Last Monday, RS Sailing celebrated a champagne moment overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, as the Siebel Sailors Program was proudly launched by Tom and Stacey Seibel.
The Siebel Sailors Program is going to transform how youth sailors access our sport and RS feel privileged that the RS Feva has been the chosen boat for this innovative program.
RS Sailing are delighted to be partnering with US Sailing in the launch of the Siebel Sailors Program, a landmark community sailing program made possible by a ground-breaking donation from the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation. The purpose of the program is to increase opportunity and diversity in the sport of sailing by providing resources and support to youth sailors at public access sailing centres across the country.
US Sailing have implemented an important objective to provide increased access to sailing for youths, regardless of socio-economic background. The Siebel Sailors Program is fully supporting this objective, by providing fleets of sail boats, equipment and expert coaching to community sailing centres initially in five regional networks across the country. This also aligns perfectly with RS Sailing’s core mission to drive participation and give as many people as possible the opportunity to get involved in our awesome sport!
The RS Feva XL has been selected as the primary boat for this inspiring program; the high-performance sail and controls combined with the durable, but performance focused hull makes it the perfect dinghy for the Siebel Sailors program. Each centre will receive a fleet of 6 boats, therefore providing a total of 24 boats to each network, allowing students to practice in smaller settings or compete in larger area regattas. These RS Feva’s will aid in significantly enhancing community sailing centre programmes, advance skill development, and initiate competitive opportunities for young sailors.
Part of the program will also support continuing education for coaches in each network. US Sailing will host a Select Coaching Camp that will provide coaches involved in the program with a foundation base of performance coaching knowledge and practical skills. The camps will provide the opportunity to practice new skills, collaborate with other coaches and plan future development in areas that improve overall performance outcomes.
US Sailing are selecting qualified community sailing centres to establish five regional Siebel Sailing Networks for the program. Each Network will include four community sailing centres: one Primary Siebel Centre and three Supporting Centres. Centre selection is determined based on several criteria, including an established infrastructure for learning, safe facilities, and equipment for youth, and a record of working with underserved youth populations. The first three networks have been identified by US Sailing as ones that meet the criteria for inclusion in the program: San Francisco, Chicago, and the Mid-Atlantic region. Future networks will be chosen via an application process, so to be considered and for more information click here!
