And your comment about the kids events makes me sad. Any really prominent reason strike you? Affordability of the platforms? Access to quality kid-only courses/races/events?
I mean, seriously, there are a billion optis out bobbing on any given weekend racing in circles. They all just go to Baseball when they turn 12 or something?
We use Open Bics but we're faced with the same thing.
We hold team practice on Sunday's so we don't have to contend with baseball/volleyball/surfing/etc. What we see is when the kids hit high school, they drop out because if their friends aren't doing it, they aren't doing it. We manage to retain the hardcore kids but the numbers are small.
The hardcore are easy to pick out. They're considering colleges that have sailing programs. One was recruited by a top Oregon school but all they had was a sailing club. Clubs are like intramural sports. She's heading to an east coast school that has a good program.
