The Publisher
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Apr 22, 2010, 9:29 AM
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Hello New England Sunfish Sailors
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Hello New England Sunfish Sailors,
If you are getting this I have to assume that you are getting the itch to get back out on the water. What an amazing spring it has been so far in New England!
As you may know by now we have an exciting and full Sunfish racing calendar this summer in the region. We'll have events in five states (we need to get Maine on board!) for every level of skipper - from never been in a race all the way up to top International competition. The full calendar is online here:
http://www.sunfishclass.org/...and/blog/?page_id=90
We'll also have the North Americans/Junior North Americans as close as they have been in years (Long Island) and the 2011 NAs/JR NAs in Barrington RI the following summer. Which brings me to the subject line of this e-mail: The Summer of the Junior Sunfish Sailor in New England.
As most of us are well aware, we have a noticeable lack of junior sailors who travel to regattas in the region. I think it's time we did something about that and I'm asking for everyone's help in turning this trend around. Carson Turowski, manager of the Vanguard Sailing Center in RI, has agreed to help as needed, too.
I think a key to getting juniors to participate on a broader level is to get them (and their parents) to take the big step of travelling to a regatta away from their home fleet. Many of us remember the excitement and anxiety of racing for the first time outside of our comfort zone, but once we took that first step so many of us were hooked.
Toward the goal of getting the juniors to travel, Vanguard Sailing Center has agreed to provide prizes to kids who travel (as well as to juniors in their home fleet if they compete in regattas on our calendar). I'd like to see juniors on the course at every event this summer, and be able to award every competitor something from Vanguard Sailing Center (even if it's just a small token). Because I don't know exactly how many juniors will compete, it's impossible to say exactly what these prizes will be, but Carson has pledged to make sure that kids who compete in a Sunfish this summer will get some cool stuff for their efforts. Perhaps we could give a rule book to every junior?
So what can you do? Send me your ideas! Do you have a local fleet with juniors in it? Get them to travel. Tell them about the prizes (gear, apparel, etc), offer to provide transportation. Do anything you can.
If you see a junior on the race course, encourage him/her. Tell them about the other events. Help them rig the boat (especially show them how to de-power the rig). Meet their parents. Tell them about the JR. NAs in 2011 (and 2010, for that matter). Talk amongst yourselves after racing about how to get juniors out on the water, etc.
As for the JR NAs in 2011, it's my hope that as a region we can use this summer as a chance to groom (for lack of a better word) some juniors to compete. Again, Vanguard Sailing Center is eager to support this effort, perhaps even providing charter boats, or other incentives. By the way, I don't mean we need to find the next champion (although that would be nice). I just want to get kids out on the boat so that we can have an active and strong future for the class in this region.
In other news:
* Vanguard Sailing Center has again generously agreed to provide a new racing sail to the winner of our summer racing circuit. They will also provide second and third-place prizes TBD. Thank you Carson!
* We should do what we can to support Vanguard Sailing Center. Happily, tomorrow (Sat) is a great opportunity to do just that, while stocking up on boats, parts, apparel, gear, etc. The annual Vanguard Sailing Center Swap and Sale is tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (for the boat auction). The store itself will be open all day, with everything on sale. Tell them the Sunfish Class sent you! Email Carson at SwapandSale@LaserPerformance.com for more information.
* The Barrington Frostbiting season continues with some very competitive racing on Sundays. With just three weeks left in the spring season, Andy David hold a slim lead over Scott Greenbaum. A ton of people are close to qualifying for the season and the overall standings, so let's get everyone out there for the final three Sundays!. Full results can be found on the Barrington YC website: http://barringtonyc.com/racing/frost/
* Paul Odegaard asked me to pass along this "Odiegram" (in keeping with the spirit of doing all we can to encourage juniors):
"Wanted: used/abused /antique wooden daggerboards/rudders/tillers, etc. for Junior fleet at Leetes Island, Guilford, Ct. Also, recycle your old Sunfish trophies/awards. Dust off the old plaques/bowls/bowling trophies, etc. for presentation to the next generation of Sunfish sailors @ Guilford, Ct. junior fleet."
Odie can be reached at captnodie@comcast.net
See you on the water!
Eric Woodman
New England Rep to the USSCA
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