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Dealing With Man Overboard Situations While Boating

Nearly 12 percent of American households feature one or more boats. Annual boat sales in the United States are valued at close to $57 million. While boating and sailing are popular, enjoyable maritime activities, they also present boat owners with various challenges and potential dangers. One of the scariest occurrences involves a person falling off of the boat and into the water. Boat owners, crew members, and passengers should all be aware of how to react during a man overboard situation...

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A History of Surfing at the Olympics

Surfing is one of the oldest athletic activities known to man. Polynesian cave paintings from the 12th century depict people riding on waves using surfboards. Surfing as a professional sport is a more recent concept. Polynesians brought surfing to Hawaii, where it became a core aspect of religion, travel, hunting, and more. Noted travel writers such as Mark Twain and Jack London wrote about surfing, which eventually caught the attention of Americans during the early to mid-1900s. Surfing’s popularity skyrocketed after the invention of the wetsuit in the early 1950s.

Simon Anderson’s three-fin shortboard, which he developed throughout the 1970s, was another major development that paved the way for surfing to become a mainstream sport. While surfing had more than established itself on the international stage by the turn of the century, the sport reached new heights when it was integrated into the Summer Olympics program, many centuries after the first surfers took to the water.

Surfing officials first attempted to introduce the sport to the Olympic program in 2015 as part of a bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, though the event was ultimately delayed to 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bid for surfing competed with several highly popular sports in Tokyo, including baseball, karate, and skateboarding, but managed to make the shortlist. Speaking on behalf of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic panel, Fujio Mitarai said, “We firmly believe that by connecting with youth…our proposal constitutes the best possible package that will add the most value to the Games.”

Surfing’s bid faced several challenges, including the dangers associated with surfing, such as a potential drowning accident. Furthermore, a surfing event was previously considered an impossibility for landlocked nations, though this concern was mitigated by the launch of the first man-made surfing event at Surf Snowdonia in Wales, just a few months before the Olympic bid for surfing was made. One year after the bid was made, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that all shortlisted sports, including surfing, would debut as medal events at the 2020 Games.

The first Olympic surfing tournament began on July 25 and concluded on July 27. The surfing program consisted of a shortboard tournament for men and women, with no longboard competition scheduled. The event took place at Tsurigasaki Beach in Chiba. Tournament officials allotted a 16-day waiting period for the event, essentially the duration of the entire Olympics, but weather conditions allowed the tournament to take place in less than 72 hours. The competition featured 19 men and 20 women representing 17 countries. Italo Ferreira of Brazil, Kanoa Igarashi of Japan, and Australia’s Owen Wright took gold, silver, and bronze, respectively, while the women’s podium consisted of Carissa Moore from the United States, South Africa’s Bianca Buitendag and Amuro Tsuzuki of Japan.

In 2022, the IOC announced that surfing had been upgraded to “permanent status,” which provides event organizers with additional freedoms and privileges. By comparison, baseball was dropped ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics but will return for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. The 2024 event took place in Tahiti, part of French Polynesia. Kauli Vaast of France won the men’s gold medal, followed by Jack Robinson of Australia and Brazil’s Gabriel Medina. A US woman, Caroline Marks, won gold once again, with silver and bronze medals going to Tatiana Weston-Webb of Brazil and France’s Johanne Defay.

Surfing will return in 2028. There have been discussions about expanding the program to include longboards, bodyboards, and standup paddleboards.

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What Is Virtual Volunteering?

As the term implies, virtual volunteering is when volunteer work is done over the Internet from a computer, smartphone, tablet, or any other device that can access the web. This can be done from any location, such as a home or workplace. It is also known as online volunteering. This kind of volunteerism started with the birth of the Internet during the 1990s, but it took off at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A report published by the Corporation for National and Community Service noted that about 25 percent of Americans volunteered remotely in 2020. There has been an increase in the number of people volunteering to become online tutors and mentors, grant and proposal writers, graphic designers, call center agents, and telemedicine agents.

Becoming a virtual volunteer is relatively easy. A computer and Internet connection are all that are needed to join an international online volunteer network. There are also many motives for becoming a virtual volunteer apart from helping others.

Virtual volunteering gives room for corporate social responsibility. Regardless of location, opportunities to contribute to society will always be available. Participating in virtual volunteering is a great way for firms to show their dedication to corporate social responsibility. It enables firms to advance their social initiatives and foster community growth. For instance, an organization might offer free telemedicine services to people within a specific location to underscore their commitment to giving back to the community. As a result, many firms around the world have achieved meaningful results that align with their goals and values.

Virtual volunteering is also cost-effective. A successful volunteering plan draws in, involves, motivates, and retains a dedicated workforce. Currently, engaging in virtual volunteering has proven to be more financially efficient compared to traditional volunteering that takes place in person. The Stanford Social Innovation Review has also pointed out that compared to the conventional method of volunteering, virtual volunteering has the capacity to help nonprofit organizations cut approximately 40 percent of their overhead costs.

Another benefit of virtual volunteering is its flexibility. Over 50 percent of Americans express a desire to volunteer, but a tight work schedule is a major obstacle for many. However, with the availability of virtual volunteer platforms, people can contribute their time without fixed schedules, offering the flexibility to adjust commitments as often as they wish, whether daily or weekly.

Many people in the United States wish to offer their time to help others, yet find it difficult to frequently or easily leave their residences. According to the Journal of Community Health Research, participating in virtual volunteering can help decrease discrimination and health disparities among volunteers. Virtual volunteers thus have opportunities to assist individuals they would not otherwise have if they were required to leave their homes. In today's digital age, where virtual services frequently surpass in-person services when it comes to accessibility to both volunteers and beneficiaries, virtual volunteering enables individuals to assist a wide range of people in need.