CISA
Clinic: A Record 134 Of The Best Young Sailors
Just Got Better
LONG
BEACH, Calif.—Their bodies weary and their
heads spinning, a record enrollment of 134 of
the best young sailors in North America wound
up four days of intense instruction with a round
of real racing at the California International
Sailing Association's annual advanced racing clinic
Tuesday.
The
Alamitos Bay Yacht Club on San Pedro Bay had been
their home---mornings, afternoons and into the
nights---as an elite staff of coaches delivered
a cram course on rigging, sail trim, tactics and
other fine points that win races, as well as the
personal demands of an Olympic campaign. It's
the most complete clinic of its kind in the country.
The
sea breeze was relatively light when the tutoring
turned to fun on the final day. Class winners
were young even for this group, with winners ranging
from 14 to 16.
Blake
DeBoer, 18, of Chicago, was crew for Justin Law
of Newport Beach on an International 420, the
advanced version of the popular club dinghy. "This
is my second time," DeBoer said. "I've
learned about the mindset it takes to get to the
next level. I also enjoy it because people appreciate
crew here. [They understand that] your crew can
make or break you."
The
students came from 14 states and British Columbia.
Nearly a third were girls. Laser Radial sailor
Sara Fox, 16, of Cumberland, Maine, didn't know
a time when females weren't accepted as equal
participants in the sport.
She
said there may be some teasing, "but there
are a lot of girls out there that are tough enough.
The top two competitors in the Radials were girls:
Allie [Blecher, 16, Fullerton] and Tinja [Anderson-Mitterling,
17, Coronado]."
Fox
is looking forward to the start of Maine's sailing
season---in June.
Instructors
were Andrew Lewis, Brett Davis and Nick Adamson,
Laser; Carisa Harris-Adamson, Adam Deermount,
Rich Feeny and Anthony Kotoun, Laser Radial; Mikee
Anderson, Peter Alarie, Rob Hallawell, Jamie Malm
and Rob Dean, Club 420; Brian Doyle and Zach Leonard,
International 420; Jay Kehoe and Billy Uniack,
CFJ, and Dalton Bergan, Ted White and Ted White,
29er.
Two-time
Olympic medallist Charlie McKee and former world
Aussie 18 and 505 champion Howie Hamlin were evening
speakers.
"The
speakers were fantastic," said Feeny, a coach
from San Francisco.
But
the kids also would be kids. Feeny related that
when Hamlin noted, "I won the Aussie 18s
when I was 47 years old," a student whispered
to a friend: "That's so old!"
And
when Hamlin, still a top contender in world-class
competition, added, "Now I'm 52," the
same student said: "That's REALLY old!"
Coaches
who had worked previous CISA Clinics noted how
the skill level had jumped.
"The
kids that are doing the top youth events are training
like professionals now," Leonard said. "Most
of them are self-motivated."
All
the coaches emphasized the importance of the latter
trait. Anderson of San Diego is a four-time CISA
student who was in his second year of coaching
after finishing second in the recent U.S. Olympic
Trials for the 470 class.
"Most
of them will go home and train really hard,"
Anderson said. "This is to kick off their
spring and summer . . . get back in the boat and
the game when they get back home and work on getting
better."
CISA
supports amateur sailors by providing travel grants
for regional, national and international competition
and funds local sailing programs and racing clinics.
Unlike
other nations, the U.S. has no federally supported
assistance programs for its amateur sportsmen
or for the development of young talent. CISA,
a 501(c)3 organization, relies on contributions
of corporations and individuals to provide support
of amateur sailors. Because it is non-profit and
tax-exempt, all contributions are tax deductible.
Tuesday's
class winners (4 races):
INTERNATIONAL
420---Adam Roberts, 16, and Nick Martin, 15, both
San Diego.
CLUB
420---Josh Leighton, 15, Oakland, and Spencer
Johnson, 16, Woodacre, Calif.
CFJ---Ryan
Raming, 14, and Cameron Stuart, 15, both Newport
Beach.
29ER—Myles
Gutenkunst, 16, Mill Valley, Calif., and Mandy
Sackett, 16, Mentor, Ohio.
LASER---Parker
Shinn, 16, San Diego.
LASER
RADIAL---Allie Blecher, 16, Fullerton, Calif.
More
information:: www.cisasailing.org
and www.abyc.org
CALIFORNIA
INTERNATIONAL SAILING ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 17992
Irvine, CA 92713-7992
www.cisasailing.org
President
Tim Hogan, 3090 Pullman Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 434-4400
timhogan@warmingtonhomes.com
PUBLICITY
Rich Roberts
(310) 835-2526
richsail@earthlink.net
