[alberg30] Pearson returns like the Phoenix

[Gord Laco]

Hello,

I started a little game with myself in 1980 that goes like this.  I resolved
that each year I would get one person (or couple) who have never owned a
sailing yacht into a boat, each year.   I have never had fewer than one
"victim" as my wife puts it, some years I have two, one year I had three.

I do it by encouraging people who crew for me to develop a love for the
sport, and an appreciation for good boats.  Once I see a prospect coming
along, (my wife says "showing vulnerbility") I put them in contact with
boats that need them and let nature take it's course.  I encourage, but try
not to push! One of my alterior motives is to save good boats by getting
them into the hands of people who will appreciate their qualities.  These
boats are usually older (sometimes wooden) yachts that are in jeapordy of
being taken by uncaring people who might buy them just because they are on
the market cheap.  Most of my victims remain friends with me. Ha ha ha.

In a small way this little game is good for the sport and in a big way it is
good for the boats and the people who fall in love with them.

Gord
KC426 Surprise


----- Original Message -----
From: <finnus505 at aol.com>
To: <alberg30 at egroups.com>
Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 7:48 PM
Subject: Re: [alberg30] Pearson returns like the Phoenix


> In a message dated 12/7/00 11:12:38 PM Eastern Standard Time,
tristan at one.net
> writes:
>
> <<
>  What is the answer?  I for one, think that we need to get off of our
>  collective duffs and visit schools to discuss sailing, show videos or
>  slides, get scout groups and community groups interested and involved.
>  I have a real concern about the increasingly smaller numbers every year
>  of new sailors entering our magical world.  Encouraging young people to
>  sail, to get out and enjoy nature, to learn a quiet and strong way of
>  leadership is to help build and facilitate tomorrow's leaders through
>  sailing.  If George Bush and Al Gore put  >>
>
> Hey Scott,
> Nice surprise to see you on the A30 site.  You make a few very compelling
> arguments/suggestions in your letter.  The plan to get to kids by talking
to
> them in school is a good one, and really reveals a much broader problem,
that
> affects sailing, and us all in all ways.
>
> In the wake of Columbine and similar events, interviews with kids today
> reveal one very major factor in their lives; they are for the most part
bored
> to tears by the life they lead, and seem to have little concept of how to
> remedy the situation.  In the worst cases, kids that would have emotional
> problems regardless of what their environment was, get into a state of
mind
> that lets them beleive that killing people is the only appropriate remedy
to
> end their fustrations.
>
> It is simply unbeleivably and tragicaly ironic that this state of affairs
can
> coexist with the internet and tv, which puts all the information of the
> world, literaly, at their fingertips.  All the things that young minds
should
> be immersed in, from art, science, history, etc etc, to show ;them what a
big
> world it is, and tospark their curiosity, and help them discover where
their
> many talents lie, and which ones they wish to pursue to fulfil them are
there
> for the taking, but put most kids in front of a PC today, and the best
video
> games and the best porn are the two main, and often only things they turn
on.
>
>
> Its guidance that these kids need, pure and simple.  All kids are not
> destined to be Rhodes scholars,certainly, but there is much that could
give
> them more satisfying and fullfilling things to fill out their lives.
>
> My earliest memories are of going to the Museum of Natural History,
> Metropolitan Museum of Art, etc. etc. with my folks.  This wasn't done as
a
> chore-I had no lessons to memorize about the trips afterwards-where we
were
> going to have lunch was as big a part  of the day as the huge elephants
and
> other exhibits we were going to see.  But in the fun, it was all interesti
ng.
>  By the time I got to High School, I had so many interests, from astronomy
to
> debating, etc, drugs and mindless vandalism and violence were never a
> consideration. The time we spent on the boat from the time I could walk
> cultivated my interest and later obsession with the maritime world.
>
> Its the two job family, single parent family, etc. that keeps parents from
> giving the time to their kids that the kids need, in most cases.  That is
not
> going to change.  I know my folks were the exception, rather than the rule
in
> the middle class neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY where I grew up.
>
> Schools have kids in their grasp from 9 to 3, 10 months a year, from age 6
or
> so on. There is an opportunity there to show kids the world, and turn them
> on. Smaller class sizes, lots of school trips, guidance councelors there
for
> kids that begin to fall behind due to poor family situations etc. etc.is
the
> logical approach to get to the kids, and get them interested.
>
> More conservative people may say it is not the role of public schools to
> teach kids about culture, civics, expose them to ethics etc, to get them
> thinking; that is the role of parents, according to them.  In a perfect
> world, of course I would agree.  Last time you checked, was this a perfect
> world?
>
> This all sounds great, but I know it is not going to happen. Your plan to
get
> sailors involved in a local, grass roots type of program is a step in the
> right direction, and even if it is only a few kids that are reached, it
will
> be better than if no one had done anything at all.
>
> speak soon,
> Lee
>
>
>
>


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