Enroll now! Team Racing clinic July 12-13
The EYC is offering a 2-day Team Racing clinic on Saturday and Sunday, July 12-13. A 2012 Olympic sailor will be one of the instructors!
ADVANCE SIGN UP IS REQUIRED. You can sign up now at http://ephraimyc.wpengine.com/2014/03/22/team-racing-clinic-july-12-13/
The clinic will serve as an introduction to team racing and will include approximately 12 hours of instruction. For students who may wish to race in high school or college, this clinic will provide a useful introduction to team racing, which is common at those levels.
The clinic is open to students ages 12 through 21. EYC membership is not required in order to enroll in this clinic. To enroll in the team racing clinic, students enrolled in the EYC lesson program must be eligible to enroll in the EYC’s Advanced or Racing lesson levels; non-EYC students must be proficient in sailing a 420 or similar boat.
The clinic will be led by Bobby Collins and Scott Flanigan.
Bobby is the current Sailing Director at the Chicago Yacht Club and previously was the CYC’s head coach. A native of Ireland, Bobby has competed in championship level dinghy racing worldwide, and has over ten years experience as a professional sailing coach. Most recently he coached the Northwestern University Sailing Team to qualify for the college team racing national championships.
Scott is a sailing instructor at the Chicago Yacht Club. He represented Ireland in the 470 class at the 2012 Olympic games.
The clinic price of $132 includes instruction, use of EYC boats, lunch and beverages Saturday and Sunday, and a textbook. Enrollment is limited to only 18 students.
TEAM RACING Q & A
Q: What is “team racing?”
A: Team racing is an awesomely fun game played in sailboats, which grows in popularity each year, especially among high school and college racers. Two teams (usually with three boats on each team) sail around a short race course. The object isn’t to finish first in your own boat. Rather, the object is to make your team’s combined finishes better than the combined finishes of the other team. Your team can win without one of your boats finishing first.
Q: What’s different about team racing, compared with regular fleet racing?
A: Team racing places less emphasis on straight-line boatspeed, and more emphasis on tactics, boathandling, rules knowledge, and of course, teamwork. You don’t have to be the fastest sailor on the course to help your team win!
Q: Why is team racing so much fun?
A: Team racing involves a lot of short course racing, with many tacks, jibes, mark roundings and other maneuvers in each race. It’s non-stop action! Most of the tactics involve hindering the other team, which is always fun. And, if your team does not win, there is another race starting in a few minutes, so you always have another chance.
Q: Will team racing help my regular fleet racing skills?
A: Yes. The boathandling, rules and tactics learned in team racing will improve your fleet racing results, too.
Q: Will the EYC offer team racing opportunities outside this clinic?
A: The EYC will include team racing in its Racing class curriculum. Students who attend the Team Racing clinic will be able to further develop their Team Racing skills in the Racing class.