A plaque was created for each inductee.
The Windsurfing Hall of Fame was founded by photographer, filmmaker, and lifelong windsurfer, Jonathan Weston. What began as a just for fun polling game on FB, evolved into a serious effort honoring the folks who've made up the fabric of our sport. Working with many noteworthy souls who gathered together and formed a Voting Body, and then a Selection Committee, the results are what you see here on this site; an established institution, an all encompassing selection of windsurfing elites and their supporting cast. Spanning the multiple disciplines of our sport, seemingly widely accepted; it is and forever will now be, the WINDSURFING HALL OF FAME!
Voting will take place next year with a process to be determined by the current Selection Committee. Ten new inductees will be voted in annually. Officers and Chairs, including President, will be elected every two years.
HOW WERE THE INAUGURAL WINDSURFING HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2021 SELECTED? GLAD YOU ASKED! A PRELIMINARY POLLING WAS CARRIED OUT ON FB IN AN OPEN FB GROUP, WINDSURFING HALL OF FAME. THIS WAS JUST FOR FUN, MERELY A SEED, A KERNEL OF THE IDEA. I POSTED A DIFFERENT POLL FOR EACH SEGMENT OF THE SPORT: FAME, RACING, FREESTYLE, SPEED, ADVENTURER, SHAPER, SAILMAKER, MEDIA... AND EVENTUALLY THE IDEA GREW. THESE POLLS SERVED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WEIGHT EACH CATEGORY CARRIED, AND WHO TO PLACE ON THE BALLOT.
THIS PROVED TO BE FRUITFUL, AND A BIT SOUR, AS A POPULARITY CONTEST ENSUED. A FEW CANDIDATES WERE DISCOVERED TO BE THE BENEFICIARY OF AN EMAIL CAMPAIGN (ONE ITALIAN COMPLETELY UNKNOWN INTERNATIONALLY HAD MORE VOTES THAN RN!) AND WERE LEFT OFF. THIS IS THE HALL OF FAME, NOT THE HALL OF FRIENDS. NICE TRY, THOUGH.
AFTER THIS OCCURRED, I GOT MORE SERIOUS AND CREATED A CLOSED FB GROUP, WINDSURFING HALL OF FAME VOTING BODY, INVITING A GEOGRAPHICAL AND GENDER DIVERSE GROUP OF KNOWLEDGEABLE FOLKS. A FEW OF THOSE INVITED A FEW OTHERS, AND THOUGH WE ENDED UP WITH MORE THAN THE 100 I HAD HOPED FOR, ONLY ABOUT 75 OF THOSE VOTED ON THE SURVEY MONKEY BALLOT. THE CRITERIA WERE THAT THE RIDER IS OVER 50YO AND HAS GARNISHED AT LAST 60% OF THE VOTE. THE RESULTS WERE PRETTY MUCH WHAT YOU SEE, SO GOOD JOB WHOF VOTING BODY!
HOWEVER, AND JUST TO MAKE SURE NOBODY CRITICAL WAS LEFT OUT, THE CAPTAIN OF THE LONELY SHIP, ALONG WITH SC CHAIR SCOTTY O, FORMED A SELECTION COMMITTEE THAT WAS AT LEAST GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE. WE EVEN HAVE TWO EDITORS FROM SURF MAGAZINE ON BOARD! THE SC DELIBERATED, SOME VOICING LOUDER THAN OTHERS. ANNIE PULLED HARD FOR MORE WOMEN IN THE HALL, AND IN PARTICULAR, NANCY JOHNSON, ANOTHER LEGEND ON THE BORDER, TOSSING HER OWN VOTES TO NANCY! THEN ANNIE ACTUALLY SLIPPED SOUTH OF THE BORDER TO CAPTAIN ONE OF HER FANTASTIC ALL-WOMEN SAILING CHARTERS ON HER GRAND CATAMARAN, EL GATO.
ALL ARGUMENTS COMING TO A STALEMATE, A CLOSED BALLOT FOR THE SC WAS CREATED FOR THOSE THAT WERE ON THE BORDER AT 40-50%. FOUR MORE MADE IT IN, TWO MEN AND TWO WOMEN. THE FOUNDER/PRES USED HIS ONE TRUMP VOTE TO SELECT ONE FINAL CANDIDATE (AND HOPEFULLY TO HIS CREDIT, A WOMAN!). SORRY, ANNIE, IN YOUR ABSENCE, OUR SELECTION COMMITTEE CHOSE TO SAVE NANCY FOR A STRONGER CLASS IN FOLLOWING YEARS. OF COURSE, MORE CALLS WILL ENSUE FOR MORE WOMEN ON THE VOTING BODY AND SELECTION COMMITTEE! RIGHTLY SO, AS ALL SHIPS SHOULD.
CERTAINLY, A HOST OF OTHER LEGENDS CAN BE ARGUED, AND THE PM'S ARE COMING IN... WHY NOT THIS PERSON OR THAT? AND THE STOCK ANSWER... THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR! CONGRATS AGAIN TO THOSE THAT MADE IT IN, AND THANKS AGAIN TO ALL THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE VOTING PROCESS. THE FINAL TASK FOR THE SC IS TO LAY DOWN THE BYLAWS FOR NEXT YEAR'S VOTING PROCESS.
Learn more about the Founder and current President.
Voting will take place next year with a process to be determined by the current Selection Committee. Ten new inductees will be voted in annually. Officers and Chairs, including President, will be elected every two years.
HOW WERE THE INAUGURAL WINDSURFING HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2021 SELECTED? GLAD YOU ASKED! A PRELIMINARY POLLING WAS CARRIED OUT ON FB IN AN OPEN FB GROUP, WINDSURFING HALL OF FAME. THIS WAS JUST FOR FUN, MERELY A SEED, A KERNEL OF THE IDEA. I POSTED A DIFFERENT POLL FOR EACH SEGMENT OF THE SPORT: FAME, RACING, FREESTYLE, SPEED, ADVENTURER, SHAPER, SAILMAKER, MEDIA... AND EVENTUALLY THE IDEA GREW. THESE POLLS SERVED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WEIGHT EACH CATEGORY CARRIED, AND WHO TO PLACE ON THE BALLOT.
THIS PROVED TO BE FRUITFUL, AND A BIT SOUR, AS A POPULARITY CONTEST ENSUED. A FEW CANDIDATES WERE DISCOVERED TO BE THE BENEFICIARY OF AN EMAIL CAMPAIGN (ONE ITALIAN COMPLETELY UNKNOWN INTERNATIONALLY HAD MORE VOTES THAN RN!) AND WERE LEFT OFF. THIS IS THE HALL OF FAME, NOT THE HALL OF FRIENDS. NICE TRY, THOUGH.
AFTER THIS OCCURRED, I GOT MORE SERIOUS AND CREATED A CLOSED FB GROUP, WINDSURFING HALL OF FAME VOTING BODY, INVITING A GEOGRAPHICAL AND GENDER DIVERSE GROUP OF KNOWLEDGEABLE FOLKS. A FEW OF THOSE INVITED A FEW OTHERS, AND THOUGH WE ENDED UP WITH MORE THAN THE 100 I HAD HOPED FOR, ONLY ABOUT 75 OF THOSE VOTED ON THE SURVEY MONKEY BALLOT. THE CRITERIA WERE THAT THE RIDER IS OVER 50YO AND HAS GARNISHED AT LAST 60% OF THE VOTE. THE RESULTS WERE PRETTY MUCH WHAT YOU SEE, SO GOOD JOB WHOF VOTING BODY!
HOWEVER, AND JUST TO MAKE SURE NOBODY CRITICAL WAS LEFT OUT, THE CAPTAIN OF THE LONELY SHIP, ALONG WITH SC CHAIR SCOTTY O, FORMED A SELECTION COMMITTEE THAT WAS AT LEAST GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE. WE EVEN HAVE TWO EDITORS FROM SURF MAGAZINE ON BOARD! THE SC DELIBERATED, SOME VOICING LOUDER THAN OTHERS. ANNIE PULLED HARD FOR MORE WOMEN IN THE HALL, AND IN PARTICULAR, NANCY JOHNSON, ANOTHER LEGEND ON THE BORDER, TOSSING HER OWN VOTES TO NANCY! THEN ANNIE ACTUALLY SLIPPED SOUTH OF THE BORDER TO CAPTAIN ONE OF HER FANTASTIC ALL-WOMEN SAILING CHARTERS ON HER GRAND CATAMARAN, EL GATO.
ALL ARGUMENTS COMING TO A STALEMATE, A CLOSED BALLOT FOR THE SC WAS CREATED FOR THOSE THAT WERE ON THE BORDER AT 40-50%. FOUR MORE MADE IT IN, TWO MEN AND TWO WOMEN. THE FOUNDER/PRES USED HIS ONE TRUMP VOTE TO SELECT ONE FINAL CANDIDATE (AND HOPEFULLY TO HIS CREDIT, A WOMAN!). SORRY, ANNIE, IN YOUR ABSENCE, OUR SELECTION COMMITTEE CHOSE TO SAVE NANCY FOR A STRONGER CLASS IN FOLLOWING YEARS. OF COURSE, MORE CALLS WILL ENSUE FOR MORE WOMEN ON THE VOTING BODY AND SELECTION COMMITTEE! RIGHTLY SO, AS ALL SHIPS SHOULD.
CERTAINLY, A HOST OF OTHER LEGENDS CAN BE ARGUED, AND THE PM'S ARE COMING IN... WHY NOT THIS PERSON OR THAT? AND THE STOCK ANSWER... THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR! CONGRATS AGAIN TO THOSE THAT MADE IT IN, AND THANKS AGAIN TO ALL THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE VOTING PROCESS. THE FINAL TASK FOR THE SC IS TO LAY DOWN THE BYLAWS FOR NEXT YEAR'S VOTING PROCESS.
Learn more about the Founder and current President.