3:09 AM Fri 30 Jan 2009 GMT
On Sunday the 1st February Middle Harbour Yacht Club will celebrate the launch of its 2009 Junior Sailing Development Program. The program, which was inaugurated in summer 2008, has seen over 120 children learn to sail and represents a major reinvigoration of the club's approach to junior sailing. The launch will be an exhibition and celebration the club's substantial sailing talent, as well as giving punters the chance to rub shoulders with MHYC star coaches: the very highly regarded Olympic coach Victor Kovalenko and Olympian Jessica Crisp. For more information contact the club on (02) 9969 1244
Carl Crafoord, the MHYC Rear Commodore Elect, reflects that the wheel has turned full circle when it comes to junior sailing at the club; he started sailing in the 1968 season when there was a 'vibrant' youth sailing fleet and remembers a beach littered with homemade timber boats.
'There were no products available, either your parents built boats or you went sailing because your parents sailed. Your parents drove it and it was completely amateur, there was no coaching.you just got in a boat and went racing.It was a whole different world, this is forty years ago.'
Over the years interest in junior sailing at the club dwindled and by the year 2000 there was no formal youth competition. 'The reason I know this is I went over the trophy cabinet and all the trophies finished being engraved then' noted Crafoord. Determined to change this situation and with the support, encouragement and leadership of Commodore Martin Hill, Crafoord began by introducing the Tackers program.
The Tackers program, a 'learn to sail' system that utilises Optimist dinghies, was such a success that the club quickly introduced advanced levels of the program and purchased additional polyethylene training dinghies. MHYC now offers Tackers 1, 2 and 3 and was recently proud to announce that one of their recent Tackers 1 graduates 'Mitch Short' 'went on to win the green fleet at the NSW Optimists; he was a novice and he won his division after this ten week course.'
Places on the Tackers program are limited and Crafoord suggests that interested parents should book early; apparently more people turned up to the first program than there were spaces available. As an added incentive, all participants will receive a voucher from Signature Portrait Studio valued at $275.00
'I had parents saying to me 'my child has to be in this course' they demanded they had to get in, I was just overwhelmed.'
Part of the appeal may have been the very reasonable program fees, something bound to resonate with cash strapped parents towards the end of the long summer school holiday. The low fees were part of the club's recognition that sailing competes for parental attention against sports which have extremely low, or minimal, set up and equipment costs.
MHYC knows that to build the champions of the future, like Olympic gold medallists and current club members Malcolm Page and Nathan Wilmot, you have to appeal to both sailing and non sailing parents; after all if you're choosing little Johnny's first sport, what would you rather buy- a $25 soccer ball or a $3000 boat?
'We charged them twenty bucks a head per week for ten weeks, so for two hundred dollars they get coached lessons from trained YA coaches at a yacht club in a beautiful environment, it's absolutely the best value you'll ever get in your life for anything' enthused Crafoord.
'Two hundred dollars for ten weeks, nothing beats that, and they get one on one coaching.'
Another way the club is keeping costs down for parents is via the acquisition of a fleet of junior boats: after a period of rapid expansion, MHYC now boasts six RS Fevas for team racing development, twenty Optimist dinghies as well as two ribs, with both the RS and Optimist fleets expected to grow substantially in the future. Another five or so privately owned Optimists are also kept on club premises.
Other recent innovations include the addition of a purpose built classroom or 'centre for learning' where program participants can learn the theory behind sailing and water safety. Six schools from the local area will be supporting the program, with others expected to follow suit, with active assistance from Mosman Council. It's all part of the club's ongoing strategy to encourage sailing by making entry into the sport relatively cheap for juniors and introducing sailing into the primary and secondary school curriculum.
 | MHYC Commodore Martin Hill with Rear Commodore Carl Crafoord - Andrea Francolini© |
To support the increased numbers of young sailors, MHYC has recruited some top coaching talent for both junior and adult sailors. Olympic sailing coach Victor Kovalenko is using MHYC as his training base with the club nominated as an Australian Institute of Sport Sailing Centre. Jessica Crisp is leading an established fleet of 20 windsurfers each week, with other coaching initiatives to be announced during the coming season. Kovalenko will be providing more information about the club's youth program at the Sunday launch.
Crafoord recently became a father and he says that one of the reasons he's taken on the MHYC role with such passion was the desire to give his son the same positive early sailing experiences that he had. He's keen to promote sailing as a sport in which parents play an active role, not just a drop off and pick up one.
'It's kind of a generational thing that I want to do. The main intention is to get kids to enjoy the water and to enjoy the sailing. But also the involvement with the parents and the kids is very important.'
In terms of junior sailing, the turnaround at MHYC is so significant that it could be argued that MHYC represents current 'best practice' when it comes to sustaining and building our sport. With young sailing retention rates in gradual decline, other clubs please take note.
www.mhyc.com.au
www.oziopti.com.au
by Jardine Media
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
      |
Lord Howe Island Windy Point, NSW
Foiling - Wind Wing Foilboards
Kitesurfing - Kites
Stand Up Paddle - Wave & Cruising Boards