| Craig Bergh is 2009 US Windsurfer of the Year |
 |
 |
| Thursday, 11 December 2008 13:18 |
|
Windsurfing has always been about speed. Racing is always about speed, although far more than speed is involved. We all drag race our friends for beer and bragging rights. Over the past decade many people have been tinkering around trying to calculate the speed of sailors and their windsurfing feats of daring do! Recent development of global position system (GPS) devices have made accurate tracking of speed possible, and speed contest efforts took a major step forward this year through the efforts of Craig Bergh of Worthington, Minnesota. Over the past four years Craig has endeavored to build the sport of speed sailing and make it accessible to all sailors. U.S. Windsurfing thinks he has done precisely that! Each summer for the past 4 years Craig has offered his time and expertise, inviting sailors from far and wide. To increase the attractiveness of this effort, all sailors receive free use of state of the art GPS systems and state of the art speed sailing gear. High Wind alerts are usually sent out 24-48 hours in advance and sailors arrive to try their hand in the gusty winds of Worthington. Craig has created an event that accommodates all categories-- Youth, Women, Formula, Hybrid, and Longboard. The event is open to sailors from April 15th to Oct. 15th, and was a major attraction at this year’s Nationals in Worthington. In true Worthington fashion, local citizens, businesses and many windsurfing manufacturers have contributed to this event to allow prizes to be awarded, and the Mid-West Speed Quest has the largest cash prize in the U.S. United States Windsurfing salutes Craig Bergh for his contribution to the world of windsurfing and speed sailing! SOURCE: US Windsurfing |
