Mrs. P
Member
I’ve been watching a bullying situation unfold for three years and it’s about to come to a head. The sailor being harassed has had enough and decided it’s time to take a stand. The question is, what response is in the best interest of the sport (dinghy sailing) and the class (Laser)?
Did you ever see the viral video of the oversized kid that was being bullied by a group of kids and he finally decided he’d had enough and picked up one of the smaller kids as if he were a toy and then slammed him to the ground? Many cheered the oversized kid but some called him a bully. The situation I’m talking about is similar in that the harassed sailor is one of the best sailors in the area and is capable of wrecking havoc (within the rules) but he has chosen not to ... until now.
So to keep the details simple, three years ago, the sailor was ‘encouraged’ to leave the Laser fleet he sailed in. He did. We’ll skip the details and just say that it didn’t and still doesn’t make sense but he decided to just give it time. Over the three year period, there were instances of unprovoked hostility directed at him and he received inquiries from friends asking why they were being ‘recruited to a hate club’. When he sought an explanation from the fleet captain he was physically threatened and told to watch his back. WTF? Time passed and he tried to join the fleet a couple of years later and was told no. They said he wouldn’t be good for the fleet. Months later, he learned, indirectly, that he was welcome to sail with the Lasers anytime. So again, last Wednesday night, he tried to sail with them while working with a guy in the fleet that he'd seen struggling who had accepted an offer of help. The harassed sailor was again told he wasn’t welcome and that it was a ‘private race course’ and he needed to leave.
After three years, this very competent, fed up, gentle natured Canadian sailor has decided he’s had enough. The competitiveness of the fleet has declined over the years. Newer and younger sailors appear to be receiving poor to no mentoring. The leadership of the fleet and a handful of sailors are the primary instigators. They appear to be more concerned with politics and producing a fleet they can beat rather than a fleet that challenges them to get better.
So here’s the deal. There is no such thing as a “private course” since there is no legal right to restrict anyone from sailing on a public lake. If you were this sailor, would you sail anyway and teach these bullies some manners or would you just walk away? What is best for the sport and class?
To end on a positive note … here’s a link to a video of sailors in this district playing the game the right way.
http://www.impropercourse.com/2012/04/2011-easter-laser-regatta-highlights.html
Did you ever see the viral video of the oversized kid that was being bullied by a group of kids and he finally decided he’d had enough and picked up one of the smaller kids as if he were a toy and then slammed him to the ground? Many cheered the oversized kid but some called him a bully. The situation I’m talking about is similar in that the harassed sailor is one of the best sailors in the area and is capable of wrecking havoc (within the rules) but he has chosen not to ... until now.
So to keep the details simple, three years ago, the sailor was ‘encouraged’ to leave the Laser fleet he sailed in. He did. We’ll skip the details and just say that it didn’t and still doesn’t make sense but he decided to just give it time. Over the three year period, there were instances of unprovoked hostility directed at him and he received inquiries from friends asking why they were being ‘recruited to a hate club’. When he sought an explanation from the fleet captain he was physically threatened and told to watch his back. WTF? Time passed and he tried to join the fleet a couple of years later and was told no. They said he wouldn’t be good for the fleet. Months later, he learned, indirectly, that he was welcome to sail with the Lasers anytime. So again, last Wednesday night, he tried to sail with them while working with a guy in the fleet that he'd seen struggling who had accepted an offer of help. The harassed sailor was again told he wasn’t welcome and that it was a ‘private race course’ and he needed to leave.
After three years, this very competent, fed up, gentle natured Canadian sailor has decided he’s had enough. The competitiveness of the fleet has declined over the years. Newer and younger sailors appear to be receiving poor to no mentoring. The leadership of the fleet and a handful of sailors are the primary instigators. They appear to be more concerned with politics and producing a fleet they can beat rather than a fleet that challenges them to get better.
So here’s the deal. There is no such thing as a “private course” since there is no legal right to restrict anyone from sailing on a public lake. If you were this sailor, would you sail anyway and teach these bullies some manners or would you just walk away? What is best for the sport and class?
To end on a positive note … here’s a link to a video of sailors in this district playing the game the right way.
http://www.impropercourse.com/2012/04/2011-easter-laser-regatta-highlights.html