USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals 2015 – Dreams Start Here
#JOSailing15
Portsmouth, R.I. (April 6, 2015) – As a beginner, you may have been introduced to the sport by a family member or friend, or you were encouraged to participate in a learn-to-sail program.
Perhaps you became motivated to learn more and entered a junior sailing program at a local sailing center or yacht club.
Maybe you got your feet wet in racing at a local regatta in your area.
Are you ready to take your racing skills to the next level, get access to great coaching, meet new friends, and have a blast on and off the water? You can make it happen at a USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival in 2015.
The Junior Olympic Sailing Festival is a nationwide series of regattas for youth sailors ages 8 to 21. Each event in this series of regattas is hosted by a different club or organization, but all the events share a common goal: to promote the enjoyment of sailing and development of skills to young sailors, and provide an Olympic pathway for talented youth racers.
These events mix Olympic-style competition with elements of learning and fun for all levels, from beginner racers to those with Olympic aspirations.
Stephanie Roble, US Sailing’s 2014 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Award winner, has fond memories from her Junior Olympic experiences. “The Junior Olympics were a great stepping stone for me. I was able to test my skills against other sailors my age in a fun environment. It was cool to see so many other kids representing their yacht clubs and I was able to see how I matched up against them. When I did well, it was super encouraging for me to keep racing. I remember really wanting one of the US Sailing medals that are similar to the real Olympic medals!”
The goal of the Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals are to provide an ideal environment to build the skills of sailors, broaden the curriculum for program directors, coaches, instructors and race officials, and expand the expertise of local race managers and volunteers.
“The Junior Olympic Festivals are a great opportunity for regional coaches to interact and learn from each other,” said John Pearce, Head Coach at George Washington University. “This is now facilitated by lead coaches who coordinate the Skill Builder Clinics at many of these regattas on behalf of US Sailing. The lead coaches bring national and international experience back to the local level and help to mentor the next generation of coaches so that the Junior Olympics continue to be high quality learning experiences for up and coming youth sailors.”
The 2015 USA Junior Olympic Festival schedule is packed with 27 events and counting. Every year over 4,000 young sailors compete in Junior Olympic Festivals hosted by yacht clubs and sailing centers around the country. The 2015 season launches this spring with one event in April (Sarasota Youth Sailing Program) and one in May (Atlanta Yacht Club). The bulk of the schedule takes place this summer with 20 events slated for June, July and August. The season culminates in the fall and winter with three events in October and two in December, including the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta (Miami, Fla.) – the pinnacle Junior Olympic Sailing Festival event.
Skill Builder Clinics for sailors and coaches will be held at Mentor Harbor Yacht Club (Cleveland, Ohio) on June 26 – 28 and Rochester Yacht Club (Rochester, NY) on July 31 – Aug 2.
The Island Heights Yacht Club in New Jersey has a longstanding history of running outstanding Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals. “This is a huge undertaking that our club members anxiously look forward to each year,” said Buzz Reynolds, Regatta Chairman. “This is a source of pride amongst our volunteers, many of whom come from neighboring yacht clubs. Running the Junior Olympics helps strengthen our junior sailing program by showing the kids a path to higher level competition if that is their goal. The Junior Olympics is one of the highlights of the summer for those sailors who been actively practicing.”
Do you want to host a Junior Olympic Festival? For more information, including details on the Skill Builder Clinic program, contact US Sailing’s Inshore Director Lee Parks at leeparks@ussailing.org or at 401-366-3126.
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals are coordinated by US Sailing and sponsored nationally by Sperry, Gill and West Marine.
Contact: Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications, jakefish@ussailing.org
About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.