Shut Up and Go Sailing

Okay team, I’m chapped.  There seems to be a mysterious culture afoot wherein sailors, coaches, and various other members of the community sit around and lament the state of our sport…but they never actually DO anything about it. Case in point:

“My coach never taught me properly, and now I go to the big clubs and get killed. It sucks”

“Yeah man, and, like, how am I ever supposed to win (fill in the blank with your own local championship event), sailing is so unorganized…”

“Why do all those other kids at (fill in the blank with your local annoyingly successful program) win all the time. Man, if I had rich parent, I bet I could win too because they could, like, buy me stuff.”

Insert pesky fluffy haired blond chick “Hey folks, there’s a two day camp this weekend, you’re invited to come train.”

“Uh, I’ll see.  I think my twice-removed great aunt is coming to town and I’m supposed to hang out with her.”

“Oh, training costs $25? Oh man, what a rip off. I’m going to the mall with my friends anyway, I have to buy some new skinny jeans.”

What the hell!?!!?!  When did it become okay to sit around and whine about your community, your federation, and, worst of all, your coaches and fellow athletes when you don’t even partake? That’s like complaining about the obesity epidemic while pounding Cheetos. If the folks above, and let’s face it, we all know people like this, spent even a third of the time being proactive  that they spent whining, can you imagine how much further ahead they would be? Can you imagine how much further ahead we would all be?  Go for a bloody sail already.  It takes ten minutes to rig up, and after five minutes on the water with your mates, you’ll have forgotten about what a moron your coach/boss/that dude who always beats you is, and you’ll be enjoying yourself.   You’ll also be improving. What a concept.

So don’t come and whine to me about the state of your sailing.  I mean, by all means, if you actually want to go out and GO SAILING then sure, whine to me all you want.  Whine to me if you want to if you want to buck up and provide opportunity to youth, underprivileged sailors, and athletes aspiring to better themselves and perform.  But if you’re just going to sit around in your wingback chair and sip scotch/beer/hot chocolate/juice box and tell me that our sport is more dead than the Spanish economy then I’m out of here.  I’ll see you on the water…well probably not actually.  And here’s some career advice for those of you who aren’t inclined to act: leave the water for those of us who actually use it and consider getting into politics.