As expected, Sylt was wonderfully sunny and summery today, but almost completely windless. So no races or heats on the water, but all the more opportunity to check out the exhibitors and sponsors. There was also a beach clean-up and various autograph sessions.
In the afternoon, things got festive: Cliff Webb, who oversees the PWA livestream here and took over the Windsurfing Hall Of Fame some time ago, took to the event stage to honour some of the members. After the ceremony at Defi Wind, this is already the second event with windsurfing legends. The organisers want to try and create a "real" Hall of Fame soon, reported Cliff Webb.
Accompanied by iconic images and pathetic music, some legends who have long since been inducted into the Hall of Fame were presented with their certificates: First and foremost, of course, Björn Dunkerbeck, but also surf editor-in-chief Andreas Erbe and PWA photographer John Carter - for JC, the presentation here on Sylt was a surprise.
Windsurfing Hall Of Fame honours the organisers of the World Cup Sylt
Of course, the Sylt World Cup, which is taking place for the 40th time this year, also plays an important role in the history of windsurfing. That's why long-time organisers Matthias Neumann and Birgit Ballhause were the first members to be inducted into the Windsurfing Hall of Fame in the "Promoters and Innovators" category. "The conditions, the spectators and not least the parties have made the regatta legendary, said Cliff Webb in his citation. "How many drinks were drunk here, how many sausages were eaten, and how many people found the love of their lives," he said, recounting that he himself met his wife 29 years ago at a World Cup party in the hangar.
Matthias Neumann talked about the early days, how he first came to Sylt as a - relatively unsuccessful - active player, then slowly organised more and more behind the scenes and finally founded his sports agency
By the way: To mark the 40th anniversary of the World Cup Sylt, there will be a report on NDR television on Sunday 6 October. At 11.35 pm, the programme "Hart am Wind" will be broadcast with lots of footage from the history and voices of the greatest legends. The film will also be available in the ARD Mediathek and later on YouTube!
The highlights from 40 years of the Windsurf World Cup Sylt
This is the Windsurfing Hall Of Fame
After an attempt was made in the early 2000s to establish a windsurfing hall of fame, the topic remained quiet for many years. Jonathan Weston started his project as a whimsical survey on Facebook. This developed into an ambitious project with the aim of honouring the people who have significantly influenced the sport.
The first approach was an open poll on the internet, but this resulted in a completely unknown Italian receiving more votes than Robby Naish. As a result, the group of eligible voters was limited, but there are still more than 100 people involved in the selection process. Weston is keen to keep the committee as diverse as possible, especially geographically.
The criteria for inclusion in the Windsurfing Hall of Fame are straightforward: candidates must be over 50 years old and at least 60% of the voting committee must vote for them.
On the website windsurfinghalloffame.com all members can be seen, the detailed biographies are constantly being expanded! In the Facebook group "Windsurfing Hall of Fame" candidates are regularly presented and exciting pictures from the archives are posted!
