10 January 2012
The Fireball class is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2012. During the course of those 50 years, over 15,000 boats have been built and sailed, and tens of thousands of people have been aboard. The class has enjoyed astonishing success, currently being actively raced in 14 countries on 5 continents. Highly competitive World and continental championships are held annually, and historically well attended and supported. This is testament to a brilliant design, an enthusiastic and committed class leadership, effective strategies to adapt to changes in technology and concept, and a highly committed community of sailors. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to all of our previous Commodores, and most recently to Francois Schluchter for his tenure for the past 6 years. On behalf of all Fireball sailors, I would like to formally thank Francois.
Celebrating our past is great; building for the future is exciting, but it is not without challenges. Racing and sailing are competing with many other sports and pastimes. The world economy could be much stronger, which would help generate more interest in recreational activities. Within the sailing world, there are many classes competing for market share. If the Fireball class is going to thrive in the next 50 years, we have our work cut out for us. Our growth has slowed considerably and the Fireball fleet is not as strong in some parts of the world as it was in the past. We need to bring in more young sailors. We need more boats actively competing in every country where we are active. We need to expand the number of countries where Fireballs are sailed. We need healthy national class associations and excellent communication around the world. We need cooperation and involvement. We need good ideas and dedicated people to implement them. We need to focus on providing what sailors want.
To those ends, Fireball International will be embarking on a strategic planning process. We will clearly identify our goals and our plans to reach them. We will be proposing the adoption of a new constitution, which should clarify the definition of membership and the functioning of Fireball International. Through the use of our web site and the internet, we will be communicating more frequently with Fireball sailors and National class associations. We will be implementing improved budgeting and financial reporting practices. We will expand our planning horizons to allow for greater lead times and better promotion of international events. It will be a busy few years, building on past success and new ideas. The input of every Fireball sailor is necessary and welcome, from club racer to world champion. Please make your voices heard.
On a personal note, I am honored to take on the challenge and responsibility as Commodore of the class. I am looking forward to working closely with the Executive members who have done and are doing an outstanding job meeting the needs of the Fireball class. Andrew Davies as Class Secretary, Tom Egli as our Technical Chairman, and Penny Gibbs as Treasurer are highly visible and greatly appreciated for their tireless work. Our Rear Commodores have a vital role to play representing the views of their regions, and we are fortunate to have strong and articulate individuals. Chris Payne has just retired as Rear Commodore of Australasia and he will be missed. He has our gratitude for his excellent service to the class. I am pleased to welcome Ben Schulz as his successor. I am also pleased to welcome Russell Thorne, one of our former Commodores, as the representative of the UK Fireball association.
The next three years will be exciting. Thank you for your confidence. Let's work together and get things done.
Joe Jospé
