The winter sailing season in Miami is upon us and Olympic/Paralympic hopefuls from around the globe are returning to Coconut Grove. The excitement is building as most teams have yet to be selected for the 2012 Games. Only one team per country qualifies and the competition is fierce. Everyone is looking for an edge in a complex sport where speed, tactics and strategy gets mixed with the elements of wind and water. World-class race clinics typically include components such as speed testing, starting practice, and short-course racing. This clinic is no different. Plain and simple, the top teams come here to get better.
The US Sailing/AlphaGraphics/Team Paradise high performance Paralympic training camp at Shake-A-Leg Miami in the Sonar class will feature several top crews from North America, including US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) members Ricky Doerr, Brad Kendall, Hugh Freund and Paul Callahan, Brad Johnsson, Tom Brown along with USSTAG head coach Betsy Alison.
The teams will be super-charged by Olympic and World Champion sailors trimming the main, upgrading the crew-roster, in an attempt to stay even with the more established Paralympic medal contenders.
Sailing is one of the few sports where disabled can compete against anyone, disabled, or not. The sport integrates individuals with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. Boats are adapted to suite the needs of the sailor. Blind sailors develop their other senses, some paraplegics control their boat from a swivel chair, double leg amputees often require transfer benches and cross bars for lateral movement and participants with no arms are able to steer with their feet and only minor adaptations are needed.
You'll see the sailors around the bay this weekend as the training camp is Saturday and Sunday, November 5-6, all day, both days.
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