Racing Tip: How To Bring New Team Members Up To Speed

H/T Sailing World

How To Bring the New Guy/Girl Up to Speed

Season Start Up Team Admin List

Welcome SEISA Sailors to the Fall 2014 Racing Season! 

Please remember (& bookmark) our SEISA Website, seisasailing.blogspot.com. This got up and running last Spring and will include more and more information as things go forward. It also includes direct links to the most used sections of collegesailing.org.     

IMPORTANT TO DO!

1.     Update your team record:  Visit http://classic.collegesailing.org/teams.asp, search by district (SEISA) and find your school information.

a.     Make sure your mailing address is an address that someone on the team has access to.

b.     There MUST be at least 1 graduate contact for your team.  It can be a head coach, club sports advisor/director, athletic director, etc. but there must be an official graduate contact.

c.      There MUST be at least 1 undergraduate contact. I recommend getting a Gmail account (yourteamname@gmail.com) and making that the standard contact for the undergrad so it can be used year after year.

2.     Send the name, cell phone number and email address of your team’s primary contact and the individual that should receive the billing information to SEISA Director Blake Billman – bbillman@gmail.com and SEISA Treasurer Kyle Wilson - Wilson-Kyle@aramark.com

3.     Make sure everyone on your team is registered with the ICSA Database http://classic.collegesailing.org/directory/individual/ .  Someone on your team should be the administrator who is receiving the emails.  If no one has approved your new sailors after about 10 days let me know and we can see who has the administrator access for your team.

4.     Make sure your team leaders are signed up for the SEISA Email list and ICSA Email List.  Details on how to do that can be found here: http://pccsc.collegesailing.org/about/mailing-list  

5.     Check out the fall schedule @ seisasailing.blogspot.com.  Your team is responsible for signing up for events by RSVP to the host team for SEISA regattas and to SEISA Director Blake Billman for intersectionals.  

6.     If your team is hosting a fall event please send the notice of race to the SEISA e-mail list as soon as possible and at least 2 weeks in advance of the event. 

SEISA Fall Schedule

Fall 2014 Schedule:

Skull Session: Be Patient Going Downhill

Be Patient Going Downhill

by Stan Schreyer

We all know there are big gains to be made sailing downwind. We are also quick to forget that big losses can occur just as easily. Rarely does one benefit from taking a big risk on a downwind leg. However, good sailors will make big gains by capitalizing on the mistakes others make when going downwind. The following are some reminders that help one sail conservative downwind, and, at the same time, will help one gain places.

On the Reaches

Sail the Shortest Distance

This sounds simple, but we often forget this during the course of the race. It is easy to become focused on passing boats. More often than not, when we are behind, we look for ways to get ahead quickly. This is just the time when we need to screw our heads on straight and think rationally. Think about what your strategy is. Racing strategy is defined as the course one sails in the absence of all other boats on the racecourse. This is what my wise coach from Boston University, Brad Churchill, calls, “the race against time.” When we are behind, we often react to what the boats ahead are doing, and do the opposite, in hopes that we will pass them. Occasionally the gamble works, and we make a gain. But usually, we increase our losses, and increase the time it takes us to get around the racetrack. We all know that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. We also know that on a reach, sailing the rhumbline will usually get us from one mark to the other in the shortest possible time. Keep “the race against time” in mind as you read these other tips for downwind strategy.

Look for the Puffs

Racing sailors are always trying to sail in more breeze. On the downhill legs, keep looking behind for the puffs. Sail slightly higher than normal in a lull, to get to the next puff. Once in the puff, ride that extra breeze back down with increased speed. This is the actual way one would sail down a reach, in the absence of other boats, sailing slightly higher than the rhumbline in the lulls, until connecting with the next puff, which you take back down to the rhumbline, or maybe even below the rhumbline. But throw in those other boats, and things get a bit more complicated.

Sail for Clear Air

This is another basic principle, but one that is often forgotten. Not much changes going downwind, since everyone is going in the same direction. So sailing for clear lanes is one of the only ways to make gains. Every time someone is one your breeze, others are gaining on you. Every time you are sailing in clear air, you are gaining on every boat that has someone on his or her wind shadow. But, do not get in unnecessary luffing matches in order to keep one’s lane clear. This is the worst thing you can do, for you will end up sailing unnecessary extra distance. The boats ahead and the boats behind will gain on you, and you will lose valuable seconds in your race against time. Always think of the other boats as roadblocks in your race against time.

Some simple planning will prevent 99% of all luffing matches.

With a pack behind, get high, with a pack ahead, come down. 

Before you round the windward mark, assess the situation. I have my crew ask me what our plans are a few boat lengths before each mark rounding. This helps me get my head out of the boat, and get in touch with our strategy for the next leg (remember that you don’t have this luxury in a singlehanded boat). One of the things I look for when asked this question at a windward mark, or a gybe mark, is whether there is a pack of boats ahead of, or behind us.

When there is a pack of boats behind, do not turn immediately down to the reach mark, for the boats behind will surely get high on you, and try and roll you. Reach a bit higher than normal for a boatlength or two. This will send the message to the boats behind that you are serious about keeping your lane clear. Almost all the time, this will prevent the boats immediately behind you from trying to roll you. It is important to get high and stay high when there is a pack behind, for once you get rolled by one of the boats, they will all roll you. I realize that sailing this extra distance will lose you seconds in your race against time, but it is necessary to maintain your current position in the fleet.

When there is a pack of boats behind, come down. Rounding behind a pack is a great opportunity for those that stay patient. The boats that are ahead are forced to sail high in order to maintain clear lanes, and some of them are inevitably involved in luffing matches. So take advantage of this opportunity, and stick to the rhumbline. The next time you are watching a race go down a first reach, drive behind the windward mark, and line it up with the gybe mark. You will be surprised to see how high most of the fleet is sailing, and how much can be gained by sticking to the low road when given the opportunity.

Remember to be patient on the low road though. Stay low until you get to the next mark. This is not as hard to keep in mind on the first reach, where the low road is also inside. It is still advantageous to remain low all the way to the end on the second reach, where the high road is also inside. Since high is also inside on the second reach, the fleet tends to sail higher on the second reach, especially at the end of the reach. Stick it out on the low road, and you will notice even more open space as you go down the leg. Remember that inside overlaps only need to be established at the two-boatlength circle. Most people start setting up for the rounding way before that. Try staying low, and then shooting high to get an overlap at the last second.

Better yet, consider staying low and rounding on the outside. This is contrary to every rule you have been told. Even the all important one your coach taught you about slowing down, and letting the boats who are inside of you round ahead, so you can make a clean rounding by yourself. It is often the case in big fleets that large packs of boats are too hard to sort through. A large pack of boats will round a mark very slowly, and there is often a slew of people trying to slow down and round behind those inside of them. There are also others crashing into each other, and still more taking overlaps where they do not deserve them. If the pack is big, avoid it, and round outside. The important thing here is to close reach for a bit, and get around the pack. A large pack of boats will cast a big wind shadow, and heading up to close hauled immediately will spell certain death for you boat speed-wise. Just after rounding the mark, look for a place to tack, for there will most definitely be boats ahead, that rounded properly, who will be sailing on your breeze. THIS IS NOT A MOVE TO BE DONE FREQUENTLY, but it can cause you big gains if the situation is right.

Think of the reach as a place to set up for passing boats later.

There are many times when there is simply no opportunity for gain on a reach. At times like this, it is important not to get hasty. Don’t try and make something happen. Be patient, try and gain distance on those ahead, and try and separate from those who are behind. Bide your time, and try and set up for a gain at a rounding, or on the upwind leg. Smart sailors pass boats when they can, and have the patience to realize when they cannot.

On the Run

Many of the same rules apply

-Sail in clear lanes.

This is much easier to do on a run, for you have more freedom to spread out laterally. Sailing in bad air on a reach is sometimes necessary. On a run, it is inexcusable.

-Look for the breeze.

Just as you have more freedom to choose your lane downwind, you have more freedom to sail for breeze. Look behind, and sail for the puffs.

-Remember to sail the race against time.

-Sail the proper angle.

If you sail a boat with at least two sails, and you do not have telltales on your shrouds, then you are doing yourself a huge disservice. Put telltales on your shrouds, and make sure that the telltale on the windward shroud is always pointing slightly inboard. This means that the breeze is blowing over your windward quarter, and you are not sailing by the lee. You never want to sail by the lee in a boat while sailing wingon- wing, or with a spinnaker up. If you find yourself sailing by the lee, either head up, or gybe, depending on what your plan is. Make sure you do one or the other, for when sailing by the lee, the mainsail is blanketing the jib or the spinnaker (depending on what boat you are sailing), thus you boat’s sail area is not being used to its full potential. This is a major key to sailing fast downwind. If you are sailing a boat that only has a mainsail, then you do want to be sailing by the lee while running. However, this is not as important as it is to not sail by the lee in a multi-sail boat.

-Don’t be afraid to gybe.

There are three reasons to gybe on a run

1) To get a clear lane.

2) To sail to a puff.

3) The other gybe will be a better angle.

Do not be afraid to gybe for any one of these reasons. Most boats become complacent with sailing on starboard tack after setting at the windward mark. If a puff comes in from the left side looking downwind, there are often big gains to be made by the boat who gybes for this puff, while every one else is on the starboard tack train. Get in the habit of gybing for better breeze, a better angle, or to keep your lanes clear. You will notice yourself picking off boats as you do so.

If you do not gybe because you are not good at gybing, then get good at gybing. Your boat handling should be polished enough that any move you lose very little by having to gybe. Keep these tips in mind the next time you are on the racecourse.

Good Luck!

Harris-Kempner 2014 Scores

Harris-Kempner 2014 Scores

SEISA Annual Meeting 2014 Minutes

Preliminary Agenda, SEISA Annual Meeting

The University of Texas at Austin

Sunday, January 26 2014 9:00 am

1. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL & TEAM REPORTS

1. Baylor (Regular) - 
2. Colorado (Regular) -
3. Kansas (Regular) - 
4. Kansas State (Inactive) - 
5. Loyola (Regular) - 
6. LSU (Inactive) - 
7. Mary Hardin Baylor (non-aligned) - 
8. Oklahoma City University (Regular) - 
9. Oklahoma State (Regular) - Present
10. Rice (Regular) –  
11. SMU (Regular) - Present
12. A&M Corpus (Inactive) - 
13. A&M (Regular) - Present
14. A&M Galveston (Regular) - Present 
15. Tulane (Regular) - Present by Proxy (Marisa Morrison, Texas)
16. UCO (Regular) - 
17. UNO (Regular) - 
18. UNT (Regular) - Present
19. OU (Regular)  - 
20. USA (Regular) – 
21. UT (Regular) - Present
22. UWF (Regular) - 

Regular: 18, Provisional: 0, Associate: 0, Inactive: 3, Non-Aligned: 1

2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA / ADOPT AGENDA

a. Women’s champs schedule change, away from Easter (requested by Tulane) - Approved, will likely be rescheduled. 

3. OFFICER REPORTS 

a. President: Michael Sager - Very concerned about district participation & quality of racing, which has been in decline for several years. Team budgets and a lack of talent seem to be driving this. 

c. Graduate Director: Discussed some SEISA history and made suggestions for team to improve operations & risk management. Reviewed SEISA officer responsibilities & the difficulties we have had accomplishing some goals.

d. Treasurer: Dues collection remains difficult - TAMUG, Rice, OSU, UNT, OCU, Tulane, Texas & A&M have paid for fall 2013. 

e. Scheduling: Everyone seems to like the new schedule format.  

6. OLD BUSINESS

f. Rules & General Education; teams are encouraged to buy a racing rules DVD (about $40) to properly educate their members. Dues credit for each rules/tuning/trim/tactics?

g. New sailor introduction packets/quick-sheet; teams are encouraged to make these to bring new recruits up to speed.

7. NEW BUSINESS

a. Dues - See treasurer report

b. Review Spring 2014 Schedule and vote on championships

i. Women’s: OU/UCO/OCU/OCBC

ii. TR: Texas

iii. Dinghies: TAMUG, dual FJ/420 fleet @ new Sea Scout base 

iv. Singles: TCYC

v. Sloops/Match Racing: TCYC (VERY generous of them to offer to host both!)

8. ELECTION & TASKING OF NEW OFFICERS

a. President: Michael Sager - TAMUG

b. Vice President: Marisa Morrison - Texas 

c. Graduate Director: Blake Billman - Texas (Alumni)

d. Treasurer: Kyle Wilson - SMU (Alumni)

e. Scheduling: Cait Taylor - Texas (Alumni)

f. Women’s: Unfilled

g. Internet: Unfilled - Graduate director working to fill, A&M offers to help 

h. Membership: - Unfilled, probably unnecessary now

j. Competition: - Unfilled - Graduate Director will fill 

9. ADJOURN

Conduct Agreement

Conduct Agreement

This is a sample conduct agreement for teams to use. I suggest you modify it fit your school and situation. Of course I can not guarantee that it will protect your team in the case of some kind of liability event or inquiry, but it can't hurt. Especially if you take it seriously and enforce it.   

Team Conduct Agreement 

By signing this agreement I acknowledge that my personal conduct is a reflection upon myself, the _____________ Sailing Team, its Alumni, our University, our host YC, SEISA & the ICSA. 

I understand that if I do anything that may jeopardize the relationship between our sailing team and any of its governing bodies or sponsors I can be removed from the team at any time by a vote of the officers. This suspension is possible even if I am not caught by one of our governors or sponsors and even if the team is not punished for my error. 

___________________________________________ 

Name (Print) 

___________________________________________ 

Name (Signature) 

___________________________________________ 

Date 

___________________________________________ 

Witness (Print) 

___________________________________________ 

Witness (Signature) 

___________________________________________ 

Date

SEISA History

SEISA History

This is a record of some of SEISA's history. Most comes from Tripp Alyn who was Graduate Director (Graduate Secretary at the time) from 1984-1995.

I have updated what I could and will continue to clean up the document. If you have anything to add please contact me; bbillman@gmail.com

Creation
It is my understanding that SEISA and SAISA (the South Atlantic district that includes the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, etc) were once one huge district. I do not know when they were split. I do know that up until the 1970's some championships were between districts; for example, the 1973 team racing National Championship was won by SEISA sailors from Tulane & Texas.

Past Graduate Secretaries/Directors
John Taylor, school and year unknown
Tripp Alyn (Tulane) 1984-1995
Brady Mears (Texas A&M) 1996-2005
Blake Billman (Texas) 2005-pesent (Inherited post when Brady Mears was evacuated from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Blake was undergraduate President at the time)

From 1994:
SEISA Dues: Regular: $75
Provisional: $50
Associate: $30
District champ: $15
Singles: $5 per entry (maximum entry of 4 per school)
Intersectional: $10
District regattas: $5 (if 4 or more)

Regattas:

Championships Hosted by SEISA:
National Championships:
1973 - Dinghies, TR, Singles, Sloops - Fort Worth Boat Club
1979 - Singles, Rice & TCYC (lasers)
1983 - Dinghies, TR, Womens - Corpus Cristi Naval Air Station (420's)
1985 - Sloops, - Tulane/Southern YC (Flying Scotts)
2002 - Singles - Houston YC
2005 - Dinghies, TR, Women's - Austin YC
2007 - Sloops - Fort Worth Boat Club (J-22s)
2009 - Singles - Corpus Christi YC

2012 - Dinghies, TR, Women's - Austin Yacht Club
2012 - Match Race Champs - Fort Worth Boat Club (J-22s)

Outstanding SEISA Sailors
ICSA/ICYRA Hall of Fame:
G. Shelby Friedrichs, Tulane '33; (past Commodore of SYC and father of southern intercollegiate sailing)
G. Shelby "Buddy" Friedrichs, Tulane '62.

ICSA/ICYRA College Sailor of The Year:
Augie Diaz, Tulane (1974)

All Americans:
G. Arthur Seaver III (Tulane 68)
John Dane III (Tulane 69,70,71)
Doug Bull (Tulane 73, 74)
Augie Diaz (Tulane 73, 74, 75)
Toby Darden (Tulane 74)
Kurt Wiese (Tulane 76, 77)
Kelsan Elam (Texas 78, 79)
Kelly Gough (Texas 78, 79, 81)
Scott Young (Texas 79, 80, 81)
Nevin Sayre (Tulane 80)
Gary Sprague (Tulane 80)
Jens Hookansen (Tulane 81, 82)
Ralph Kinder (Tulane 81, 82)
Dave Chapin (Texas 82)
Bill Drahein (Texas 83)
Scott MacLeod (Tulane 83, 85, 86)
Brodie Cobb (Tulane 84)
Paul Forrester (Texas 84, 85, 86)
Steve Bourdow (Tulane 85, 86, 87, 88, 89)
Scott Sonnier (Spring Hill 86)
Matt Fries (Tulane 87, 88)
Bill Park (Tulane 90)
Alex Accencios (Tulane 90, 91)
Peter Katcha (Tulane 91, 92)

All American Honorable Mention:
Dave Chapin (Texas 81)
Mark Hallman (Texas 82, 83)
Scott Young (Texas 82)
John Alofsin (Tulane 83, 84)
Matt Fries (Tulane 86)
Robert E. Johnston (Texas 87, 88)
Alex Accencios (Tulane 89)
Bill Park (Tulane 89)
Peter Katcha (Tulane 93, 94)
Bruce Mahoney (Texas 00)
Scott Stanton (TAMUG 04)

All American Crews:
Frances Daniels (Tulane 83)
Cindy McCrea (Texas 84, 86)
Liz Merrifield (Tulane 85, 86, 87)
Lisa Malamud (Tulane 86)
Bridget Young (Texas 88)
Nicole Kern (Tulane 88, 89)
Karie Stern (Tulane 90)
Pam Crane (Tulane 91, 92, 93)
Melissa Groswald (Tulane 91)
Heather Fullerton (Texas 92)
Shannon Marshall (Tulane 94)

National Sportsmanship Award:
05 - Paul Kleinschodt (USA)

Student Leadership Award:
03 - (TAMUG)
12 - Luke Cragin (Texas)

National Championships:

Singlehanded:
Men:
74 - Augie Diaz, Tulane
83, 85 - Scott MacLeod, Tulane
00 - Bruce Mahoney, Texas (Seattle)

Sloops:
74 - Toby Darden, Tulane
78, 79 - Kelson Elam, Texas
80 - Scott Young, Texas
85 - Scott Stonnier, Spring Hill
04 - Scott Stanton, Brad Winslett, Andrew McInnes, TAMUG (San Diego)

Team Racing:
73 - SEISA, Tulane & Texas
86 - Tulane (MacLeod, Bourdow, Fries)

Women's:
None

Dinghies:
73 - Tulane (Diaz, Nash, Bull)
3rd - Tulane (68, 69, 74, 82, 86)

Fowle Trophy:
74 - Tulane

Kennedy Cup:
70, 71 - John Dane III, Tulane
75 - Mark Hulings, Texas
85 - Mike Wachter - TAMUG

Douglas Cup:
69, 70 - John Dane III, Tulane
? - Paul Forrester, Texas
89 - Alex Accencios, Tulane

Low Point Skippers @ Nationals:
A Div:
69 - John Dane III, Tulane

B Div:
73 - Doug Bull, Tulane
79 - Kelly Gough, Texas
80 - Nevin Sayer, Tulane
81 - Ralph Kinder, Tulane

Olympic Sailing Team:
68
88
92
92, Forrester (Texas), 470, skipper, Silver
00, Forrester (Texas), 470, skipper, Silver
04, Forrester (Texas), 470, skipper, Gold
08, John Dane III (Tulane), Star, skipper

America's Cup & Volvo Ocean Race
1992, Wining Defender, By Baldridge, Tulane 69-72, Navigotor on America3 in San Diego
96, David Musgrove (TAMUG) Stars & Stripes
00, Carter Perrin (Texas) Abracadabra & AmericaOne, David Musgrove (TAMUG) Abracadabra
03, Carter Perrin (Texas) Prada,

SEISA Perpetual Trophies:
A SEISA Sailing Championships:
Singlehandeds
Men's
Women's
Sloops
Windsurfing:

Match Racing
Women's
TR
Dinghies
SIEISA Overall

The Knowledge Dump

The Knowledge Dump

Originally posted on Sailgroove.org on April 14, 2009, 2:01pm

     This will be the first in a series of articles about team development and while the focus is on college teams the advice can serve just about any racing program. 

The Problem:

     What kills club sailing teams, or at least keeps them from progressing? You could throw out a litany of things that answer this question; no coaching, no money, no equipment, lack of talent, lack of University or YC support, etc. But none of the things I just listed, or any of the others you may be throwing out there probably get to the heart of the issue.

     The same can be said about individual boats or parent run YC junior programs. What keeps them from getting better, from moving up the leader board or progressing beyond the club or state level? The answer is what I call the knowledge dump, and it's a problem specific to club or amateur/volunteer run programs (and I would bet some of our Olympic hopefuls experience a similar problem). 

     Varsity teams (which I define as having a full time paid coach) get around this problem because of the continuity and knowledge base the permanent coach provides as well as the professional atmosphere and University oversight that comes with having a paid director. Club programs, and by my definition their leadership, are transient. There is usually little continuity from year to year, there is no one constantly carrying the torch and providing direction in the long term (the knowledge). Clubs must constantly be training the next generation or relearning lessons that were not passed on to the current leadership (the dump).

     Take a second and think about the investment of resources that process involves. How much trial and error it could take for a group of young adults to figure out what works for their team and them pass all that knowledge on. The overwhelming odds are that not all of it will be transferred, some detail will be lost and that will have to be relearned by the next generation, usually by doing it wrong the first time. All the while they could be, should be, focusing on getting better, improving what they have, and growing their program.

     The dead-weight loss of going through this process at least every semester or year is only compounded by inconsistency in quality of leadership, the personalities of those involved, and what other distractions the team may have. It doesn't even have to be that complicated, consolidated knowledge and leadership in any small group is dangerous. If that leader leaves abruptly, for whatever reason, the rest of the group is sunk.

     Ultimately I think the situation is insurmountable, and that's why we see a kind of glass ceiling for most club programs (college or YC). Those that have managed to break through, have gone beyond the definition of a "club" as we use it here. Or if they achieve success, its short lived, and doesn't last beyond one generation.

     Think of this same process when applied to individual sailing programs and YC junior fleets. Everything is trial and error and it can take months (or years) and all the time and money that involves to even get a handle on what works and what you should do to really step up your game. In the aggregate, whole generations of teams can be lost, wandering the wilderness of mediocrity, doing their best, but limited by circumstance.

There has to be a better way.

     I've become convinced that this issue of transferring knowledge doesn't have to be the daunting problem for club programs that it is. The knowledge is out there, but the process, the details of how best to do everything and pass it on has never been properly worked out. It's also hard to create a substitute for the long term continuity that a coach provides, but we can get part of the way there. So to get started here are the different areas of your program that need to be in place:

• Basic Administration & Leadership: This keeps all the others in line and makes sure things are getting done. Talking about projects is one thing, execution and follow up is what creates success.
• Practice/Regatta Organization: Organizes practices, runs races & drills, decides pairings, and who sails at events.
• Recruitment/Membership: Constant membership growth and recruitment is paramount. Ugly (non PC) truth: Women are better at recruitment than men, have your girls do your recruiting. Every school has something to offer, just because you are not a big school or program doesnt mean you can't get good sailors. 
• Alumni Support: Cultivating a supportive alumni base is a huge asset, not just for money but for knowledge and to provide the continuity that I described earlier. If you dont have an alumni base, start building it with this years seniors.
• School/YC/District Relations: You operate at their generosity and mercy, make sure they are very happy and that you have a strong productive relationship.
• PR/Promotion/Risk Management: PR covers a few things mentioned earlier, recruitment, alumni, YC and School relationship. You need to promote yourself and do it well. Its easier to tear down trust and relationships than is to build them, be careful.
• Finance: Nothing happens without the cash. Teams should have a strict budget, know exactly what their money is being spent on, and have financial goals to meet and a plan to get there. It should be painful for you to spend money, dont just let those dollars slip away. Finances should also be tranparent to the membership, school, YC, and alumni.
• Equipment: Sailing requires an investment in equipment that can last far beyond the current generation if properly cared for. Buy good gear, care for it, and pass it on.

If your program doesn't cover whats listed above then stuff is getting missed and it's hurting you. 

     Now you need procedures for how to run every aspect of the team, or a contact that can advise you on how to do something. Without these basic procedures or an adviser, stuff will get lost. Keeping these documents organized is hard, but writing out a process helps you refine it. Write out every step and think about how it can be improved, involve the whole team in this process. Process development is a business skill that will help you for the rest of your life and it gets the whole team in on understanding how the program is run (isolated knowledge is bad). There is one drawback with procedures; it kills creative, out of the box thinking. People become slaves to the process and never think beyond it. Keep that in mind and make it clear that refining a process, innovating and improving it, is just as important as having one.

     The last step is finding someone to provide the long term continuity that your team needs. In a perfect world that's and alumni and former team member who is willing to act as an adviser and have a monthly or bi-monthly meeting with the team and keep them on track. That person is ideally still an active sailor who does not have close personal ties to current team membership, someone who just graduated usually doesn't work well. If you don't have that, develop a relationship with your districts Graduate Director, if they dont know everything about running a program and are not willing to help you then they shouldnt be in that position anyway. 

     What ties this all together is dedication and execution, if you set small goals and work as a team to accomlish them the momentum will carry you on to bigger successes. 

     For the rest of this series I'll be providing outlines and procedures for different problems that club programs have. I am happy to answer questions about this process if you have them. 

Good luck

Blake Billman 

SEISA Graduate Director

The Gatekeepers

The Gatekeepers

Originally posted on Sailgroove.org on April 22, 2009

"We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming." Wernher von Braun

     Running a sailing team, as with running any organization, requires a bit of paperwork. When I was in school Texas required; rosters and insurance for every team member at the start of each semester, release form and dues for every member for AYC, driver certifications for the use of school vans, and a full travel roster for each weekends regatta. You can add to that registration for the "required" rec-sports fairs, annual budget presentation to justify sailing's massive (per-capita) spending, procuring checks from the student services bank, and all the student organization’s registration paperwork as well.

     What I'm getting at is that there’s a lot of stuff that isn't sailing related at all, but is a requirement for your group to operate. Fail to complete any of the above tasks and you aren't going to compete that weekend or you will see your budget cut next year. It's imperative for your team’s success that all the administrative tasks are cared for, and that you can get them done quickly and get back to the real business of the team, which is winning races.

So who really runs your school rec-sports department, yacht club, and district? It's whoever handles the paperwork. They are the people that keep the place running and you will have a much easier time if you have a good relationship with the real workers in the bureaucracy.

     The first step in this is making sure you start building a relationship with them in the beginning; first impressions are important. When you go in there in September to turn everything in, make a point to introduce yourself to whoever handles your stuff and then say hello to them every time you are in there from now on. Get to know everyone who you may need help from one day, and don’t just introduce yourself, introduce a few other team members as well, pass this relationship on. 

     The same rules apply to the office staff at your Yacht Club and ICSA officers. These are the people you need to be on a first name basis with, so when things go wrong (and they ALWAYS do) you can easily turn to them for help.

     This skill of knowing the gatekeepers is a lifelong lesson that is really valuable in the business world. Secretaries and assistants know just about everything, they answer the phone, take minutes at meetings, and have keys to all the doors. They know who's working late or getting angry calls from customers, they are the eyes and ears of office and with the right relationship you can have access to what they know.

     The final bit is locking up this relationship for next semester. At the end of the year send team thank you notes to everyone who helps the team, everyone. For your bigger bosses and those that do a lot for you, give them a team shirt as well. Just make sure you get the details right (names, shirt sizes) and that no one gets left off (I'm so cynical I think it's likely the one person you forget is the one person that will be there to help you when the #%^ hits the fan).

     Ultimately, running a team is about building and managing productive relationships. If you make that a priority a lot of other things will fall into place.

Good Luck

Blake Billman

SEISA Graduate Director 

Its Not All About You

It's Not All About You

Originally posted at Sailgroove.org on May 9, 2009

     In my first article for Sailgroove I mentioned that most club teams that achieve success have a short run, and that the winning ways don't normally last beyond one generation. The reason this is usually the case is that the program manages to get one or 2 really good sailors (usually just one) and they manage to build up the team around them and their skill. They have a successful college career and when they leave its over and the program falls back to earth.

     What good is having a great run in college if the only person that gets to enjoy that success is you and the few people you shared the team with? Yes, telling stories about your success in college is great, but it feels much better to be able to follw the team as you get older and see their success. It's not just about you, its about the legacy you leave.

     The main reason I write these articles is because I want club teams to succede and I want to short cut the learning process for them. Hopefully meaning fewer mistakes and more growth in a shorter amount of time. One of the bigger and most consistent blunders club teams make is not thinking long term, especially when it comes to passing on knowledge to the next generation and building a group of supporters. Now both of those are articles in themselves, but both concepts grow from foundations that are built this time of year.

     For long term success you need 3 things; new members year after year, continuity of leadership for the team from generation ro generation, and continued Alumni support. You can get along with 2 of the 3 and keep going, but you wont get better. Achieve only 1 of the 3 and the program will likely die. All three of these have critical phases at the end of the school year, so here is what your program should be focusing on now. 

     Getting new members: Recruiting during the semester is hit or miss becuase people have already registered for class and have their schedules set. They won't be able to sail or practice unless that schedule matches yours. You need to constantly recruit and remind the interested people to get their classes straight, it's tough to be part of the team if you can't be there. 

     Another exercize is to graph out your team's membership. Put everyone's name down on the left side of a spreadsheet (so everyone has their own line). Now label the verticle rows by semester and year and fill in the lines for each person for the semesters they will be on the team. If there is not a bunch of overlap, or in a praticular semester half the team goes away, you know you have a problem. Let me say this again: recruitment is CONSTANT, never let up. 

     Continuity of Leadership: The other thing that happens at the end of the semester is officer and responsibility transitions. One thing you want to look for in a team officer is someone who has the heart of a teacher. They need to be able to explain everything so all can understand and be paitient with different learning styles. Officers also need to remember that their responsibility does not end when the new officer is elected, their last job is to fully transfer as much knowledge as possible to their successor, they dont just get to drop everything and walk away. It's also the new officer's responsibility to make sure this transfer happens. A great idea to not allow seniors to be officers during their last semester. This forces the transition before the knowledge base leaves, so there is no leadership and knowledge vacuum if the new person doesn't step up immediately. Electing new or younger members to minor positions is a great way to keep them involved, this also allows your older sailors (usually the best ones) to only focus on sailing and finishing college. 

     Alumni: As those senirs finish, they add to your team's alumni base. Dont lose track of them, keep a list of every graduating senior and their contact information. Create an alumni e-mail list and send them updates once a month (short, sweet, business like; not rambling, casual junk...). Host an alumni regatta once a year (the Fall tends to work better with the new semi-final schedule). Run races for them (with current members as crews), cook them lunch, let them get to know the currrent team and think back to their time. Invite other team supporters as well; parents or friends at your YC. It's usually not a good idea to invite school administrators, do something else for them. 

     Alumni are the one major growth area in funding your team. There is usually a max that schools will give you and you can only charge so much in dues. But if you run the team right, the alumni list continues to grow and as your alumni get older they should be able to donate more and more. Just always keep in mind that your alums will want to see something for their investment; that means good PR and communication, excellent risk management, no wasteful spending, and the continued success and growth of the program. I want to stress the risk management point; it takes a long time to build a good relationship and seconds to destroy. Alumni dont want to be tied to a group with a bad reputation (even if its just for one incident). 

     Take the steps now make your team better in the future; recruit, teach, and get in touch with your roots. Your program will be better for it while you are there and you can enjoy the continued success after you leave.

Good Luck

Blake Billman

SEISA Graduate Director

The Value of College Sailing in Small Districts

The Value of College Sailing in Small Districts

This article originally appeared on Sailgroove.org on March 19, 2010

     I had a parent ask me a tough question last week. They mentioned that some Yacht Clubs in our area and their membership don't see the value in supporting a college program and that many parents don't feel there is a point to sending their child to a SEISA school if they want to be a good sailor because the competition and coaching is better elsewhere.

They asked me: "What is the value of college sailing to our area if the sailors will never really be competitive on a national level?"

     I actually think I have a really good answer for that, but it requires a more long term view than almost all college freshmen have, and even most parents when considering their kids college careers, or even yacht clubs and their current membership.

     The real value of college sailing in small districts and for small teams is what it forces the sailors to do to succeed and the long term repercussions of that on their professional lives and sailing programs in the future.

     An excellent example of this came last weekend at the J/22 Midwinters. It was won by Greg Fisher, a perennial one design champion, but the third place boat was three guys from Dallas. All three are ex college sailors: 2 from Texas A&M in College Station, and one from the Merchant Marine Academy. Likewise the 6th place boat was all ex SEISA sailors, this time with a skipper from Tulane and crew from A&M Galveston. This Tulane guy is also a J/80 World and National Champion. All the ex-SEISA sailors are in private business now and just sail as a hobby.

     None of the A&M guys nor the Tulane skipper were coached in college. Tulane was a national powerhouse in the 80's, but A&M has never been and Galveston came to prominence after these alumni graduated. The VALUE of sailing in SEISA for these sailors was the competition (which seemed to be sufficient for them to do well on the national level now), the skills they learned because they came from a program where they had to do everything themselves, and what they contribute to the sport and their home clubs now where they still race, pay dues, serve as officers, and coach and support the juniors and college sailors.

     The best thing about a club program is that it is an environment that honors independent thoughts and deeds, cherishes individual achievement, and rewards individual responsibility and leadership. It also punishes the opposite. I actually believe that there can be a relationship between future sailing and career success and the kind of junior and college program you came out of, usually the more successful people came out of uncoached programs.

     This feature of club programs is actually a problem with my job as Graduate Director. The good teams; the independent, achievement-oriented, well-disciplined programs basically guide themselves. I do what I can to nurture these traits and encourage them to pass them on to the next generation, but for the most part they make their own decisions and do well. But if I help the less resourceful teams make decisions, or make decisions for them I get the opposite result. The strong get stronger and the weak can get weaker.

     Most of the time this weakening of the weak problem is related to teams that have personality or integrity-related weaknesses. I really worry about this because these issues need to be addressed in college and fixed if possible because students that spend time in environments like this take these traits into the workforce when they finish school. This is usually exhibited as a lack of initiative and that can lead to career and economic underachievement, or they may not have the initiative to stick with the sport and contribute to regional and national level sailing as an adult.

     Like my goal of finding a better way for the club teams to run themselves and compete nationally, I am constantly thinking about how not to contribute to this weakening of the weak. How to help programs while doing as little actual work for them as possible, in the hope they will find the iniative to improve on their own and have a better future for it.

Blake Billman

SEISA Graduate Director