It’s been no secret that we have been thrown into a tumultuous ride. Stopping regular life as we knew it and being forced to stay home put a huge wrench into society and plans that have been made over the years.
While sailing regattas started getting cancelled, courses getting postponed, and boat parks being closed, there was not much left to do. For Katie Coleman Nicoll, she saw this time as an opportunity to help sailors brush up on basic skills, enhance knowledge and keep the sport at the forefront of our brains.
This National Judge and Umpire has been hosting a series of Zoom meetings with sailing Judges from different parts of the country. The idea of these meetings is to keep skills sharp, share thoughts and experiences. She explains, “we review scenarios, practice how to find facts, review the difference between facts and conclusions, take a look at some of the World Sailing Case Studies and invite some of the attendees to present scenarios or protests where the facts were hard to determine.”
She also has been hosting webinars with the Port Credit YC Junior Sailors on “How to properly fill out a Protest Form and prepare for a hearing” and “Reviewing the Rules of the Road” (RRS).
When asked about this initiative, Katie said she just went for it and decided to start something new. “I had received several emails from judges wondering if we were going to hold any courses or round table discussions this spring, which of course would be doubtful with self-isolation. Later that week I received an invitation to attend a webinar on ZOOM. After the seminar I felt confident enough that I could do one – so sent out an email to 30 judges that evening. By the morning I had received replies from 90% of them that they were keen to attend – four days later, we had our first meeting.”
Although these aren’t the conditions we were hoping for, we are lucky enough to have the resources to stay in contact and keep learning from afar!
Congratulations to the Helly Hansen Sailor of the Month – Katie Coleman Nicoll
Sail Canada’s Sailor of the Month award acknowledges sailing achievements by Canadians involved or associated with the sport in all its forms. Sail Canada encourages the submission of noteworthy Canadian sailing activities here
-30-
