Wayzata Community Sailing Center

High School Sailing Team Handbook

Spring 2012

Who We Are:

Our goal at the Wayzata Community Sailing Center (WCSC) is to promote the enjoyment of sailing through an educational system that uses quality coaching, proven techniques and teamwork to teach our students competitive sailboat racing in a sportsmanlike manner. We work to raise the level of ethical behavior and decision-making in young people, instructors, coaches and youth sailors while teaching sailing skills in a fun, safe, and educational environment.

Each high school sailing team is run uniquely through WCSC based on our relationship with the school. The specifics for each school are listed below:

Wayzata High School:

Sailing is recognized by the school, but is not an official team. A more formal relationship is currently being worked on. Students are expected to represent WHS and follow all school policies in addition to following WCSC policies.

Parent Liason:______________________________________________________________

Benilde St. Margaret’s:

The team is run as a partnership between BSM and WCSC. Sailing is recognized as a club sport at BSM and students who fulfill the requirements can achieve letter status. Students are expected represent BSM and follow all school athletic policies in addition to following WCSC policies.

Parent Liason:______________________________________________________________

Providence Academy:

The team is run as a partnership between PA and WCSC. Sailing is recognized as an activity and students who fulfill the requirements can achieve letter status. Students are expected to follow all school athletic policies in addition to following WCSC policies.

Parent Liason:______________________________________________________________

Independent Sailors:

These sailors may be from a school without an officially formed team, a school with too few sailors to have an official team, or a home-schooling family. Sailors will be grouped on teams formed with other independent sailors or incomplete teams from the official schools. Students register at WCSC outside of their high school, but are expected to follow all school athletic policies in addition to following WCSC policies.

WCSC staff this year consists of: Executive Director and Head Coach Cappy Capper, Assistant Director and Varsity Coach Allison Prange, Varsity Coach Matt Thompson, Conference Coach Robert Foster and Conference Coach Carl Locker. We would encourage each high school to develop a parent network. Allison will be sending periodic emails to gather volunteers for events and keep everyone updated on our schedule and specifics.

Contacts:

General Information:

www.wayzatasailing.org

wayzatacommunitysailing@gmail.com

WCSC Office Phone: 952-476-5875

Executive Director and Head Coach:

Cappy Capper

HCCapper@aol.com

Assistant Director:

Allison Prange

Ajprange1@gmail.com

Spring 2012 Schedule: (Up to date calendar online at wayzatasailing.org)

DATE DAYS EVENT LOCATION

Practice schedule:

April 3-5 Tues, Wed, Thur Practice 3-6PM WCSC

April 10-12 Tues, Wed, Thur Practice 3-6PM WCSC

April 17-19 Tues, Wed, Thur Practice 3-6PM WCSC

April 24-26 Tues, Wed, Thur Practice 3-6PM WCSC

May 1-3 Tues, Wed, Thur Practice 3-6PM WCSC

May 8-10 Tues, Wed, Thur Practice 3-6PM WCSC

May 15-17 Tues, Wed, Thur Practice 3-6PM WCSC

May 22-24 Tues, Wed, Thur Practice 3-6PM WCSC

May 29-31 Tues, Wed, Thur Practice 3-6PM WCSC

Conference Schedule:

April 14 Saturday Conference #1 Minnetonka SS

April 21 Saturday Conference #2 WCSC

April 28 Saturday Conference #3 Calhoun SS

May 5 Saturday Conference #4 White Bear SS

May 12 Saturday Conference #5 Calhoun SS

Varsity Event Schedule:

Mar 31-Apr 1 Saturday-Sunday Ice Breaker Chicago YC, Belmont

April 14-15 Saturday-Sunday Coed Invite Chicago YC, Belmont

April 21-22 Saturday-Sunday Midwest Mallory Qualifier Gross Point YC, MI

April 28-29 Saturday-Sunday Team Race Regatta Minnetonka SS

May 5-6 Saturday-Sunday Midwest Baker Qualifier Columbia YC, Chicago

May 12-13 Saturday-Sunday May Madness Pewaukee YC, WI

May 19 Saturday MN Women’s States Minnetonka SS

May 19 Saturday MN Men’s States White Bear SS

June 2-3 Saturday-Sunday MN Coed State Champs WCSC

Common Questions

Practice:

Practice begins at 3PM Tuesday through Thursday at WCSC and runs until 6PM
- There are some students who arrive late because of varied school release times- this is not a problem, they will just need to rig and dress quickly
Sailors must check in with their specific coach for their boat and pairing assignments for each day of practice before rigging
Bring weather appropriate clothing every day and US Coast Guard Approved Type III Life Jackets
No clothing storage is available on WCSC property- all gear must be taken home at the end of every practice or regatta
Practice sessions will generally include a briefing at the beginning and end of the day
No practice is required, but attendance will be considered when choosing teams for regattas
Transportation to and from WCSC will not be provided

Conference High School Events:

These local one-day events are to offer more opportunities for all high school sailors to be on the water
Conference regattas take place in and around the Twin Cities region and generally cost only $20-$25 per sailor (with lunch and a continental breakfast included)
All sailors are welcome to attend these events- teams are chosen by the coaching staff

Varsity Events:

These events are organized by the Minnesota, Midwest or National governing body and often require traveling
Aside from the MN State events at the end of the season- these events are only available to Varsity sailors unless otherwise discussed
Sailors chosen by the coaches to represent their school will work with their parents to organize travel and lodging should the event be out of town (unless the WCSC van is to be used)
Results in these events will contribute to each school’s team rank in the Midwest

Location:

o WCSC is located at 456 Arlington Circle South, Wayzata, MN 55391

Ethical Behavior

Our goal is to create an environment that supports ethical and sportsmanlike behavior at WCSC. We want to stress being proactive rather than being retroactive as we strive to give our sailors the tools to make positive choices. We want WCSC’s sailors to be known for their friendly, hardworking, positive and sportsmanlike attitudes above all else.

All of us, including program chairs, head coaches, assistant coaches, and parents should work together with our junior sailors to accomplish this goal. We hope the suggestions below will prove helpful:

Guideline #1

Exemplary sailors always know and abide by the Racing Rules of Sailing. They promptly take a penalty or retire when they know they have broken a rule or file a protest when appropriate.

Guideline #2

Exemplary sailors always obey event regulations on and off the water, including housing rules.

Guideline #3

Exemplary sailors are organized, prepared and always responsible for their own equipment.

Guideline #4

Sailors always show respect to fellow sailors and those helping to run regattas and programs.

Guidelines for Parents

Place winning in the context of fun, good sportsmanship and fair play. Emphasize performance goals rather than outcome goals.
Promote the total sport of sailing, not just racing.
As spectators, remain in designated areas and manage motorboats properly.
Remember that any coaching during a race is prohibited under the Racing Rules of Sailing.
Show respect for race officials and regatta rules.
Understand that alcohol and other illegal substances have no place at any sailing event.
Understand that they must uphold event regulations on and off the water
Be thoroughly acquainted with the racing rules, encourage adherence to those rules and teach not only the rules but also the procedures to be followed in the present process.
Assist all sailors to develop to their fullest potential.
Encourage sailors to be organized and responsible for their own equipment. Insist that sailors respect the property of others.

Racing and Training

Training takes place at WCSC Tuesday through Thursday. Please keep in mind that WCSC is not equipped or staffed to supervise students once their class has ended. Please be prompt in picking up your child as soon as their class has ended.

On weekends, we will be sailing in the local high school circuit and Midwest events. A calendar of these events is contained in this handbook. Many venues provide boats, however, for some events, we may end up having to tow a boat or two to the regatta site. Parents may be made responsible for towing boats to and from events.

At practice and events, sailors are expected to treat equipment with the utmost care. No sailor will be allowed to leave practice or a regatta before all equipment, including that used by their teammates, is put away in its proper place. While traveling to other venues, sailors are responsible for leaving borrowed equipment in a state better than it was found. If sailors need to leave a practice or regatta early and cannot fulfill the aforementioned responsibilities, they must provide advanced warning and delegate their responsibilities to another teammate.

Team Selection and Lettering Criteria

Sailors will be chosen to participate in events based on consideration of the following factors in no particular order:

Attendance and performance at practice, performance at events, participation in team functions, attitude and sportsmanlike behavior, seniority and event factors such as wind weather waves and current.

Sailors from eligible schools will letter (in the spring season only) if they complete a series of selection criteria:

Benilde St. Margaret’s:

Each sailor must participate in all practices. If any practice is to be missed, it must be an excused absence. Each sailor must attend a minimum of three events during a given season. At least two must be non-Conference events. At least one must be a championship level event (ie- MN States Coed, MN State Mens or Womens, Mallory or Baker Qualifier). If these requirements are not met or extenuating circumstances exist, coaches’ discretion may be used on qualifying individuals for lettering. Behavior, attitude and work ethic will also be considered.

Providence Academy:

Each sailor must participate in all practices. If any practice is to be missed, it must be an excused absence. Each sailor must attend a minimum of three events during a given season. At least one of these must be an MN state event. If these requirements are not met or extenuating circumstances exist, coaches’ discretion may be used in qualifying individuals for lettering. Behavior, attitude and work ethic will also be considered.

Personal Gear

WCSC is not responsible for lost or stolen personal gear. Students are not allowed to leave personal gear at the Sailing Center, there is no storage available. Items left at WCSC will be put into the lost and found. Items left in the lost and found for over 2 months will be donated to charity.

Traveling Policy

When traveling to events, students may not ride in vehicles owned and/or driven by coaches. In certain travel situations, exceptions may be made; however, the Executive Director must authorize exceptions in advance.

When traveling out-of-state, there must be at least one adult chaperon per vehicle, no exceptions. Coaches are responsible for the supervision of team members only while at the venue; report time until released by the coach. Ultimately, parents are responsible for the safety and well being of their children at all events.

If parents are unable to attend local regattas, they must arrange transportation and supervision before and after the event with another parent. For local events, sailing team members who are licensed drivers can provide their own transportation with their parent’s permission. If parents are unable to attend events outside the Twin Cities metro area, they must arrange with another parent, regarding the supervision and transportation of their child. While traveling out-of-state, parents and or chaperones are responsible for all activities of BSM Sailing Team members away from the sailing venue; supervision, transportation, sleeping and lodging arrangements, and food. The Parent’s of sailors who are attending regattas will be responsible to co-ordinate these efforts.

Trailer Policy

The coaching staff is responsible for the coordination of towing sailboats to events. The team may use class time to load boats onto the trailer. Trailer space will be provided on a first come, first serve basis; however, priority will be given to those students whose parents are towing to that event, and those that have been compliance with this policy.

Coaching Staff Responsibilities:

Designate available spaces on trailers to participating students.
Designate a specific time for loading and unloading of the trailer.

Boat Owner responsibilities:

Reserve towing space for appropriate events.
Be present or have a representative present for the loading and unloading of the trailer.
As a group, boat owners are responsible for transporting trailers to events. All trailers will need a 2-inch ball.

If there is a failure to have a representative willing to load boats present at the specified time, the respective boats may not be loaded. If no representatives are present during unloading, towing privileges to the next regatta shall be suspended. Coaches may be responsible for towing coach boats to events.

Boat Collision Policy

All aspects of on the water sailing with WCSC including: racing, drills, and free sailing, shall be governed by the racing rules of sailing. When two or more boats collide causing damage to any of the boats, all parties involved shall follow this policy:

An incident report shall be filed by the students in writing and identify:

· Parties involved in the incident
· Incident, including where and when it occurred
· Rule a party believes was broken
· Name of a party’s representative

The incident reports shall be given to the coaches on the day of the incident, at which point an informal hearing shall be held. In order to better serve our students and provide a learning opportunity, the meeting will closely mirror that of a protest hearing. The coaches of that particular class will serve as the protest committee. They will render a decision based on the Racing Rules of Sailing and attempt to contact all interested parties, including the boat owners (if there are privately owned boats involved) either by phone or by sending a written summary of the incident home with the students. Parents who have chartered a boat from WCSC shall act as boat owners and take full responsibility for any and all repairs. The Executive director shall represent WCSC for boats owned by WCSC but not chartered at the time of the collision.

After receiving the reports, the parents shall conclude in a reasonable amount of time as to how the boats will be repaired. Any appeals based on the decisions made by the coaches shall be filed first with the Executive Director and further if necessary with the WCSC Board of Directors.