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The rise of the NOPs - "Nightmare Optimist Parents"...
Posted 9 months, 18 days ago
The rise of the NOPs - "Nightmare Optimist Parents"...
Yes, you know who you are! Those nightmare parents standing on the banks screaming at little Johnny and blowing your whistle to try and get him to gybe as fast as Nicholas from Form 3c whilst keeping one eye on your ambitions to get into that ghastly "Royal" yacht club that resembles a dining room at an old peoples home! Well here's the flip side of your ambition from an overseas reader- and it annoys the hell out of me just how many kids leave sailing because they were pushed too hard: Hello and congratulations for the courage of speaking freely. Although we are very recent readers, I have not read anything in your blog that I would consider personally offensive to anyone specifically; so what you seem to be accomplishing is you are shaking the ‘stauts quo and the establishment’, which, in our opinion, is absolutely vital as an instrument to bring change and progress. As far as scuttlebutt, they are running a publicity machine on the web, certainly lead by their furious board boys to ‘get us’ in any way shape or fashion, that is why we read something on scuttlebutt and the next piece of info is how good the x type of equipment is on the race course or in the ocean. These guys at least are open about their choices, it is the grey hidden ones that are the real problem. So here is what I have to say about the ‘optiworld’ in general: Mine is a point of view of someone who has sailed dinghies internationally (never sailed optis competitively) at all levels, for over thirty five years (presently sail a laser), who is a father of two sons, both opti sailors (11 and 15) that are openly trying to convince their friends to sail openbics instead. 1st fact: the opti was designed half a century ago by American (help?!), the drawings have always been available to anyone, free of charge, and everyone who had the will to take their kids into the garage and built one in plywood… that was the concept that gave birth to the optimist. Comment: ease of construction and assembly was assuredly the principal criteria for the boat’s overall straight lines hull shape and rig configuration. what for? To keep the cost affordable to almost anyone. 2nd fact: a regatta competitive (complete) optimist in Europe today costs around four to five thousand euros Comment: you don´t believe me? I hope your son or daughter doesn´t ask you for a new complete Winner 12 Ti ( Denmark ). Just a race sail alone costs close to five hundred euros, although the fabric itself may cost less than fifty euros! 3rd fact: ioda – the international optimist dinghy association – is a gigantic, heavy, hungry useless monster. Comment: I see it as an overweight greedy motionless pig, completely closed to the world. It would be interesting to see the ratio between the ‘officials’ in the class world wide to the number of competitive international sailors… In my opinion these people that are literally living off of the kids and their parents, are THE problem, and therefore create problems at all levels; even any minor administrative change requires a hefty payment… what for? For the hungry greedy monster to survive. Thousands of people dependent, the ioda dependent anonymous… I reckon that ioda with ten percent of it’s ‘officials’ would be just fine in our digital era where we do almost everything online. What happens to the other ninety per cent? Get a job, go work for a living!! Then there are the coaches who, in most cases, destroy any positive spirit. I think it was paul elvstrom who once said something to the likes of: ‘there is no point in beating your adversaries, if you don’t gain their respect and admiration’… hell, we have come a long way since that in the optimists, and coaches are largely responsible for allowing it in order to get a competitive edge… at any cost! how many times have we seen kids being pushed into protest committee rooms by their coaches’ egos… exactly what values are we teaching our kids? What happened to honour, respect, dignity, values that sailors valued most? What happened to solidarity, compassion, friendship, values that have helped and saved so many people at sea through the ages? Internationally, I think it is around two thirds or more kids that drop out of sailing once the opti ‘monster’ is done with them! Great job guys, keep it up! Better organize another conference to discuss How can a boat that was conceived to be affordable to all, have come to this point? Disgustingly sad, really! So we look for alternatives, and the prophecies of doom begin, as if it is impossible to like and enjoy sailing, and be good at it, if you don’t go through the experience with the opti ‘monster’… the parents follow the coaches who follow the class rules who are dictated by the ‘monster’ and the sad petition of misery drags along… Mario Sampaio Full Story »
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