With the youth worlds qualifier going on this weekend and the second semester of school starting shortly Rule #3 is opportunely timed as sailors fill up their calendars for 2012. For sailors young and old, planning for regattas is a part of the game. Whether it means finding somebody to help put the Laser on top of the car for a trip across town to interclub racing, or finding somebody to help ratchet a Star trailer in a shipping container for a trip across the world for a major championships, there is some level of advanced planning going on in everybody’s head.
It all starts with a simple thought: I think we should go to that regatta! Now what? Whether its easy or not, the responsibility for making to the starting line always sits on the sailor’s shoulders. Granted, sailors too young to drive themselves to the event, but each step along the process of getting to the starting line is a learning opportunity. For young sailors these logistical problem-solving skills can build self-reliance and a sense of personal responsibility. We know that once young sailors are on the water, they are teaching themselves valuable lessons while developing character as they interact with their equipment and other sailors in an effort to get around the racecourse. Often overlooked are the opportunities for young sailors to take the administrative efforts into their own hands. The moment a sailor vocalizes to his or her parents or to a coach: “Yes, I want to do that regatta” it seems the common reaction is for the parent or coach to jump into action to make it happen, instead of the sailor. Parents are often so keen to see their young sailors be interested and active in the sport, they actually handicap the sailor’s development in the sport by taking the administrative role out of the sailor’s responsibility. At some point sailors have to make the transition from having his or her parents take care of all the details and have to make plans themselves. This is the most important phase in a sailor’s development in the sport. The classic concepts of homework, attention to detail, and the value of planning are taught every day in school to enable students to transition into the real world with the capacity to administer their own lives. Sailors should be taught those same lessons if they desire to pursue the sport throughout their lives.
Rule #3 is one that I learned at a very young age. Even though I still need a refresher course every once in a while, I will never forget dear old Dad prophesying that ancient truth summed up by the 7P’s (please excuse the PG13 language but it’s the only way I remember it): Rule #3 Prior Proper Planning Prevents a Piss Poor Performance.
Why do I bring this up? This weekend was a hard lesson for some sailors to learn at the 2012 ISAF Youth World Qualifier in Long Beach, CA. Sailors arrived at registration and were asked for a number of things. Without these items sailors would be turned away from the regatta:
- Entry fee, plus late fee if after Jan 6.
- Class specific items such as:
- I420 valid measurement certificate
- Class legal sails
- “USA” sail letters in place
- Red rhombus for Girls teams
- a Release of Liability Form
- a Medical Consent/Info Form
- US Sailing Membership
- a valid US Passport
- a Birth Certificate
This is no short list. Some of these details need to be ironed out days or weeks ahead of going to the regatta. Just in the same way that flights need to be booked, charters need to be organized, housing needs to be sorted, maybe a little fundraising needs organizing. Each item is equally critical to getting the sailor to the starting line (Remember, that is our goal right!?!). Often major events have lists like this, but every event is different. Planning to attend the Laser Worlds, for instance, can be a 6-month process ensuring proper qualification regattas are sailed to earn grand prix points or secure a district berth. Making sure the US qualifies to even sail in the Olympic games started at the recent worlds in Perth almost 9 months before the Olympic regatta. Sometimes the process is outlined in a class rules or by-laws document almost always found on the class website. But, ever since the first regatta was ever sailed there has been a Notice of Race, the NOR. These are published months, sometimes years ahead of time to enable sailors to properly prepare for an event. The announcement for this youth worlds qualifier was made last October.
NORs are meant to promote events, to allow sailors to fix any problems well ahead of time that might prevent them from making it to the starting line of the first race of that regatta. They are the often the quickest thing to be overlooked by sailors. I’d be lying if I told you I’ve read every NOR for every regatta I’ve ever sailed. I haven’t. That said, for the important regattas (i.e. the regattas that demand a lot of other time, financial and logistical commitment) the NOR can have nuggets of important information that make the registration process a lot less stressful, and ultimately help performance on the water. One of the major NOR details we dealt with on the 2011 ISAF World Cup circuit was an ever-changing insurance number. Some regattas demanded outside proof 1,000,000USD, others wanted 1,000,000EURO (a very different number), at the Worlds they demanded 10,000,000AUS that had to be purchased from a local vendor. What a hassle! It made me want to start an insurance company, but without the coverage, the registration office would not let us sail. Instead, a little planning ahead meant that we had the documents ready to make the registration teams in Miami, Palma Spain, Hyeres France, Weymouth England, and Fremantle Australia happy. Making it smooth for the registration desk is probably the single best thing you can do for your stress level leading into a regatta. Nobody likes having to stand in line more than once, do paperwork in a rush or try to negotiate in a foreign language to find the nearest fax machine to get some all-important document. Getting in and out of the registration office quickly is the first victory of the regatta in my mind. It let’s me get back on the water faster!
There is another attitude which suffices when it comes to the NOR, Sailing Instruction and other Logistical world of sailing… These details are necessary evils in a process toward the ultimate goal: success on the water. I think the passport and birth certificate rules are a bit strict for a registration process, but we all know why they are necessary for a youth world qualifier. Many times the qualifier is only weeks before the Youth Worlds. There might be a quick turnaround from the qualifier straight to the World Championships. Proof of age and proof of citizenship are two necessary evils in the world of international sailing, just in the same way as drug testing, media relations, physical training, sail testing, mast tuning, diving boat bottoms, fundraising, and hiking hard. These are not always enjoyable, but the fact that we get to go sailboat racing at the end of the day is all the reward I need.
Let me make one more plea for how to approach preparation with youth sailors. Show them where the necessary steps are to prepare for a successful event. Go through it with them, but let them do it. Just in the same way that a parent wouldn’t write their child’s college essay, they shouldn’t be registering them for the Youth Worlds Qualifier. CISA Clinic sailors know my constant phrase demanding “Personal Responsibility.” Sailors arrive on site and are out from the umbrella of anybody else’s support. They are expected to register, show up for meetings, show up for training, and show up for sailing with the right equipment and mindset to improve their sailing. If a sailor asks for help, guidance and assistance are always standingby, but there is nothing more rewarding than seeing sailors enjoy the sport for themselves just as we do ourselves.
More to come from www.CampbellSailing.com
Standby for Rule #4 next Monday: Why History can be Dangerous
