools around NZ that promote windsurfing to schools and organizations. The windsurf schools teach the basics of how to windsurf. There is a large drop out after people just try or learn to windsurf. There are little or no social windsurfing groups or clubs that meet regularly and there is no recognized pathway for young windsurfers.

The equipment windsurf schools mostly currently use is small sails and wide boards. These are good for the basics but not good to help sailors to learn to sail up wind. The wide boards do not sail up wind well as the shape dose not sail up wind well on its own and they often have inadequate centreboards and fins. Some times the windsurf schools have some long boards with good sized center boards that do sail moderately well up wind but this is often not promoted by the wind surf schools.

There is seldom if any encouragement or instruction from windsurfing schools to teach students how to race a board around a course that includes upwind and down wind legs.

YNZ need to work with the windsurfing schools, industry and local yacht clubs to promote the windsurfing pathway and provide regular coaching at the windsurf schools and yacht clubs to a level where people learn to race well.

Someone needs to be paid to do this work.

A Windsurfing Development Officer needs to be paid to manage and carry out the following. They can be funded by a variety of means such as pub charity funding and sponsorships but should initially employed by YNZ so the WDO can go out and get the extra funding.
The WSNZ windsurfing instructor program may need to be modified and simplified so windsurf instructors can learn to teach windsurfing through to a basic racing level. This needs to be done by the WDO with the help of the windsurfing schools and the experts in this field and WSNZ and YNZ.
It has been proven that for windsurfers to be successful in any discipline they need to learn before they are 15 years old. Many believe this age is as now actually as low 9 years old and high level professional coaching to sail and race properly should start at 11 years old. A windsurfing path way needs to reflect these options.
Wide boards need at windsurf schools to be used for the basics of how to up-haul and get going. This is largely the case already.
Long boards with centreboards should then be used at windsurfing schools to help the sailors get to terms with sailing up wind and the basics of getting around a course. There are plenty of suitable cheap 2^nd hand long boards available. The windsurf schools need to buy into this extra step. This needs to be managed by the WDO.
If young windsurf school students want to continue windsurfing, they should be put on Bic Technos and taught to race. This board is a good transition board for all kinds of windsurfing, it is the strongest junior and youth class internationally and the youth Olympic Class.
The Bic Techno and the windsurfing path way need to be promoted in all yacht clubs and junior events. This needs to be done by the WDO. A commission fee for every new Bic Techno sold in NZL could help fund this project.
Every windsurfing school and yacht club with any junior program should have 4 to 10 Bic Techno “club boards” with some regular coaching to a race level. Pub charity funding could help with this. The applications should be done by the WDO.
There needs to be regular local and regional Bic Techno and RSX racing to help the social element to strengthen and the group to attract more to join the sport. High quality race management and coaching will ensure the sailors improve. The WDO can ensure this happens.
When sailors get too big or old for the Bic Techno they can move onto the ISAF youth class which is currently the RSX with the 8.5 and 60cm fin [women’s Olympic Class.] A windsurf path way promotional poster can be put out in the right places to help with this.
A windsurf path way poster should be produced and paid for by the various windsurfing companies, YNZ and with the help of the NZL windsurfing magazine. It can show all the windsurfing options and the normal progression to get there and how. The WDO should manage the production and distribution of this poster.
There needs to be regular coaching and mentoring for the ISAF youth windsurfing class as there is a big jump to the Olympic high performance level in physical demands and campaign costs. The WDO should be readily available to help manage and advise this.
There needs to be regular racing at clubs for Bic Techno, ISAF youth classes, slalom, formula class and the Olympic classes. The NZWA need to manage this with the help of the WDO.
The NZL intersecondry schools windsurfing championships needs to be revitalised to help promote windsurf racing in High schools.
This program needs to be rolled out in all the main windsurfing population centres first.

Funding.

WSNZ has little or no funding. Historically WSNZ got funding from the NZ water safety council for it’s windsurf instructors manual and reforms.

YNZ receives money only for elite Olympic sailors, high performance coaching and admin.

The Millennium Institute of Sport and Health found funds from pub charities to fund coaching and admin to develop youth windsurfing in the Auckland area.

Stuart Pedersen found pub charity funding for a fleet of Bic Technos in Tauranga.

YNZ should employ a Windsurfing Development officer and help them to obtain better funding for a wage from Pub Charities and other organizations; this program may have a chance of success

Summary.

The best possible outcome for NZL windsurfing as a whole & YNZ is if NZL continues to win Olympic medals in windsurfing long into the future and that the numbers of people enjoying windsurfing safely, grow.

SPARC will continue to fund YNZ and the windsurfing industry will continue to employ and service people.

Wave sailing, free style sailing, race board class, slalom and formula class sailing will all benefit from the Bic Techno and RSX sailors diversifying or just changing disciplines.

The above-suggested program is the best formula for this.

Source: Yachting New Zealand, Windsurfing and Olympic Success

Katie Alice Kendall

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +1200

Family Man - 27 June 2009 Bruce Kendall and Fiance Stephanie Hogan celebrate the Birth of Katie Alice Kendall, who arrived by water birth at the family home, Bucklands Beach, Auckland, New Zealand.

Bruce with 2 day old Katie Kendall

Source: Katie Alice Kendall

Waiting on the Kendall Clan addition

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +1200

Bruce Kendall: Family comes first

by Caroline Botting 2009

The Olympic hero is gearing up to ride the wave of fatherhood

At 44, Olympic gold medallist Bruce Kendall reveals what many men won't - the tick-tock of his biological clock is getting louder.

So when his fiancee Stephanie Hogan revealed that she's expecting a baby, Bruce was ecstatic with the knowledge he was about to become a father. But the brother of fellow Olympic medallist Barbara Kendall soon felt overwhelmed with responsibility.

‘At some stage in your life you're supposed to feel mature enough to have children, and I still really don't,' Bruce says with a smile. ‘People talk about women having a biological clock but don't discuss it much about men, but we do. At some stage we're not going to be able to run, sail or go surfing properly with our kids. I'm already 44, so I knew the time had to be sooner rather than later.'

Stephanie can't help but smile as she wraps her arms around the man she fell in love with six years ago. His blue eyes sparkle as she takes his hand and places it on her swollen belly. In a matter of weeks, the pair is due to welcome their baby girl into the world.

‘We both wanted to find out the sex. It's like having a parcel and not opening it for nearly a year,' says Stephanie, who was raised in the South Island. ‘We were trying for a boy but we've got a girl, which is fantastic.'

The couple's enthusiasm about their new journey is clear. Parenting-advice books are stacked on the coffee table in their granny flat, situated under a cliff-top house at Auckland's Bucklands Beach. The home, owned by Bruce's parents Tony and Peggy, has been in the family for two generations. It's here, looking over magnificent views of the Tamaki Estuary and Rangitoto Island, that Stephanie will give birth.

Family support

‘At home, you have control of the environment, you also have two midwives and in addition, I'm going to have a student, plus support people,' she says.

The couple has chosen Peggy as well as Bruce's older sister Wendy to be by their side during Stephanie's labour. And Barbara has been offering her support and advice as well.

‘She can't wait to be an aunty again,' Bruce says. Stephanie adds, ‘I'll certainly have lots of babysitters.'

The 31-year-old site administrator for a sustainable land management company describes her pregnancy as smooth and risk free. She hopes to deliver their daughter in a birthing pool without pain relief.

‘There are lots of ways you can deal with pain,' says Bruce, who has pushed his body to the limit many times in his sailing career.

Stephanie says, ‘We've got Rescue Remedy and Tens [a machine that provides electrical impulses through the skin to relieve pain and discomfort]. I've been practising relaxation and visualisation techniques. Most of the pain you're dealing with is mental. It helps if you can focus your mind. I don't think I could do this in a hospital environment or even at Birthcare.'

The duo is on the same wavelength about their baby's delivery, and they share a similar philosophy on children.

‘It's the closest people can come to having any sense of reincarnation, because you're replicating your own genes,' Bruce says.

‘I also believe there's a responsibility to have children if you're able to create good people.'

Stephanie adds, ‘But we're only having two, to replace ourselves.'

The pair laughs, realising how much they have in common. But Bruce can't resist reminding Stephanie about her initial thoughts on marriage. During the fledging stages of their romance, Stephanie threatened Bruce with, ‘Don't ask me to marry you, or I'll leave.'

‘I had a feisty feminist mum,' grins Stephanie, whose mother Polly will fly out from where she's teaching in Qatar the week after her granddaughter is born.

Tough decision

Bruce, now an Olympic youth board-sailing coach, met Stephanie at Great Barrier Island, Port Fitzroy Mussel Fest in 2003.

‘He was in shorts and a white, semi-grubby shirt, straggly hair and unshaven,' Stephanie says. ‘He was all tanned from the sun and had these beautiful hobbit-like feet and a big grin.'

Bruce recalls, ‘Unlike my other girlfriends she liked my kind of music. I saw her dancing and she had some smooth moves.' The pair swapped contact details at the end of the night.

‘His email looked like brokendoll@...co.nz. I thought, "That's so sweet - a gentle, arty adventurer!"' Stephanie laughs.

It wasn't long before Stephanie's friends told her that her broken doll was a renowned sportsman. She was based in Wellington, so the pair had a long-distance relationship for the next year. Then Bruce asked her to join him at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where he was coaching.

‘I shifted to Auckland, left all my stuff at the flat, got on the plane and never looked back,' Stephanie says.

But Bruce confesses he hadn't forgot Stephanie's warning never to propose.

‘I wanted to make a formal commitment but it would be horrible to ask and be told "No",' Bruce says. ‘I think some guys find it easy to make this decision, but for me, any sort of change is a bit spooky as it's the unknown.'

On a beautiful day last September, the couple sailed to the Noises, a group of islands in the Hauraki Gulf, where Bruce popped the question.

‘My heart was pounding,' Bruce recalls. ‘I was definitely relieved to hear, "Of course I will".

They swore themselves to secrecy for six weeks so Bruce could ask Stephanie's dad for his daughter's hand. When they were finally able to break the news to Bruce's family, the couple surprised them even further by telling them Stephanie was pregnant.

‘We were really surprised how quickly it happened,' she says.

Now there's another life-changing decision to make. Bruce has been asked to coach board sailing in Hong Kong, and they're seriously considering the move.

‘The problem is I'll really miss my family, especially at this time,' Bruce says. ‘I would prefer to live and work in New Zealand, but the reality is it's pretty tough to coach and earn a good living. I have Steph and the baby to consider, and they're my top priority.'

By Caroline Botting

LINKS

http://nz.lifestyle.yahoo.com/b/newideanz/3842/bruce-kendall-family-comes-first/

http://www.62management.com/

Source: Waiting on the Kendall Clan addition

Bruce Rekindles Olympic Dream

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +1200

1:00PM Sunday Oct 01, 2006 New Zealand Herald

By Leah Haines

It's only a few hundred metres across the placid, silver water in front of Bruce Kendall's Buckland's Beach home to Brown's Island in the gateway to the Tamaki Estuary. On a day like this, where the cockles crack under bare feet and the sun plays with the rock pools off the point, it almost feels as though you could walk there. Just beyond Brown's is Motuihi. It's from here, 42 years ago, that Peggy Kendall, nine months pregnant in the middle of winter, rowed her Mullet boat into the Tamaki Estuary, hoping that the effort would help induce the birth of her first-born.

Two weeks later, little Bruce was tucked into a carry-cot in the Mullet's cabin and was out on the harbour with his sea-hardened parents.

There's more than a pinch of salt running through the Kendall clan's veins. And while it's true that their blood is thick enough to withstand almost anything the water can throw at them, Bruce, at least, has found it tested at times.

The gold medallist and former world champion windsurfer is aiming for an Olympic comeback, 24 years after he first set his sights on Olympic gold.

But the sea has refused to make anything easy for the veteran.

First there was the 1984 Olympic bronze medal, which in Kendall's mind could have been gold. Then, after taking gold in 1988, all hopes of a repeat four years later were dashed when faulty equipment left him with a broken fin and fourth place. He broke his neck in 1990.

Then four years ago, he was involved in a near-fatal accident that threatened to keep him off the water forever.

He was in waters off Greece, coaching windsurfers, when the rigid inflatable boat he was driving collided with top American boardsailer Kimberley Birkenfeld, leaving her with life-threatening injuries.

Kendall leapt into the water, dragged Birkenfeld aboard and resuscitated her. "It was horrible," he says, speaking publicly for the first time about the incident. "Just the act of being involved in an accident with somebody that you know, and you have to jump into the water, and they're face down unconscious in the water, not breathing, and you have to swim to the boat with them, get them into the boat, breathe for them and not lose my head - make sure I did everything properly, and kept her alive, and basically got her going again.

"If I hadn't started her breathing, she would have died. I had to breathe for her. For a boat ride that would have been approximately from here to Brown's Island away.

"And then, ending up in a Greek hospital with no one speaking English, covered in blood with no one knowing what I was doing there, and the strong smell of blood. The whole incident was extremely traumatic."

Official reports reveal he and the two witnesses to the crash told authorities that Birkenfeld had been heading straight for them, and there was nothing he could have done to avoid her. Though she couldn't recall anything of the crash, Birkenfeld later deduced that it must have been Kendall who was at fault.

What followed has been a pro-tracted legal battle, with Birkenfeld seeking millions in damages.

Kendall, once her friend and coach, has been forced to stay silent about much of the accident. There is so much he clearly would like to say today, but instead, he stares out over his beloved bay, his eyes glassing over with grief.

"It's been horrible. I think it's been the worst thing that's ever happened. It's just horrible," he says.

"There's one thing that I've always had in the back of my mind since I was very young. If you can get through life without hurting anyone or upsetting somebody, I'd be happy. That's all I really wanted to achieve.

"At one stage, I didn't even want to race any more. And that was before I even went to any of the Olympic Games, when I figured out I was better than most people in New Zealand and could win easily if I wanted to. At the same time I realised that people really don't like getting beaten, and a lot get pissed off with you for it. So I nearly stopped because I believe in that philosophy of 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you'.

"What a horrible thing," he continues. But he can't really say anything more about it.

He did, however, think briefly of not returning to the water. But with family and friends supporting him, he continued to coach.

Then late last year, his old friend, former windsurfing student and world champion Aaron McIntosh, called with a crazy idea to launch an Olympic campaign sailing a twin-hulled Tornado. Kendall had never raced Tornados before. But it was an opportunity to distract himself with something that was entirely full of hope and promise. Kendall would revive his Olympic dream.

He's always been an unlikely athlete. Now a wily 71kg and 175cm tall, Kendall was too slow and uncoordinated at school to be marked as someone likely to achieve as an athlete. When he was a teenage windsurfing competitor, Olympic officials once worried that he was too much of a free-thinking hippy to make a top sportsman.

He used to rev himself up for races by listening to the punk band the Dead Kennedys, has read the Bible from start to finish, spends time meditating and surfing, and prides himself on putting on the wickedest dance parties.

He shares that slightly dopey Kendall smile, which the sun has etched permanently into his features, and bohemian air with his sister Barbara, also a top boardsailor. But Kendall warns that when it comes to competitive sports, impressions can be deceptive.

"Everybody has masks. You put different ones on for different times. I come across as not being the most academic person, and I don't look physically like a high performance athlete. I mean, I walk around the beach seeing all these guys with these amazing physiques and six packs and zero fat, and I think 'Crikey, I've got to compete against them, you know, with my skinny arms, and I've never had a six-pack in my life'.

"I've tried to get there, I just never got there."

His edge is his intensity of mind, he reckons, which can push his body to breaking point and freak people out in the process.

There is another Kendall sister - Wendy - who he reckons was a better sailor than Barbara for a while. But she never made it to the top in competitive sports. "She just doesn't have that sort of - for want of a better word - killer instinct. I know it might sound strange, but in my opinion, you've got to want to win more than the person next to you. So you have to be prepared to suffer more than the person next to you.

"A lot of races I'd finish, I could taste blood. From pushing myself that hard, and I'd come through the finish line and just lie down and try to relax my heart and my lungs just to stay alive."

Now, after coaching for five years, Kendall reckons he is ready to throw himself back into competition.

McIntosh had been racing Tornados since 2003 and, with original partner Mark Kennedy, did well enough in the world champs to qualify for a small amount of Government funding for a new Olympic campaign.

Then Kennedy suddenly fell ill with glandular fever, and Kendall was asked to replace him.

They have been a team of sorts since Kendall took 16-year-old McIntosh under his wing, watching as the young sailor eventually took his own world championship boardsailing crown in 1994.

They've worked together on and off since, but never sailed competitively on the same vessel till now.

Their desire to grab Olympic glory is not an impossible task, but even the most generous of pundits would say it's a tricky one. They're competing against teams who have worked together for years and, in some cases, have sailed on twin hulls for decades.

They have almost no money - they're staging an auction and dinner fundraiser in two weeks to raise spare cash to get to the World Champs in Argentina in November - and their base is a converted shipping container on the grass outside the Buckland's Beach Yacht Club. While their European rivals bask in close to million-dollar annual budgets, McIntosh and Kendall are aiming to get to Beijing on $100,000 a year between them, which includes what they need to feed themselves and McIntosh's young family of four.

Nevertheless, says Kendall, what they do have is experience on the Olympic and world stages and an insatiable hunger to win.

Don't people say it's crazy, that he's a 42-year-old windsurfer? "I'm sure there are some people out there who have said that, but I haven't heard anything negative yet," Kendall laughs.

Whether or not it will be his last time at the Olympics, he's not sure. The question makes him smile. He knows this is a unique opportunity for someone his age.

"I hate to admit it, but it would be very difficult, probably impossible, for me now to get back on a [windsurfing] board and be competitive. I'm 42, and I have a number of injuries from different things. A Tornado campaign is still physically very demanding, but there's more to it than that. In the Tornado class, a lot of the guys are older, and it comes down a little bit more to experience."

Of that he has plenty - ecstatic Olympic highs and devastating lows.

It was a particularly hard pill to swallow to lose everything in 1992 simply because the manufacturers of the gear that year had failed to put enough layers of resin on his board's fin.

Despite repeated appeals from the entire NZ committee, he came fourth after the accident.

For the Kendall clan, it was a bitter-sweet day. In the last race of the day, Barbara secured her gold medal. At almost exactly the same time, her brother was told it was all over for him.

"It was really horrible, because I couldn't enjoy her win because I was so upset about my thing.

"I think I cried at the time. Not for long. But I just tried to distance myself from everything for a while. I did a bit of mountain biking. Then, when I came back to New Zealand for two months after the Olympic Games, it was my first conscious thought when I woke up in the morning. What a horrible way to start your day."

So why put himself through the intensity of the Olympics all over again? There is the obvious distraction from the Birkenfeld drama. But otherwise it's really very simple. "I really like racing boats. And I like doing anything at a high level. The Tornado is in my opinion one of the ultimate racing yachts in the world, and it's in the Olympic games which is the ultimate yacht racing Everest."

LINK

Source: Bruce Rekindles Olympic Dream

Boardsailing an Olympic Class History

Thu, 21 Sep 2000 00:00:00 +1200

Boardsailing - An Olympic Class History
by Bruce Kendall of New Zealand: (dual Olympian Medal winner)

Our sport is still called Boardsailing in Olympic jargon and was a demonstration sport at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and an Olympic event at each Games since.

1984 - Los Angeles, USA

For Los Angeles, the Olympic board choice was between the original Windsurfer One Design manufactured by Hoyle Schwitzer and the Windglider designed and made in Europe. The Windglider was chosen late in 1983 based on it being more 'one design' as the Windsurfer was made of polyethylene and its rocker could be easily changed with heat and weight on a daily basis. The Windglider used a 6.5m sail but the use of a harness was not permitted. The daggerboard weighed around 4kgs and was carried over the sailor's shoulder during the downwind legs and when reaching with many sailors ending up with badly bruised thighs and legs from it swinging wildly and uncontrollably around in heavy weather. The course of 9 nautical miles sorted out who had put the time into training and who hadn't. A real Olympic feat just to finish. The supplied equipment was rotated daily (except for the rigs). The 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles were won by Stephan Vandenburg from Holland, Scott Steel from the USA was second and Bruce Kendall from New Zealand third. Bruce is still the youngest Olympic boardsailing medallist so far at 20 years of age. Australia's own Greg Hyde was there as well.

1988 - Pusan, Korea

The next Olympiad saw the introduction of Division II boards for the Olympics. The Division II class used a 6.5m sail and were round bottomed boards designed for upwind sailing in light to moderate winds and had a good competitive weight range. Although they were difficult to sail downwind and a technical board to sail upwind, they are still the fastest 12 foot board upwind in up to 8 knots of breeze. Again, the Olympic board was decided only one year before the Olympics. The contest had been between the Davidson (a Swedish design) and the Lechner built in Austria. The reason for the choice was a mystery to most but it was hinted that North Sails had some influence in the Lechner finally being selected. The final Olympic rig was available less than a year before the Olympics. Pusan in Korea was reportedly a light wind venue but no one realised until too late that this information came from the airport which was located in a sheltered valley. It turned out to be that the 1988 Olympic Games were the windiest ever with one day of racing postponed due to too much wind. one day of racing saw around 30 knots of wind with 5 knots of current going against the wind. There was a lot of equipment damage and rescues for many classes resulting in many DNF's and requests for redress. Again, the supplied equipment was rotated daily (except for the rigs). Bruce Kendall won Gold without having to sail in the last race, Jan Boresma from the Netherland Antilles (a surprise) won Silver while Mike Gebhart from the USA won the Bronze. Australia's Chris Lawrence was there as well.

1992 - Barcelona, Spain

For the 1992 Olympics, the Olympic Class for the first time was announced four years in advance and it was to include a women's event for the first time. This saw a real growth in Olympic windsurfing globally. the Lechner was modified to bring the centreboard and mast track further aft. The sail size went up to a camber induced 7.3m rig. this shifted the competitive weight range up without increasing it dramatically. The rig supplier, Neil Pryde, was decided 3 years before the Olympics. Barcelona was the first and only time (so far) that the Olympic village was next to the Olympic Harbour. Many there will remember having to sail in the polluted water. The supplied equipment stayed with the sailor for the entire regatta as it was excepted that each board needed special tuning to the daggerboard system. Barbara Kendall from New Zealand won Gold, Zhang Xiaodong from China won Silver with Doreen De Vries from Holland winning the Bronze. The men's regatta saw a close battle for the Gold between frank David from France, who eventually won and Mike Gebhart from the USA who won the Silver. Australia's Lars Kleppich won the Bronze. Fiona Taylor represented Australia in the women's event. There were some equipment failures that affected the medal results in this Olympics but for the first and last time there wasn't any redress allowed for equipment failure. This may have been a factor for the change from Division II to the Mistral Class for the next Olympics.

1996 - Atlanta, USA

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics were sailed in Savannah on the Warsaw Sound. For the most part the class and equipment to be used had been known since 1992. This gave the Olympic windsurfing sport a huge boost and helped make it more universal. For the first time amid much controversy pumping the sail was allowed. This had a dynamic effect on the sport and as in 1984, supreme fitness was a factor in deciding the Olympic winner. There was a surprisingly large amount of equipment failure in 1993 leading up to the Olympics such that some sailors would sail with an extra daggerboard. Some were able to break the boom at will. Mistral did its best to remedy this with some modifications. again, the supplied equipment stayed with the sailor for the entire regatta. There wasn't any significant equipment failure that effected medal chances. Sailors had to contend themselves with the one hour plus bus and boat ride from their accommodation to the floating barge where the equipment was stored and back each day. Most noteworthy were the regular and extreme thunder and lightning storms which resulted in postponed and abandoned races due to massive wind strength and direction changes. The Medallists came from all corners of the world which showed that finally the Olympic Boardsailing class was no longer dominated by the developed sailing nations. Lai Shan Lee from Hong Kong won the women's Gold, Barbara Kendall from New Zealand Silver and Alissandra Sensini from Italy the Bronze. Nikos Kalaminakis from Greece won the men's Gold, Carlos Espinola from Argentina the Silver and Gal Friedman from Israel won the Bronze. Brendon Todd who is currently Australia's Boardsailing Coach represented Australia in the men's event and Natasha Sturges representing in the women's event.

2000 - Sydney, Australia

There wasn't any significant challenge for equipment to be used in the Boardsailing events for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and the Mistral One Design Class remained. This gave the class the chance to consolidate itself worldwide and the Olympic aspirants a renewed confidence in their preparations and campaigns for the 2000 Games. There are now more Olympic Class Windsurfing Organisations around the world and more Olympic Class boards on the water than ever before. The international standard has a broader base than ever before. a look at the last four years of World Championships results confirms this. The Mistral One design is the most 'one design' of any of the Olympic sailing classes and the least expensive to campaign. However, in 1997, Mistral with only good intentions embarked on a mission to modify the Olympic equipment to make it more durable, more 'one design' and more user friendly without increasing costs or changing the performance characteristics. This has been largely achieved. In an effort to further reduce costs, Mistral tried to shift production of the boards to Malaysia and then, due to perceived insurmountable difficulties, shifted the production back to Europe. As often has been the case during previous Olympiads, the supply of Olympic equipment didn't always meet demand and this has caused much frustration for the sailors and has prompted some call for a change. If there is a change of the Olympic Class we will possibly be witnessing on Sydney Harbour for the last time the pinnacle of Olympic Class Boardsailing in its purest form. If there isn't a change, the Olympic Class stands to only get stronger and help to build the whole sport of Windsurfing globally better than ever before.

Due to the big equipment performance differences found in other windsurfing classes Olympic Class Boardsailing is possibly the most pure type of athletic sail racing in the world - a real Olympic sport. Sadly, it is and possibly always will be little understood. Like all small craft sailing classes, the best informed spectators are the competitors. It has taken twenty years of two steps forward and one back for Olympic Boardsailing to get to the level it is now. As a consequence of the Olympic Boardsailing Class's current achievements, governments are allocating a lot of funding towards growing the sport. The current Olympic Class is a great asset to the sport of windsurfing. Let's look after it and keep the current Olympic Class for at least another Olympiad.

This article first appeared in "On the Wind" sep 2000 which is a newsletter put out by the Stormriders Sailboard club and the NSW Boardsailing Association.

Article Resourced from http://www.windsurfing.org/olympics01.htm October 2009

can also be found here,

http://www.lbwindsurfing.com/history/longboards-at-the-olympics/

Source: Boardsailing an Olympic Class History

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Bruce Rekindles Olympic Dream

Boardsailing an Olympic Class History

Boardsailing - An Olympic Class Historyby Bruce Kendall of New Zealand: (dual Olympian Medal winner)

1984 - Los Angeles, USA

1988 - Pusan, Korea

1992 - Barcelona, Spain

1996 - Atlanta, USA

2000 - Sydney, Australia

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Olympic Gold Medallists Barbara Kendall, Tom Ashley and Bruce Kendall
PWA World Champion Scott Fenton

Boardsailing - An Olympic Class History
by Bruce Kendall of New Zealand: (dual Olympian Medal winner)