JibeTalk

Are you attending the US Sailing National Sailing Programs Symposium?

The US Sailing National Sailing Programs Symposium is scheduled for January 11-14, 2012 in Long Beach, Calif.

The JSA of LIS board has regularly sent representatives to the NSPS and we encourage our member clubs to think about attending as well.

The NSPS is the premier event for sailing education in the United States, bringing together program directors, instructors, volunteers, parents and industry representatives to share and learn best practices with one another about running, maintaining and improving sailing programs. The goal is to have participants come out of the symposium with ideas to apply to their own sailing programs to make them better and help them grow.

JSA of LIS office has summarized the preliminary agenda so you may easily view the topics to find those that interest you.

See all the details about the symposium on the US Sailing NSPS web page.

 

 

Extending Summer Sailing at the Dinghy Shop Fall Series

In late summer the JSA of LIS office gets calls from parents asking where their kids may continue sailing in the fall. And we always suggest they contact the Dinghy Shop, in Amityville NY.

Kids from all over the Northeast come to race on the Great South Bay on six consecutive weekends beginning mid September, with the awards on the seventh weekend. Whether they are seasoned Red fleeters or just started this summer, the series has tons of opportunities.

The Dinghy Shop Annual Fall Optimist Series, now in its 14th year, starts Sunday September 18th through October 23rd, with harbor start at 1 pm. There are Optimist clinics each Saturday from 10 am-4 pm (limited enrollment so register in advance).

There also is a Fall Laser Series every Saturday, with harbor start at 11 am, September 17th till October 22nd.

We saw a complete description of the Fall Series in the September WindCheck magazine, so be sure to read that at the WindCheck website.

Details are at the Dinghy Shop website (upper left corner).

 

Oyster Bay Youth Match Racing Clinegatta

With the ICSA now hosting a national match racing championship, and hopeful plans underway to have a national youth championship in 2012, match racing is here to stay for a new generation of sailors.  

The Oyster Bay Youth Match Racing Clinegatta was held several weeks ago from July 14-17. Oakcliff Sailing Center and Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club played host to this six team-event sailed in Sonars. 

Sailors attended a clinic led by Dave Perry, coach for the US Sailing women's match race team, where they combined on-the-water practice with video and debrief sessions. At the same time, umpires at the clinic received training from Bruce Cook, chairman of the US Sailing Umpires Committee. 

The racing portion of the event saw close competition between the teams. In the final race of the event, the team led by skipper Clinton Hayes, a recent UVM graduate, pulled away from the British team skippered by James French to win the regatta.

JibeTalk was able to sit down for a few minutes with Tim Clark, Head Instructor at Noroton YC, and ask him a couple questions about his experience at the event. Tim, an active big boat racer, is a member of the Connecticut College sailing team. He competed at the regatta with several other Conn College teammates, including skipper Peter Miller. Their team finished third at the regatta. 

JibeTalk: How did you, and your team, get interested in match racing and this event in particular? 

Tim: Earlier this spring, Peter Miller (skipper), approached myself and some other members of the Conn Coll sailing team about doing some match racing regattas this summer. The original intent of our regatta schedule this summer was to practice with the hopes of ultimately being able to qualify for the college match racing nationals. We found out about the event through some adverts that Oakcliff had put out through JSA and some other publications. After participating in the Youth Clinegatta, we all became hooked on this part of the sport, and since then we've been doing as much match racing as possible. 

JibeTalk: How did the event go? What were some of the high and low points?

Tim: The event was amazing to say the least. All of us on the boat came out learning more about sailing from in the span of four days than we have in a few years. To be honest, I'm not sure we had any low points. The only time we were bummed out during the regatta was when we went to the wrong windward mark during a race, because nobody on the boat managed to remember which mark we were going to. The high point was on Day 2, at the end of the first day when our boathandling became smooth. There were three people on the boat, none of us had sailed together before, and after Day 1 we were all pretty nervous about how bad our boathandling was compared to other boats. 

JibeTalk: What has your team been focusing on as you head into the next event?

Tim: We just competed at our second match racing Clinegatta aboard Swedish Match 40's. We have a strong team, but with bigger boats we're trying to improve our communication within the boat, as well as what's going on around us. After the first regatta, we agreed that communication was our weak point. It definitely makes a difference, and that's our main focus as of now. With more efficient communication will come better information regarding tactics and course strategy. 

JibeTalk: How was the practice and competition at the regatta different from what you might normally encounter in college sailing?

Tim: The main difference between the Youth Clinegatta and college sailing is that everyone was there to get better, and we had a fantastic coach helping us accomplish our goals. College sailing can be cutthroat, it was nice to see all the teams working together to make the entire 6 boat group better as a whole. The days were long, some days we would spend 12 hours at the club doing debriefs with Dave over pizza, and at no point were any of us bored. 

JibeTalk: As a coach, how do you think can junior sailors get into match racing? What are tangible elements kids can take away (or that coaches can incorporate into lessons) from match racing to help them with the day-to-day dinghy racing that they focus on in their programs?

Tim: First off, if any junior sailor wants to get into match racing, they should do the Youth Clinegatta. They will be astounded at how much they learn over the course of four days. Second, I believe that JSA and US Sailing should shift Sears Cup away from a triplehanded fleet race event towards a match racing event. I'm looking forward to doing some fleet racing after this because some of the tactics I learned from match racing directly translate to fleet racing, and how to catch boats if you're behind, or defend your lead if you're ahead. 

Photo credit Oakcliff Sailing Center

Girls' Laser Radial Championship next weekend in Oyster Bay

Ladies, get your Radials ready, because a great racing opportunity is on the horizon.

The registration deadline for the JSA of LIS Girls’ Championship Clinic and Regatta is fast approaching. This local event, taking place the weekend of July 9-10, is open to any JSA or US Sailing Area B junior women sailors.

The Oyster Bay Sailing Foundation sponsors this annual favorite, which will be sailed in Laser Radials at Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club in Oyster Bay, NY. The two-day event consists of both a clinic and regatta, which allows the opportunity for girls to benefit from world class coaching in small groups.

Zeke Horowitz, a College of Charleston sailor who won two Florida state championships in Radials and won the 2009 US Youth Championship in the Laser class, will coach the clinic. Horowitz hopes to hone in on the advanced boat handling skills required to be competitive in a Laser. The clinic will include a rigging seminar, time spent learning proper body positioning, learning the importance of fitness and specific exercises/stretches, and drills to improve the girls' starting and racing skills.

Eligible sailors will compete for two trophies at this regatta. JSA sailors will vie for the JSA Founders' trophy, while all sailors compete for the Area B trophy. 

We hope to see you in Oyster Bay. JSA sailors should contact your club's junior sailing office to have you entered for this event.

Entry deadline: Tuesday, July 5 (late entries may be accepted, see NOR).

Event dates: Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10.

Housing is available Saturday night for distant travelers.

NOR: Available here.

 

McIntyre Trophy Team Race Coming Up Soon

JSA sailors will have the opportunity to shake things up a little bit at the upcoming Malcolm McIntyre Trophy Team Racing Championship, to be held July 11-13 at SUNY Maritime College in Throggs Neck, NY. The event will be sailed in collegiate 420s, with no spinnakers or trapezes. 

The McIntyre is both a clinic and a regatta, designed to build and develop foundations in team racing. For high school sailors who look to continue team racing into the summer, this is the perfect opportunity to brush up on skills and pick up some new ones. For those new to team racing, the event will not only introduce new skills, but also help hone fleet racing abilities, particularly in terms of boathandling and tactical smarts. 

The clinic involves on-the-water drills, land-based sessions covering team race tactics and rules, and a review of the round-robin regatta format. Blaine Pedlow, sailing director at the US Merchant Marine Academy and former Head Coach at SUNY Maritime, will lend his expertise in leading the clinic. 

Sailors will put their newly acquired knowledge to test in the regatta portion of the event. Two or more clubs may combine to form one team of three boats. Each team whose entry is accepted must send a minimum of six sailors and a maximum of eight, plus one coach or instructor. If space is avaialable, some clubs may be able to have A & B teams.

Entry deadline: Next Tuesday, July 5. Maximum of 12 teams will be accepted.

Event dates: July 11-13. Clinic and racing will run from 9 a.m. to 5-6 p.m., depending on breeze. The times of the clinic portions of the regatta will be given at the discretion of Blaine Pedlow and may be mixed in between, or before and after races.

NOR: Available here

Dispatches from the Advanced Racing Clinic

Last Thursday and Friday, the annual JSA of LIS/Oyster Bay Sailing Foundation Advanced Racing Clinic was run at Stamford Yacht Club. 48 sailors attended, with 14 in C420s and 20 in Lasers and Radials. Steve Keen and Katy Nastro coached 420s, and Andrew Scrivan and Rob Crane instructed the Lasers. For more details on this talented coaching lineup, see the June 15 JibeTalk post here.

Impending storms kept sailors off the water until the afternoon on Thursday, which allowed plenty of time for boat tuning discussions with Keen and Nastro. Crane and Scrivan also led the Laser group in some on-land conditioning, emphasizing how competing at a high level demands an equally high level of fitness. 

 

Friday saw better weather, and sailors got an early start with some conditioning activities, chalk talks, land drills, and safety discussions before heading out on the water. JibeTalk shadowed the C420 group, led by Keen and Nastro, as they went through on-land drills of spinnaker hoists and drops before heading out on the water. Several crews went through the drill blindfolded to practice executing these maneuvers with exacting precision.

 

After heading out past the breakwater and onto the Sound, sailors practiced their freshly-honed spinnaker work with some downwind boat handling drills, and then worked on upwind mechanics. The heavy chop off of Stamford Harbor allowed the opportunity for skippers to focus on sail trim - easing the main to foot through waves and then trimming into power back up was particularly crucial. Crews fine-tuned their body positioning and footwork while trapping to keep the boat moving fast. 

Brooke Thomson and Will Ricketson from the US Sailing Roadshow crew also dropped by to check out the action and share some of their materials as they travel up and down the Eastern seaboard this summer. It was great to get to know them and learn about their diverse (and busy!) schedule of regattas, clinics, and other sailing events. On Friday they followed Scrivan and Crane's Laser group, and took some footage available on the Roadshow blog.

A big thank you to the coaching staff and everyone at Stamford YC who made this clinic possible. 

 

Advanced Racing Clinic

The Advanced Racing Clinic makes its annual return to the junior sailing scene next week on June 23 and 24 at Stamford Yacht Club. The Oyster Bay Sailing Foundation and the JSA of LIS have been teaming up for over 15 years to sponsor this clinic to prepare talented area sailors for the summer season and beyond. The clinic serves not only as a great tune-up for the upcoming Law Trophy regatta, but also more broadly as a chance for sailors to brush up on skills and take their sailing to the next level.  

Programming will consist of conditioning, on-the-water drills, and interactive discussions about boat speed, tactics, and rules. The JSA has recruited a great group of coaches who will bring their enthusiasm, knowledge, and racing experience to lead this year’s clinic in Lasers, Radials, and Club 420s.

Meet the Coaches:

 

(L-R top: Scrivan and Crane, bottom: Keen and Nastro)

Coaching the Laser/Radial clinic will be Andrew Scrivan, head Laser coach at Stamford Yacht Club, who has coached since 1998, training individuals and groups for area, national and Olympic events. He pushes his sailors while on the water and provides a kinesthetic approach to coaching that many athletes have not experienced. Rob Crane will also be coaching Lasers and Radials. Rob is pursuing a 2012 Olympic campaign and currently stands #3 in the Laser group of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. He has competed in a number of high-level Laser events, including the ISAF Sailing World Cup and the Rolex Miami OCR.

   Once again, we have Steve Keen, the outstanding world class coach from New Zealand, coming to coach the C420s. Steve has been 10-time National and 6-time International champion in his youth. Steve is the head C420 coach at LISOT and has coached 55 sailors to world championships since 1993. He brings tremendous enthusiasm and a great work ethic to his training. Katy Nastro will also be coaching the C420s. A former JSA sailor and club instructor, Katy has been an active member of Boston College’s national champs winning sailing team. In 2010 and 2011 Katy was selected as crew on the All-New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association Women's teams. With Katy’s experience, the C420 clinic will provide real value to the crew, as well as the skipper.

US Sailing Roadshow:

The  Roadshow crew will be visiting the Advanced Racing Clinic on Friday June 24 as they travel along the coastline to publicize the many types of sailing activity.

Registration:

Entry fees are $125 per sailor and the application deadline is Tuesday, June 21. Participation is open on a first come, first serve basis to those who have qualified for the Law Trophy, or by résumé for those hoping to qualify for the Law next year.

Further details about the clinic are available on the event flyer here, and online registration is accessible here. 

US Sailing Summer Road Show wants to visit you

 
 

The inaugural US Sailing Summer Road Show will be making stops at sailing organizations from Maine to Maryland to participate in a variety of events including regattas, junior clinics, and community outreach programs, adult learn to sail seminars, and other sailing events.

The Summer Road Show team will be on the road from Memorial Day (May 30) through Labor Day (Sept. 5).

Here are a few ways US Sailing's Road Show can participate in your organizations’s events and programs:

• Regatta or Site Visit
  US Sailing will stop by your regatta or event and provide a fun interactive experience to promote sailing and share information about some of its products and services. 
• Clinics
  The US Sailing Road Show team can host a one day/afternoon clinic for youth programs at Yacht Clubs and community sailing centers, or help out during an already established clinic.
• Youth Program or Sailing School
  The US Sailing Road Show team would love to help instruct at your Junior Program or Sailing School for the day. Their Level 1 certified Instructors are happy to help out and coach for a day at your program or sailing school.

If you'd like to have the Road Show team visit your event,  to give it more exposure or just a little support, please submit your invitation to the team. All clubs and community sailing centers located from New England to the Mid-Atlantic are eligible.

2011 US Sailing Development Team Applications Now Open

The youth pipeline team supported by US SAILING’s Olympic Sailing Committee is the US Sailing Development Team (USSDT). The USSDT is designed to provide an elite environment for young sailors, aged 13 years or older, to prepare for the highly competitive world of Olympic Sailing.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2011 USSDT. Interested applicants should submit a resumé of sailing results and a statement of goals. Full details about the USSDT, including links to apply by the November 1 deadline, may be found at the US Sailing website.

There are a few Long Island Sound sailors on this year's USSDT, including Laser: Cam Cullman, Rye NY, 470: Kaity Storck, Huntingon NY, I420: Marlena Fauer, New York NY; Alex Whipple, Manhasset NY; Declan Whitmyer, Stamford CT and Ian Storck, Huntington NY. See the full 2010 roster here.

We'll look forward to seeing the new names selected for the 2011 team.

Photo of Katia DaSilva and Morgan Kiss, 2010 USSDT members and I420 World Championship Silver Medalists, is courtesy of US Sailing.

Light Air Leiter Clinic and JSA Girls Champs at Seawanhaka

Returning JSA Girls Single-Handed Champion now racing from Indian Harbor Yacht Club, Sarah Stubbs took first place again this year at the JSA Girls Championship and US Sailing Jr. Women’s Single-handed Area B at Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club on Sunday July 12th, 2010. Following Sarah in second and third were Samantha Jaykus of Stamford Yacht Club and Elizabeth Duffy from Sea Cliff Yacht Club, respectively. 

For the Leiter Clinic on Saturday, July 10th, fifteen girls rigged up and were ready to take some tips from Olympian sailor, Meg Gaillard Myles. The girls received tips on kinetics, tiller movements, and racing tactics, and then hit the water to practice after the threatening storms passed south of Oyster Bay.

On Sunday, thirteen out of the nineteen young ladies registered came out to race from ten yachts clubs around the Long Island Sound. After waiting for wind to fill in Oyster Bay’s West Harbor, some variable puffs came through for these thirteen girls giving them enough wind to complete two races.

The annual two-day event for Laser Radial women sailors is sponsored every year by the Oyster Bay Sailing Foundation. Each year the Oyster Bay Sailing Foundation awards the winner of Sunday’s regatta $150 to help fund the winner’s trip to the Jr. Women’s Single-Handed National Championship/ the Leiter Cup, which will be held this year at Coral Reef Yacht Club in Florida. This year, because Sarah will be sailing at Youth Worlds in Scotland, Samantha Jaykus will be traveling down to Coral Reef Yacht Club to compete for the national Leiter Cup, with the support of the Oyster Bay Sailing Foundation. 

Thanks to the Seawanhaka Race Committee and Lianna Gordon for their work in getting a great event off.