Junior Learn-to-Sail
by Nicole Claas Moore
GMSC’s junior sailing camp was held in June with twenty young sailors in attendance, along with coaches and volunteers making it all happen.
Our week began with an introduction to Lake Maumelle and its natural environment by a Central Arkansas Water representative. That was followed by the swim test, learning to rig the boats, and a capsize lesson. Half of our students were brand new to sailing, so it was probably good the wind started out light. We did get some great wind on Thursday with 7-10 mph and a few white caps, which put their skills to the test. It’s funny how the kids want to capsize on purpose until the wind is blowing hard and then, they try not to capsize!
There was a chance of rain in the week’s forecast, so we were well-equipped with indoor sailing activities for the one rainy day we had. The kids never got bored while their coaches covered sailing terminology, knot-tying, a sailboat building craft, and fun games, such as Sailing Jeopardy. (Applaud Greta McNeill, our Sailing Jeopardy Queen, the next time you see her!) Seeing our clubhouse filled with the next generation of young sailors and burgees from around the world hanging from the ceiling above them was a special sight.
Sticking with our program’s big hits, the students enjoyed Watergun Wednesday, Sunfishes sailing to Westrock Marina, a game to see who can collect the most rubber duckies and colorful balls, and, of course, Friday racing. Fortunately, we had nice wind for the races this year. Greta McNeill finished first place in the Sunfish, and Grayson Hairston won the Opti race by half a leg. It was Grayson’s first year, and he caught on fast! Congratulations to all the competitors!
This year’s session was led by our very own Gillian “Lou” Shapley, who was certified last year as a US Sailing Small Boat Instructor after being a GMSC assistant coach for several years. Our assistant coaches were Sylvie Moore, Clara McNeill, Zach Nelsen, Stewart O’Malley, Emma Chiles, and Ian Fiser, all graduates of GMSC’s junior program. Throughout the week, they worked together to teach, rig and unrig, herd the Opti and Sunfish students, and even jump into an Opti when needed. I’m excited about how the assistant coach program has been expanded more formally the past several years. It gives our teenagers a space into which they can advance and learn leadership skills, and they’re doing a great job! A big thanks to Lou for stepping up and getting certified – she was well prepared for the class and did an excellent job of reinforcing what was already working, as well as bringing some new material to our program.
Throughout the week, the instructors took notes of which paper plate award might be fitting for each sailor. The instructors spent hours drawing a creative and fun award for each student, including past favorites such as “Capsize Queen” and “Smooth Sailor” and introducing new ones, such as “Mainsheet Master” and “Tiller Thriller.” The closing ceremony was held at the clubhouse to recognize our sailors completing the weeklong camp. We had lunch and an award ceremony that included giving a paper plate award, a certificate of graduation, and a GMSC t-shirt to each student, along with trophies to our race winners.
The paper plate awards were introduced to GMSC by former coaches, Stephanie Griffin and Will Bryant. Will’s sailing adventure began at GMSC’s junior program, and it is exciting that he has maintained a love of sailing and racing and has just been accepted to the Coast Guard Academy!
We had a lot of help with this year’s class from our GMSC volunteers, including parents, grandparents, and other club members. A huge thank you to Jeremy Shapley for all the hours of boat repairs, to Lou Shapley for all the time she generously worked on preparing the class curriculum, cleaning boats, and being the capable leader of our assistant coaches. Thanks to Jon Claas and his helpers who cleaned Sunfish. Our motorboat drivers were Jeff Olm and Werner Schwarz, and we’re so grateful to have excellent skills for this role. Yong Chung and JonAnn Chiles brought lunches for the instructors, and several parents helped man the pavilion and rig boats, including Yong Chung, Erika Warriner, Karren Rinehart, and Justin Wittenburg. We couldn’t do it without each of our wonderful volunteers! Thank you!
A very special thanks to all the parents and grandparents who brought their kids out each day for the class and who recognize that sailing is not only a wonderful, lifelong sport but, also, that these young sailors are the future of GMSC.
The next step to improving sailing skills is time on the water! Junior sailors are encouraged to attend Wednesday Night Tiller Time, and older students might be interested in crewing during races. If your young sailor would like to crew, please contact fleet captains or come out on a race day.
Another great way to learn about sailing is to volunteer for Race Committee. If interested, please contact Greg Hamilton or Tracy Sykes or just sign up on the Race Committee volunteer page. Just check the Events calendar for dates.
See you at the lake!
We attached a few images from the JLTS. To see more, visit the Web Album, gmsc.org/JLTS25 |