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Supporting a Generation of Champions |
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2004 CISA Clinic April 6, 2004 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): President Tim Hogan, 3090 Pullman Ave, Costa Mesa, CA
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