Lake Michigan SuRF Newsletter - LMSRF

available each week, if you have ever recognized the number of adults who don't
drink, of which there are many. They'll probably become one of the biggest
contributors of time to this effort.
What manufactured fun am I talking about? Anything that IS NOT electronic
games. Give the under 21 crowd something they haven't done a lot or have never
done. So, you think, what could we lead for the youth that they would enjoy?
Bobbing for apples, squirt gun & water balloon fights, spinnaker flying, 1-1/2 hour
bike rally, 5K or 10K Run, pick a local area that needs clean-up with rakes &
shovels, tug-of-war, fishing contest, homemade arts and crafts fair, singing contest,
costume contest, musical instrument contest, dance contest, have a bonfire, karaoke contests, sailing story contest,
Ask top business people in the fleet to describe to the youth group - "How I Made It," shoot rockets, fly kites, pinthe-tail-on-the-donkey
(or the Commodore!), arm wrestling contest, go for a hike, funnelator contest hitting (safe)
objects out in the harbor, go swimming (stay away from boat docks, sometimes boat electricity gets into the water
and kills), gutter boat regatta, baseball, golf long ball contest, commando course, movie night, run a boat parts flea
market with a percentage (or all) going to the Sailing School, junior cooking contest (cookies, cakes, chili, etc.), do a
fix up project at the club, single- or double-handed big boat skippers races in the harbor (then bow people, then the
grinders, then trimmers, then kids, then women – very short course 5 -8 minutes each round, etc.). Extreme ideas:
run a carnival (I attended one at Newport Harbor Yacht Club in California where they cleared the entire club
building out and replaced it all with carnival games - it was amazing), put on a play, hire a wild animal business to
bring some of their animals over to the club (I’ve pet a live tiger), battle of the bands, etc.
Go to a dollar store and pick up "prizes," the sillier the better. Hand out awards for tallest crew, kindest girl,
biggest feet, fattest crew, farthest traveled, etc. A "Pickle Dish" traditionally has been the moniker for the last place
boat, give them one! They are recognized, rather than ignored, it is a positive recognition.
Recognize that the younger sailors still have energy to burn off when we hit the beach after racing. Give an hour
and a half of attention to them, and don't be afraid to let the adults participate, even after they "have had a few" for
an hour. Kids seeing adults being silly is fun for them, too.
Just mixing the age groups as described last month is one part of the answer. We need to make sure that the under
21 crowd is guaranteed some fun times after racing by manufacturing some fun for them. Why do this? It gets
back to the Three-Eyed Toads that we are. These fun, goofy activities provide the common ground with the friends,
family, co-workers and neighbors, as it is all about the story each of us tell on Monday and Tuesday. When we, or
the under 21 crowd talk about their weekend experience, they will first describe the sailboat racing, and to the
uninitiated they will still look at us like we are three-eyed toads. But then we'll start
talking about how we bobbed for apples and how this one kid just wouldn't quit and
was diving for his apple for 20 minutes before he got it; this will be a story those friends
can relate to. We'll talk about the adult who came over later, who has a mouth the size
of a horse, and grabbed two apples in one bite in two seconds of trying. We'll be
laughing and the uninitiated will be laughing with us. Do you know what happens next?
This is the key element. The uninitiated will start saying to themselves, "Hmmm, what
did I do this weekend? I washed the car, trimmed the hedges, mowed the lawn, ran
some errands, changed the oil in the car, went to a cousin's wedding and did the chicken
dance. It sure sounds like this three-eyed toad had a lot of fun." You know what they
will ask next, don't you? "Can I join you racing some time?" By having the common ground, talking about the
goofy, silly activities available after each day of racing, we make the connection with the uninitiated. This is how
we grew the sport 40 years ago, and this is how we re-grow the sport today. It really is easy, not expensive, and
will provide fun in a way most under 21 have not seen in their lives, as all they know are little electronic gizmos as
their "fun."
Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation 2 November 2012 Newsletter