The Laser, over the past sixty years, has become both the most represented and established sailing class in the world, drawing the widest pool of nationsto represent themselves at the Olympic Games. The Laser’s simple, yet effective design plays a strong hand in the class’s success as a whole. The timeless, straightforward mold of the boat enables it to be the most inexpensive Olympic class boat to purchase, making it available to almost anyone and everyone— especially due to the one-design nature of the boat that must critically be protected. The Laser’s maneuverability paired with its manageable size gathers a wide variety of participants, ranging from weekend warriors to top-level Olympic athletes. Some of the most renowned  sailors, such as Ben Ainslie and Robert Scheidt, have come from the Laser, as it demands both top physical and tactical performance— the core values as a sailor. Due to this, it is imperative that the Laser remains strictly a one-design class to keep all boats equal, so that the speed of the boat relies entirely on the sailor’s skills. In the wake of the spectator sport era, there has been some controversy over changing classes to generate faster, more appealing designs. Sailing, just as any other sport, should not be altered for the mere entertainment of an audience. To exclusively incorporate boards, kites, foils, and boats that “appear attractive to the non-sailor’s eye” into the Olympics would be taking away the Olympic spirit in its entirety. The Olympic spirit is denoted as the effort, the struggle, and an athletes will to never give up. What boat perfectly embodies that value other than the Laser? We please urge you to help protect the boat that stands true to sailing’s core values.