A steady increase in the number of windsurfers has led to the establishment of several national and international windsurfing associations. These associations have not only worked constantly in spreading awareness about windsurfing but also helped windsurfing in improving the sporting infrastructure. Becoming a part of such associations helps enthusiasts to enhance their sporting abilities along with having a regular interaction with fellow windsurfers.
Leading Windsurfing Associations
There are several associations, especially in the United States and Europe that feature prominently in the list of leading windsurfing associations of the world.
Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA): PWA is a premier and one of the oldest associations in windsurfing. The PWA organizes some of the most coveted international events throughout the year. The PWA World Tour, arguably the biggest sporting extravaganza for windsurfing and features world cup and grand slams for every windsurfing discipline. For the past two decades, the PWA World Championships have witnessed some of the best performances of all the top champions of the sport. It is at behest of the PWA that new windsurfing rules are formulated and new international events are sanctioned. Currently, Jimmy Diaz is the President of the PWA while Phil McGain is the Vice President. The other high profile board members of the PWA include Svein Rasmussen, women's champion Karin Jaggi, John Skye, Pieter Bijl, Martin Brandner and Robby Swift.
UK Windsurfing Association (UKWA): A UK-based association, the UKWA is a key organization that promotes the interests of windsurfers and works ceaselessly for their fulfillment. The UKWA is controlled by a group of windsurfing enthusiasts who are dedicated to the development of the sport. The UKWA organizes several events of all windsurfing disciplines at various levels. Some of the major windsurfing events organized by the UKWA include the National Championships, the British Open Championships, UKWA Inland Series and UKWA Cup Series.
US Windsurfing Association: One of the leading associations in the United States, the US Windsurfing Association has a huge member-base in the country. The association helps to spread awareness about various aspects of windsurfing and provide guidelines about the safety measures necessary for the sport. The association is also involved in the administrative activities like acting as a Council of US Sailing, issuing sail numbers for national and international windsurfing contests and serves as a regulatory body for US Windsurfing and International Racing Rules of Sailing. The US Windsurfing Association supports and encourages several national and regional windsurfing clubs and organizations.
Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association: Yet another US-based organization, this association holds some of the most popular events like Windfest Weekend and Swapmeet. The Columbia Gorge Association hugely promotes windsurfing among children and regularly windsurfing organizes kids' camps and windsurfing sessions for kids. The association has undertaken several initiatives like beach cleaning drives, construction of restrooms along several beaches and develop windsurfing sites to enhance windsurfing experience in the Columbia River Gorge. The association also supports several smaller communities at the local level.
These are some of the leading associations in the world of windsurfing. Over the years, these organizations have broadened their field of work tremendously.