The Chesapeake Bay region... Not to mention the east coast does not have a 29ner program at all. Only the west coast seems to have any 29ner activity. Also, Brad Dellenbaugh's daughter is a great 29ner sailor so... BINGO....the USA has a program.
(I think New Jersey may have 4 boats that arrived last year.)
The east coast Yacht clubs have a program that goes like this Single handed sailor... opti.... laser radial... laser ... College laser
the Double handed team.... two opti's... 420... College 420
So... the feeder to a performance boat will be the 420. Kids's trapeze in breeze.... Now... move them up to apparant wind sailing and Pick... It could be the 29ner... or a catamaran.
On the east coast... NEITHER program has much of a chance. No space... and most importantly... Not enough support from the parents. With the catamaran... the double wammy is that NO College scholarship is available to you if you are a cat sailor. (no way to compare your skills to the other kids).
Parents won't support a performance boat UNLESS the colleges that have sailing programs make it clear they are recruiting those kids.... If it won't get you into the college(read IVY League) it won't be worth the parental investment of time and money.
Is this a REAL problem for the MNA's like US Sailing... I don't really think so.
The elite Tornado sailors will tell you... Eh... at this age... it doesn't matter what you sail.. cat or performance dinghy... just so long you are dialed into the apparant wind sailing. Since that doesn't happen in the USA... Its a punt anyway. BUT... College is the opportunity to get lots of reasonable coaching and have your god given talent mature on those slow boats. The coaching which focus's a lot on tactics etc,... may not be THAT valuable in the end ... but it can't hurt... and most importantly... you mature in all ways.... fill out your body, develop the mental toughness for competing, etc etc. If you have talent... you will be noticed.
So. My point is... the programatic critique is true AND.... it is irrelevant. Olympic talent is developed after college by serious support and coaching.
IMO... the solution that is achievable is to CROSS TRAIN the kids before they get to college. Get them a racing experience on a catamaran, Hobie 16 or better. ... When THEY get to choose what they want to do with their time... They will come back to cats if we have a competitive and fun racing program for them to rejoin when they are able.
If they have the talent, funding and desire they will ALSO find their way to the Olympic Catamaran.
Now... the if the problem becomes political in that we must have this egalitarian and broad program of growing cat sailors... we indeed have an insurmountable problem.
