The TEAM leaves Pryde for Gaastra - a new era?
Bruce
The Team Press Release
The Team and Gaastra Sails /Fiberspar form an Alliance.
'The Team',is very enthusiastic about the move: " We are delighted to
enter into relations with Gaastra and Fiberspar. It expresses renewed
industry confidence in both the World Cup and in the new direction we're
taking in the sport. It's huge for all of us." Phil Mc Gain said yesterday.
Formation of THE TEAM.
Four of the most talented athletes in professional windsurfing began
working with Barry Spanier three years ago to develop their skills and the
equipment necessary to win the world championship. Over that time they
have amazed the windsurfing world by continually dominating the top
positions. In '97 and '98 they occupy four of the top five slots in the
rankings.
Neil Pryde has lost most of his top people in the deal. Matt Pritchard,
Kevin Pritchard, Scott Fenton , Phil Mc Gain, and sail designer Barry
Spanier.The five, now known as 'The Team', are proud to announce their
association with Gaastra Sails Ltd. effective immediately. The Team has
signed a two year deal to 'promote , develop, race , and win'. Gaastra
marketing director, Laurence Mead, explained yesterday , " It's a very
exciting move for us to be able to work with the best development group in
the world and have access to to state of the art technology. We're
confident this will ensure continued success with our Total Flow program,
as with all our other products."
Pryde's response to the buyout is that " they will take a position of
'participation' in the future, instead of 'domination'."
THE GAMBLE
The departure of Barry Spanier from Neil Pryde is a landmark move in
itself. He's been a creative leader for Neil Pryde over the past sixteen
years and designed all of Bjorn Dunkerbeck's world championship winning
sails for the past ten years! Barry is undoubtedly known as one of the
very best sailmakers at work today, and has enormous credibilty around the
world. The new question is, will Dunkerbeck continue as Champion behind the
efforts of his new development group?.
Spanier explains ;
"The past several seasons have been uncomfortable due to internal
conflict. With Phil as Head Tester, we were given responsibility for the
development of the compnay's race sails. This went relatively unnoticed
until these same guys started to overtake Dunkerbeck on the race course.
Internal pressures rose to a point where something had to go .. and it was
The Team"
The opportunity has particular significance for Gaastra since they saw
their own market leadership diminish shortly after Dunkerbeck (Neil Pryde)
defeated Naish( then a Gaastra sailor) eleven years ago.
"It will be a race of epic proportions, both on and off the water", Mead
added, "but the real winner will be the sport of windsurfing."
THE TEAM : A NEW PHILOSOPHY.
The Team achieves success through a special mix of talent , youth ,
experience , dedication, and above all, Teamwork. The knowledge that in the
shared experience of training and practice, all of the members will become
more competitive and can find satisfaction in the success of any of them,
is a novel way to approach what has up till now been a most individual
game..
Phil McGain, at 35 years of age, still has what it takes to dominate his
younger competition in the racing discipline. He has finished fourth two
years in a row, and narrowly missed the German Word Cup racing title in
Sylt this year. "Working as a team is the reason we are all there together
at the top."
Scott Fenton has consistently improved his standings since joining the
group." Being part of the commitment and preparation can only continue to
pay off in top results," said the young Kiwi. Finishing third and fifth
overall in '97 and '98, Scott is looking forward to the new season and his
chance to win the whole pie.
Matt Pritchard finished '97 in fourth behind Scott, but moved to third this
year. He was second in the Indoor and second in Freestyle, a true
multi-discipline master of the sport.
Kevin Pritchard moved from fifth to second this year and has the overall
title in his sights. Just 0.3 of a point separated him from taking the
crown away from Bjorn Dunkerbeck and ending a decade of dominance.
"It was the closest year that I can remember since I have been doing
this." Dunkerbeck said in his world championship acceptance speech. .
With The Team' members in second, third, and fifth overall, the stage is
set for the biggest showdown since Bjorn took the title from Robby Naish
in 1988.
Barry Spanier summed it up: "The sport has been thrown onto a tidal wave
of excitement that is set to revive windsurfing at its very core."
Matt Pritchard added "Sure, participation's important. We all want more
windsurfers, But World Cup victory is still in every company's plan. Every
windsurfer aspires to experience the equipment advances we develop at the
top end of the sport, and the World Cup is still the pinnacle of
achievement and the testing ground for ideas and products that end up on
the market. Every brand wants to be the best. The Team is committed to
bring that to Gaastra Sails.'.
..
The Team and Gaastra Sails stand on the verge of the World Championship.
The world is watching.
ENDS
For further information contact The Team at 10535...@compuserve.com
--
any opinions expressed are my own
website: http://www.winzurf.co.nz
work: bruce.s...@dia.govt.nz
play: br...@winzurf.co.nz
Tauras
Bruce wrote in message <01be44b4$4bb35ac0$5fd031ca@tamsinpc>...
>snip some heavy industry stroking<
>Matt Pritchard added "Sure, participation's important. We all want more
>windsurfers, But World Cup victory is still in every company's plan. Every
>windsurfer aspires to experience the equipment advances we develop at the
>top end of the sport, and the World Cup is still the pinnacle of
>achievement and the testing ground for ideas and products that end up on
>the market. Every brand wants to be the best. The Team is committed to
>bring that to Gaastra Sails.'.
Sounds like the standard line of how racing innovations trickle down to the
windsurfing masses. Hope Gaa doesn't have to go to the cheap, short lived,
monofilm like NP did to bankroll this type of "R&D"... Ahh must be nice
being sponsored. An icon in the eye of the typical 40 something sailor that
is financially secure enough to buy shiny new untested by father time sails
;)
As per legal counsel,
Legal Disclaimer Follows:
;) means I'm just kidding
EDWARD
Now we know who to blame for our NP sails falling apart.
Who cares about the world cup.
Tauras you couldn't have said it better.
Alan Sandoval
wave of excitement that is set to revive windsurfing at its very core."
happens on the world cup? And that newcomers to the sport care at all?
It isn't the high end that drives this sport, it will be the bottom end
that "may" save it.
Alan Sandoval
Former windsurfing retailer
Cris Pavloff
over the lead of manufacturing sails. I think that Neil Pryde did
great things in design, but will continue beating a long-dead horse by
saying that I think that Pryde was going the wrong way in terms of
durability.
I hope this does make a difference. I don't really care that it is
Gaastra, I'm just glad that it appears it may not be pryde anymore.
Cris
Wolfgang Soergel
that much for racing results (a bit more for wave and freestyle
but it's nearly 100 % the rider and the judges there, not the gear)
It's also interesting to note that not much of the "old" Gaastra
developement team is left: Pat Goodman (designer of the wave sails)
left for Pryde last summer already and it now also appears that
Willem Blauw (sp ?, the one behind the race sails) left for Arrows...
So Gaastra seems to have a completely new R&D and Testing crew...
Let's see i doubt i'd buy a new product from any of theese two
companies anyways..
Wolfgang
--
Wolfgang Soergel !!!!! CHANGED PHONE and FAX !!!
Lehrstuhl fuer Nachrichtentechnik I / phone: ++49-9131-85 2 7781
Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg / fax: ++49-9131-85 2 8849
Cauerstrasse 7 / email:
wsoe...@nt.e-technik.uni-erlangen.de
D-91058 Erlangen, GERMANY /
http://www.nt.e-technik.uni-erlangen.de/~wsoergel
Ed Scott
> ...
> Really Barry, do you think the average sailor gives a rats ass what
> happens on the world cup? And that newcomers to the sport care at all?
> It isn't the high end that drives this sport, it will be the bottom end
> that "may" save it.
I agree wholeheartedly. Who cares what Dunkerbeck or Pritchard sail on. What
works for those guys may be that handi-wrap monofilm. Whatthehell, they're
sponsored, they can replace rigs after every race (or every heat for that
matter). Those guys go for performance at any cost. In contrast, I gotta get
at least a couple, if not a few, seasons out of mine. Monofilm, whether made by
NP, Gaastra, Sailworx, or whomever, is simply *NOT DURABLE* enough, if you sail
if more than three times a season, especially if you sail saltwater and/or in
the waves. Get sails with vinyl windows, you'll be glad you did. The small
weight penalty won't make that much difference, and even if it did, you can
forego a burrito or two and have the same weight savings without the added cost
and loss of durability.
Of course, this is just my opinion, and I sail only 80 days/year.
-Ed Scott
(a recreational sailor who's never raced/competed/or attended a race and former
owner of NP V8's and Mk IV's which fell apart)
Pawel Kostulak
Bruce wrote:
>
>
> Gaastra marketing director, Laurence Mead, explained yesterday , " It's a
> very
> exciting move for us to be able to work with the best development group in
> the world and have access to to state of the art technology. We're
> confident this will ensure continued success with our Total Flow program,
> as with all our other products."
>
> THE GAMBLE
>
> The departure of Barry Spanier from Neil Pryde is a landmark move in
> itself. He's been a creative leader for Neil Pryde over the past sixteen
> years and designed all of Bjorn Dunkerbeck's world championship winning
> sails for the past ten years! Barry is undoubtedly known as one of the
> very best sailmakers at work today, and has enormous credibilty around the
> world. The new question is, will Dunkerbeck continue as Champion behind the
> efforts of his new development group?.
>
>
I wonder what will the new Gaastra designs look like now?
Is Barry Spanier going to continue what former competitor developed (flexible
tip, total flow,etc), or will it be sommething different altogether?
My guess is that NP has rights to the concepts he developed for them.
>
>
Berkeley Windsurf & Snowboard
>
> Barry Spanier summed it up: "The sport has been thrown onto a tidal
> wave of excitement that is set to revive windsurfing at its very core."
>
> Really Barry, do you think the average sailor gives a rats ass what
> happens on the world cup? And that newcomers to the sport care at all?
> It isn't the high end that drives this sport, it will be the bottom end
> that "may" save it.
> Alan Sandoval
> Former windsurfing retailer
>
I totally disagree, Alan. When Robby was #1, so was Gaastra. When
Bjorn beat him, NP took over. North has never had a champion in racing,
and has never been #1. There are so many Bjorn wanna-bees out there it
is amazing. Concious or not, idol worship plays hard into our buying
decisions. Look at the posts: most people who are loyal to a sail
brand IDENTIFY with someone at the company. Whether it be meeting Jeff
Henderson or David Ezzy on the beach in Maui or Bill Hansen or Bruce
Peterson in the Gorge, usually when they make a purchase there is a face
behind it. Gaastra has had no face in the US for a long time. Most
people can't identify with Jason Polokow, but they CAN identify with
speed. Barry Spanier, Bjorn Dunkerbeck have stood for speed, and Pryde
has sold a lot of sails on this image. I think this is a HUGE move for
Gaastra, and if it pays off (they win) they will reap the benefits for
years to come.
Gaastra has spent a lot of money and taken a huge chance on this, and I
wish them well. For those of us who do follow WC racing and the
industry, it is certain to be a much more interesting summer because of
this. No, it's not going to get more people to start windsurfing, no,
it's not going to save the sport, but it will be fun to watch for those
who understand it, and who care. Personally, I'm psyched! Go Matt, Go
Kevin, Go USA!!!
My usual,
--
Will Harper
mail to: bwa...@slip.net
http://www.slip.net/~bwands
**********************************************************************
Berkeley Windsurf and Snowboard Windsports
1601 University Ave. 1595 East Franciso Blvd
Berkeley, CA 94703 San Rafael, CA 94901
(510) 843-9283 (415) 459-1171
**********************************************************************
Andrew B. Watkins
Wolfgang Soergel <wsoe...@nt.e-technik.uni-erlangen.de> wrote:
>Will be an interesting season to watch, even though i don't care
>Wolfgang
This sorta surprises me Wolfgang..
At the start of this (Austral) season i bought a near
new (ex-demo) 5.5 1998 Gaastra Flow 2x and i must say,..
it blew me away! It is the most stable, comfortable and
for me, best upwind sail i have owned. Apart from some
stitching that has come loose in the "rubbery stretchy"
thing that covers the mastfoot (and thus cosmetic really),
it has been, and appears to be, bomb proof. I had the
choice between it and a NP V6, and i have had absolutely
no regrets whatsoever with my choice.. I also own a
6.7 Gaastra Mc2x, which i must say I'm only moderately
happy with (top end speed isnt great, no where near as
tunable as the flow 2x etc), so I'm no "brand
loyalty" type guy... I simply love the Flow 2x.
Cheers,
Andrew.
--
Andrew B. Watkins | `To strive, to seek, to find
a...@met.unimelb.edu.au | and not to yield'
http://mullara.met.unimelb.edu.au:8080/abw - Lord Tennyson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert Youdan
sail of choice, from 10kt right up to 20+ on smooth water. It is THE best
sail I have ever owned: so comfortable and stable and POWERFUL. And I agree,
I can rocket upwind with that baby!
Rob
--
Please remove "XXNOSPAMXX" before replying by e-mail
Andrew B. Watkins wrote in message
<788bu2$su8$1...@izvestia.its.unimelb.edu.au>...
Wolfgang Soergel
>
> In article <36A714...@nt.e-technik.uni-erlangen.de>,
> Wolfgang Soergel <wsoe...@nt.e-technik.uni-erlangen.de> wrote:
> >Will be an interesting season to watch, even though i don't care
> >companies anyways..
> >Wolfgang
>
> This sorta surprises me Wolfgang..
> At the start of this (Austral) season i bought a near
> new (ex-demo) 5.5 1998 Gaastra Flow 2x and i must say,..
> it blew me away! It is the most stable, comfortable and
> for me, best upwind sail i have owned. Apart from some
> stitching that has come loose in the "rubbery stretchy"
> thing that covers the mastfoot (and thus cosmetic really),
> it has been, and appears to be, bomb proof. I had the
> choice between it and a NP V6, and i have had absolutely
> no regrets whatsoever with my choice.. I also own a
> 6.7 Gaastra Mc2x, which i must say I'm only moderately
> happy with (top end speed isnt great, no where near as
> tunable as the flow 2x etc), so I'm no "brand
> loyalty" type guy... I simply love the Flow 2x.
i'm saining different makes myself.
Also note that the 98 Gaastra sails were all still designed by
the old team, getting good reviews.
I also don't think that all the moves will result in bad
performing sails from any of the companies involved.
It may however happen, that the characteristics of sails
change slightly so it may be tougher to combine different
model year's sails in one quiver.
WOlfgang
Energy
>happens on the world cup? And that newcomers to the sport care at all?
>It isn't the high end that drives this sport, it will be the bottom end
>that "may" save it.
I do!
Yeah we'll I doubt that the bottom end is going to do anything for the sport
I for one spend a lot of money on windsurfing equipment
Much more than any newbie... thats for sure
New windsurfers I have found come in two characters....
1. casual who only last a short while anyway... because its to hard or to
time consuming or frustrating (due to relying on wind)
2 those who make a conscious decision to pursue windsurfing and persist
until they learn it. And generally may take hyatis from it, but never
totally give it up.
Basically they are hardcore or they dont last
Jeff