Most competition today is antagonistic, some more and some less. Windsurfing events are certainly more benign than boxing, football or ice hockey but nevertheless, are still antagonistic. Cooperative competition emphasizes the fun and learning factors with top performers sharing their knowledge and skills with the other competitors. Antagonistic competition stresses high performance and extrinsic motivation with winners often guarding equipment and technique differences which helped them achieve top honors. Antagonistic competition will probably be with us for a long time to come.
Cooperative competition is a concept whose time has come.
Our goal is to see all windsurfing competition, whether it be antagonistic or cooperative, become standardized throughout the world in terms of safety, fun and fairness. While many Race Committees have evolved competition and scoring formats which allow for fun and fair events, there are many who haven't. We think it's time to introduce and promote the cooperative competition concept for the Sport Fleet. During the three years I was Race Director for H.A.W.A.I.I. on Oahu, I asked a lot of recreational windsurfers why they didn't compete. Yet, every day they sailed, these people were out racing their friends and having a great time.