The class members seem to buy into this straw man argument to the extent that it actually seems fundamental to the F16 class…
What are the characteristics of “hard core”…..

In my book… “hard core” are committed individuals who make a racing class happen by creating a schedule … attending the events on the schedule and making the CLASS happen at the regatta. THAT’s IT! Nothing else should be added.

I assert that every successful sailboat racing class is held together by HARDCORE individuals who work to grow and support their attendance event after event.

When I first started sailing, I shared the beach with the most hard core racers I had ever met… They raced AQUACATS… from Sandy Pt State Park beach to some crab pot and back every month for three years…. They were as hardcore a group as you could find… competitive… not so much. As Tony F18 notes… each individual will differ but for a CLASS…. You need those Hardcore individuals who make something happen.

The fundamental mistake of Wouter and perhaps the F16 class membership is conflating “hard core” with the competition level. Much worse is when the Class seems to want to join Wouter , who insists on using Hardcore as a euphemism for butt hole AND competitive….

The absolutely ridiculous aspect is in thinking that one person or even a group of you could define the class culture for the sailors.

Class culture is bottom up.... NOT mandated by Wouter and the founders.