– Applications due March 31st!
by Airwaves Writer Martha Pitt
In just its third year, the Neill Advanced Sailing Clinic, hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation and run by the Chicago Yacht Club Sailing School, has been recognized as one of the premier junior racing clinics in the country. The Neill Clinic is a high level clinic for Club 420s sailors from around the country coached by six fantastic coaches from top colleges – John Vandemoer from Stanford, Zack Leonard from Yale, Brian Clancy from Cornell, Nick Ewenson from University of Rhode Island, Janel Zarkowsky from Georgetown, and Stephanie Roble from Northwestern. These coaches will provide four days of some of the best instruction the clinic sailors can get!
This year’s clinic will run from June 8th – June 12th, with the 8th being an arrival day for the sailors to get into town and get settled in their housing arrangements coordinated by the clinic. They will then have three full days of both on the water instruction as well as video review and classroom time to learn from the coaches in small groups, and will conclude with a race day and closing ceremony on the final day of the clinic. Amidst sailing and coaching, the clinic participants will also be treated to an evening at the nearby Chicago Match Race Center with a chance to sail on CMRC’s Tom28s and get a taste for match racing, a banquet presentation by world-renowned sailor Ken Read, as well as an additional casual dinner with Mr. Read and the coaches, a fantastic opportunity to speak with such a world class racer and network with the college coaches. The sailors will be sailing out of the CYC Belmont Station, which is located in a sheltered harbor but is just a moments from the expanse of Lake Michigan, offering an almost unparalleled venue with any range of conditions in early June. For an all-inclusive price, the sailors get this top level of coaching, access to the additional clinic events, plus a boat charter (the participants all use CYC’s fleet of 420s, all in great racing condition), food, housing, and airport transportation. They are taken care of from the moment that they step off the plane to the time they are dropped off again – all they need to bring are their sails, gear, and enthusiasm to learn!
From the applicants for the 2013 clinic, the selection committee will be looking for twenty-four C420 teams to make up an ambitious, hardworking, and motivated fleet that will be the future leaders of the C420 class and great future sailors. They will be looking for both already top performers in the Club 420 fleet as well as less experienced sailors who show a strong commitment and drive to get to that top level. The application includes both a section on top regatta results, but also a short answer section on a current training program and personal goals for the future, all which are reviewed for selection. Sailors apply as a 420 team and both the skipper and crew must fill out an individual application.
This year, the event will be sponsored by Sail1Design, the Club420 Class, and additional vendors who will be providing the participants with some great gear to take home. For the Neill Clinic application, event information, and to check out our video from last year’s event, visit www.NeillClinic.com! The application deadline is Sunday March 31st, so don’t wait!
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