Amateurs test out the waters on land

• 'A Taste of Windsurfing'

Windsurfing instructor Ellen Faller, Clinton, Conn., (left) gives personal instruction to student Erica Drealen, Fulda, Thursday afternoon along Sailboard Beach on Lake Okabena in Worthington. (Brian Korthals/Daily Globe)

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WORTHINGTON — Ever wonder what windsurfing really feels like?

With the help of the “A Taste of Windsurfing” program, headed by Roger Jackson of Avon, N.C., and Ellen Faller of Clinton, Conn., anyone can experience first hand the demands of windsurfing and what it feels like to be on a sailboard.

“A Taste of Windsurfing” offers lessons through an on-land board and sail simulator. Jackson explained that a person can feel what it’s like to be a windsurfer in shorts and a T-shirt while testing out the simulator without even going into the water. The lessons are free of charge.

“It’s like a free ice cream sample, only it’s a windsurfing sample,” Jackson explained.

Jackson and Faller will be stationed at Sailboard Beach through Sunday offering lessons. They explained that the lessons are to be a complete overview of what windsurfing really feels like to a beginner. Lessons include the basic steps to properly lifting the sail, an explanation on the concepts of wind and how to control the sail with the wind.

“Most people think windsurfing is all about strength, but it’s not. It’s about balance,” Faller stated. “It’s a feel thing. You have to feel it and not think it.”

Both Jackson and Faller agree that a person can never completely master the art of windsurfing. Jackson explained the wind is never the same from day-to-day, and a person’s body has to become accustomed to the new techniques in order to successfully windsurf. The mind concepts need to be focused more on balance than falling, he said.

“The water, the wind and the board are all dynamic. The goal is to make it all balance out and work together,” Jackson said.

“You have to learn to work with the forces you’re dealing with,” Faller added.

“A Taste of Windsurfing” is also where 12-year-old Manenus Zaunmueller and local windsurfer Lisa Kremer found their love for the sport.

“They started here with us, just testing what windsurfing feels like,” Faller said.

She explained that once people get an idea of what windsurfing is like, they are more prone to get out on the water and fall in love with the sport.

“It’s great! You could be having the worst day ever, but once you hit the water, you instantly feel better,” Faller exclaimed. “The thrill is what gets people hooked.”

They both exclaimed how great the Worthington community is for windsurfing. According to Faller and Jackson, it’s one of the most organized and friendliest regattas they travel to throughout the year.

“This is the one (regatta) that has the cool community, the cool people,” Roger said.

Jackson and Faller travel throughout the country to offer the on-land windsurfing lessons on an annual basis. They come to Worthington each year out of their pure love of windsurfing in hopes of getting more people out on the water to gain windsurfing experience.

“We don’t get paid, but the company pays the expenses,” Roger stated. “We just want people to love windsurfing.”

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