By Swedish Sailing Federation;
They have one thing in common, passion for the sport. They have one goal in common, they want more people into the sport,- and they think they know how; by increasing the fun factor. Let’s look at the coach’s background, goal and visions;
Class; Kona ONE, Bic Techno
Age; 50 years old
Residence; Stockholm, Sweden
Sailing experience; Optimist, Laser, windsurfing (reserve for the 84 Olympics)
Why chose windsurfing.?
Windsurfing is simple and fun. It makes it easy to travel around the world racing or just having a good time in exotic places. Windsurfing brings you closer to nature, and it is a healthy work out – keeping you in shape.
Why did you become a (windsurfing) coach.?
I felt it was payback time, and it is very awarding to motivate and bring others into the sport. Many stop sailing or choose other sports, so that’s why I see it as my mission to introduce them to windsurfing and reverse the trend.
How do we get more people into sailing.?
Make it enjoyable. Do short races with ample time to rest, and create fun and social activities on shore. Long races result in big differences between the first and last finisher. With short races we still have a winner, but even the last finishers will feel they “almost” won. That’s a mental thing.
What are your goals as a Class Coach.?
To get much more girls into windsurfing, furthermore I will bring one girl and one boy with me to the Olympics.
Bjoern has been driving force and inspiration behind the re-launching of windsurfing in Sweden. For the past years he has coached and encouraged countless youngsters and girls in particular, to start windsurfing and competing.
He claim the secret has been to promote the Kona ONE, a board which is easy to sail regardless skill levels. He has also changed the way of competing to make it more interesting for newcomers and spectators. The race should always be close to shore, and with a commentator making it easier for onlookers to follow and understand. The courses must be short and everybody should have fun on the beach.
It is not surprising that children often get tired of sailing. Unfortunately many organizers have to take the blame for this. For instance it happens too often that they keep the youngsters out on the water far too long, and Bjoern knows what he is talking about. He has built Djursholm Sailing Club from zero to 200 active members in just a few years..
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