ODSS Speakers & Topic Previews
Gary Jobson, US SAILING President & Keynote Speaker
Overcoming Adversity - The Quest for Excellence
Preview: Sailing stories on how sailors have overcome setbacks and become champions.
US SAILING president Gary Jobson is a world class sailor, television commentator and author. Gary has authored 16 sailing books and is Editor at Large of Sailing World and Cruising World magazines. Jobson produced the television broadcast of sailing at the 2008 Olympic Games on NBC. He has won many championships in one design classes, the America's Cup with Ted Turner in 1977, the infamous Fastnet Race and many of the world's ocean races. In college he was an All-American sailor three times and was twice named College Sailor of the Year (1972, 1973).
Greg Fisher, Panel Moderator & Go Fast Workshop expert
Panel Discussion: What Makes Classes Strong?
Preview: Greg will moderate a panel made up of class leaders from both modern and traditional classes to determine what makes classes strong.
Greg Fisher is presently the Director of Sailing at the College of Charleston, presently ranked the number college sailing one team in the Country . Formerly with North Sails One Design, Greg is a 21-time National Champion in seven classes, including the J/22, Lightning, Thistle, Flying Scot and Highlander classes. He is also a past chair of the One Design Class Council and Championship of Champions Committee for US SAILING.
Nick Turney, Go Fast Workshop Coordinator
Preview: Nick and other sailing industry experts will present a series of 5-6 workshops, topics will include Sail Trim and Shape Analysis, Reading the Wind and Weather Patterns, Preparation for Events, both physically and mentally, and Tactics and Strategy.
Nick Turney heads up the North Sails Cleveland office. His first sail was at six months aboard his parents and grandparents Tartan 33r. He skippered an Opti at age six at the North Cape Yacht Club. His favorite boat is a Lightning and he has three Thistle Midwinter titles under his belt. He sails everything from one-design boats to 52 footers and PHRF boats as well.
Carol Cronin
21st Century Communications
Preview: How does today's one design volunteer best promote an event and/or class? To cut through the communication noise, a combination of social media, class specific promotion (both e-and otherwise), and good old fashioned face to face is needed. What got you to attend your last event, and what do you remember best about it? How do you keep your class in the minds of its members and prospective additions during the off-season? How do you get articles to appear in Scuttlebutt and other media outlets? We'll explore all these topics as well as talk about the nuts and bolts of newsletter design and social media use.
A lifelong sailor, Carol won two races for the USA at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Carol grew up cruising and racing in Woods Hole, MA and was a member of the sailing team at Connecticut College. After a short stint in the rigging business (where the name "Live Wire" originated), Carol developed her hobby of graphic design and writing into a company that combines images, text, and sailing knowledge for the marine industry. Clients include Boats.com/YachtWorld.com and various J/Boats classes, as well as fellow authors and a wide variety of clubs and one designs. She continues to compete at the national and international level in the Snipe and J/22, and she has also published three books. The latest, Game of Sails: An Olympic Love Story, is based on her Olympic experiences. She lives in Jamestown, RI, with sailor-husband, Paul.
Fried Elliott
Manage Your Image, Become Your Vision & Photo Workshops
Preview: In his keynote presentation, Fried will discuss how to make your class attractive, managing your image in class marketing and media. A world-class marine photographer and ISCYRA Director of Marketing & Media, Fried will also lead a series of hands-on photo workshops. (Bring your camera equipment!)
Fried Elliott is the Snipe and Star class photographer, which entails capturing and producing photographs and multimedia used for class communications, press coverage, advertising, fleet building, and regatta participation. His photographs have appeared in publications and websites all over the world and his multimedia presentations of major events are not to be missed.
Charles Buffington
Keeping Your Class on a Even Keel: Financial Turnaround & Foundation
Preview: Charles led the Flying Scot class through difficult financial times. He will discuss how to avoid the pitfalls. We will also discuss how foundations can play a part.
Charles’ love of sailing emanated from building and flying kites as a child. His first sailing experience was in a wooden lightning on Lake Chautauqua (NY). He bought his first used Flying Scot in 1974 and sailed on Deep Creek Lake (MD). In 1976, he headed west to Seattle and founded Fleet 100. Charles moved back to Pittsburg and Deep Creek Lake in 1988, became Fleet Captain in 1990, Ohio District Governor in 1996 and Flying Scot Membership Chair in 2000, and worked up the ladder to Class President. Charles is a true one-design sailor who enjoys sailing his Laser around in the fog and mist for hours on rainy days at the lake when everyone else is watching movies at home.
Justin Coplan
Lightning Boat Grant Program
Preview: The Lightning Boat Grant program has helped bring new youth sailors into the Lightning Class. As a grant recipient, Justin talks about how this program can work for your class or fleet.
Justin grew up sailing on the Hudson river. He sailed in Nyack's junior sailing program as well as on his parents cruising boat. He has done one transatlantic and has been skippering a Lightning for four years now after being a boat grant recipient in 2008. He attended Rochester Institute of Technology and helped start their collegiate sailing team.
Sarah Davidson
Dispell the Myths About Insurance
Preview: Sarah will discuss how to make smart insurance decisions regarding your one-design boat and class association.
Sarah is the Program Manager, One-Design Insurance Program for the Gowrie Group. She has been at the agency since 1999. She got deeply involved with junior sailing through her four children, ran the junior sailing program at Madison Beach Club, Madison, CT for six years as well as served for a brief time on the USODA and ISSA boards. As the ‘go to’ person for US SAILING vmembers, Sarah helps fi rst time boat owners navigate insurance, and to delivering last minute insurance requests for the Olympic team. “I thoroughly enjoy working with the entire membership, and being a sailor helps to anticipate what my clients need.”
Jack Gierhart, US SAILING Executive Director
Town Hall Forum: What Can US SAILING Do For One-Design?
Preview: This forum will turn the discussion around to explore ideas about what US SAILING can do for one-design sailors.
Jack is the Executive Director of US SAILING. Jack has over 20 years of sales, marketing, and general management experience in the technology and marine industries. In his 5+ years at US SAILING, Jack has lead the Marketing, Membership and IT departments, focusing on growing the organization’s membership base, marketing US SAILING’s broad array of services and products, growing sponsorship and licensing programs, as well as and improving the overall information technology infrastructure, content management and outgoing communications initiatives. Jack was also the founder and CEO of MessageSherpa, an online communications company, and the executive vice president of Nautor’s Swan USA responsible for developing strategies and implementing sales, marketing, and customer service plans in the U.S. Jack served for as a global sales and business development manager for IBM where he developed worldwide sales strategies and enablement programs.
An avid sailor, Gierhart sails both competitively and recreationally. In addition to circumnavigating Alaska and sailing much of the east and west coasts of the US, he has participated in the Fastnet race, numerous Bermuda races and enjoys racing Lasers, H12s, Shields, J/105s, and J/80s. He lives with his wife, two daughters and son in Marion, MA.
Stuart Gilfillen, Sailing Programs Administrator for US SAILINGMaking One Design Sailing a Community Experience
Preview: Community Sailing programs are full of people who are looking for an opportunity to sail, race, socialize and volunteer. In this presentation we'll discuss some of the current trends in community programs nation wide and explore ways you can tap into this phenomial resource to help grow your membership.
Stuart Gilfillen is currently the Sailing Programs Administrator at US SAILING and the staff liason to the Community Sailing Council. He is a member of US SAILING’s National Faculty, a Level 1 and 2 instructor, a US Powerboating instructor, a Level 1 Instructor Trainer and in 2008 was recognized by the US SAILING Community Sailing Council as the "Outstanding Director of a Year Round Program."
Kyle Gross, panel moderatorPanel Discussion: One-Design Connecting with Industry
Preview: Kyle will moderate a panel made up of industry leaders and discuss how classes and the industry can work together to grow one-design sailing.
Kyle Gross graduated from St. Mary’s College with a drive to revolutionize the US racing public’s accessibility to performance sailing hardware, apparel, line and accessories including hard-to-find boat parts. To do this, he opened the doors to Annapolis Performance Sailing (APS) in 1991. Over the last 20 years, his vision has not only remained clear, it has sharpened. Through his management, APS has earned an international reputation of exceptional customer service and reliably stocking products with sailors’ complete needs in mind. The result: APS is the World Leader in Outfitting Performance Sailors and seeks to serve the performance sailing community for years to come with alacrity.
Joel HannemanHave More Fun: Team Racing
Preview: Add more fun to your fleet - try team racing. Joel will explain how easy it is and what fun your fleet members will have.
Joel has been team racing for over 15 years and in a variety of boats ranging from Lasers to Shields, anywhere from the local to international levels. In 2005 he formed the Rhode Island Team Racing Association, Inc. (RITRA) as a means to better organize the sport at the local level. RITRA has enjoyed tremendous success since as it currently runs several events a year from clinics to regattas to a weekly series, serving 400+ competive sailors. It serves as a new model for organizing racing in terms of promotion, developing resources and simply having a fun time on the water.
Will Harris, panelist
Go Fast Workshop: Tricks of the Trade: Boat Maintenance
Preview: From gelcoat to fiberglass repair and everything inbetween, Will will share his tricks for boat maintenance. Will will also a panelist on the Industry Panel.
Will has been ‘tweaking’ boats and sails for better performance from his junior sailing days. With Waterline Systems, he answers customer questions on the range of questions from DIY (do it yourself) help to optimizing deck layouts. If he’s not on the phone, or in front of a computer, you’ll probably find him racing a J/22, J/24 or Farr 30.
Christopher E. Howell, IOM, CAEPanelist: It's About the Sailors: PROs and Classes Working Together to Create Great Regattas and Increase Participation; What Makes Classes Strong?
Chris has worked in association management for nearly 20 years. He was awarded the CAE (Certified Association Executive) designation by the American Society of Association Executives for demonstrating a high level of competence and fitness for association management by successfully completing an examination; documenting professional, educational and community service achievements; and fulfilling prescribed standards of performance and conduct. As Executive Secretary/Administrator for the US J/22, International J/22 and J/105 Class Associations for more than a decade, Chris serves as the chief executive. He regularly evaluates Class rules and leads special committees to improve the application and interpretation of the rules. He supervises measurement procedures and rules compliance, as well as issues measurement certificates to new boat owners. Chris also administers the annual membership drives, creates marketing materials, and runs national/international events through promotions, onsite regatta management, and follow-up. He has owned and raced a multitude of boats over the years, including catamarans, dinghies and keelboats. Currently, Chris races out of Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, OH on J/22s, J/105s and Beneteau 36.7s.
Laura JeffersLightning Boat Grant Program
Preview: The Lightning Boat Grant program has helped bring new youth sailors into the Lightning Class. Laura talks about how this program can work for your class or fleet.
Laura has been actively racing Lightning's for over 20 years in the New England Area and more recently in Florida. She sails at the Fleet, Regional, National and International levels within many one-design classes. She has volunteered and worked for non-profit organizations over the past 10 years and she is the Executive Secretary for the International Lightning Class Association.
Dr. Ernest “Bub” Kovacs
Panelist: It's About the Sailors: PROs and Classes Working Together to Create Great Regattas and Increase Participation
“Bub” Kovacs serves as Executive Director of the United States Optimist Dinghy Association. Along with his wife Emma, they co-direct a sailing enterprise that will issue its 20,000th USA sail number this coming year. Each year they coordinate some 18 National and Regional Regattas, five National Team practices and the two trials that send up to eight teams to world and continental championships. They have a 35 year history of supporting youth sailing. In addition to their work with USODA they have chaired National, Regional and World Championship regattas for the Optimist, Laser, Club 420 and Sunfish Classes. “Bub” has been the PRO at many youth events and can be recognized as the guy with the bullhorn. They are members of Brant Beach Yacht Club the 2010 One Design Club of the Year where “Bub” is a Past Commodore and serves on the Regatta Committee.
While continuing to serve the sailing community, “Bub” is also a second career full time professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University where he teaches graduate classes in administrative science and sports administration. His current teaching load includes classes in Human Resource Administration for Sports Organizations and Research Methods for Sports Policy. He has recently published journal articles on Organizational Transformation, Adult Learning Theory and Improving Organizational Effectiveness Using Metrics.
“Bub” and Emma were introduced to the world of youth sailing when they bought their son Kyle his first Optimist some 20 years ago. Kyle would later go on to win the Bemis and Smythe and Captain the Harvard Sailing team.
Amy Larkin
Sponsorship
Preview: Present day sponsorship is not easy. Amy will take a step by step approach to building success sponsor relationships.
US SAILING's Marketing & Communitations Director, Amy Larkin is an active sailor that grew up sailing one-designs in Marion, Mass. She was a successful college sailor, and formally the Marketing and PR Director for LaserPerformance before joining the US SAILING staff. Amy lives in Providence with her husband and two children.
Maryellen McGuire-Eisen
Everything You Want (delete) Need To Know About Skin Cancer
Preview:This will not be another doomsday lecture designed to throw a wet blanket over your fun in the sun. Skin cancer, while a serious and rising problem, is preventable and easily detected. A look at your skin with the skin analyzer will reveal much about the state of your skin and what you personally should be doing to achieve excellence in this critical health and safety area.
Maryellen Maguire-Eisen, RN, MSN, founder and executive director of Children’s Melanoma Prevention Foundation has been a nurse for over 30 years specializing in oncology and dermatology. She is an adjunct instructor at Boston University School of Medicine, an American Cancer Society Scholar and the winner of multiple service and research awards including the American Academy of Dermatology’s Gold Triangle Award for her sun safety books for children.
SKIN CANCER AWARENESS: On Sunday, a dermascan machine will be available for any participant that would like to check out accumulated skin damage on their face. It’s nicknamed the “Oh-my-God” machine because that’s generally what people say when they stick their head in.
Hank Stuart, US SAILING Race Administration Chair
IT'S ABOUT THE SAILORS: PRO's and Classes Working Together to Create Great Regattas and Increase Participation
Preview: This dynamic panel includes PROs, event organizers and world-class sailors discussing what it takes to put together a great regatta. The panel will explore how classes work with regatta organizers to boost participation.
From Rochester, New York, Hank was a PRO for this year's Rolex Women's Keelboat Championship and San Francisco's Big Boat Series and that's just the tip of his event experience.
Dave Rosekrans
U.S. Sailing Foundation President, past US SAILING President
US SAILING One-Design Awards Presentation
Dave’s interest in safety developed over 20 years with the National Ski Patrol including patrol director and as an Outdoor Emergency Care instructor. For three years, Dave was Chair of the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Red Cross First Aid Committee, which provided first responder care to 100 events each year including Riverfest with 500,000 people attending. The committee also covered the many courses taught by the Red Cross. Dave, a retired product development engineer from Procter & Gamble, is a Past-President of US SAILING and current President of the US SAILING Foundation. Dave is a 45 year Thistle racer at Cowan Lake Sailing Association, a small club near Cincinnati, OH. Dave has participated in the ISAF and the US Olympic Committees.
Justin Scott
Panelist: What Makes Classes Strong?
Justin was founding class president of the Viper 640 Class Association from January 2003 until March 2011. The Class Association’s first meeting took place in Maddy's Sail Loft in Marblehead, Mass, with six founding members after production of the Viper had ceased five years previously. Eight years on, the Viper is one of the fastest growing classes in North America, with close to 200 hulls built by a class appointed builder, fleets on the East Coast, West Coast, Great Lakes ,Texas, Canada, and Bermuda, and a vibrant Pan American regatta circuit sponsored by EFG Bank.
Justin divides his time between a summer home in Marblehead, Mass. and his residence in Greenwich, Connecticut. He is a managing partner at Lammergeier Research LLC, a public and private equity investment firm. Justin enjoys all aspects of the sport of sailing. He currently owns a 1958 Carl Arlberg Seasprite 23 and a 2011 Viper 640. Justin grew up sailing dinghies in the UK and moved to the United States in 1988. He is previously North American champion in the Rhodes 19 class as well as the Viper 640 class. Justin is a member of US SAILING’s One Design Council and the House of Delegates. Justin is a member of the Royal Thames Yacht Club and a member of their team racing team. He remains a Governor of the Viper 640 Class Association.
Craig Smith
Panelist: What Makes Classes Strong?
Craig Smith served as President of the Thistle Class Association (TCA) in 2009. Prior to this position he served as 1st VP and 3rd VP of Growth and Promotion, with a total of six years of service on the TCA executive committee. He will forever be known in Thistle Class history for the “Mohawk” incident at the 2009 Thistle Class National Championship in Westport CT. At this event, the Women and Junior sailors of the class challenged him to sport a purple mohawk for Nationals week, if they could enter 15 boats of each for their respective championships. Craig lost, and the Women and Junior competitors “shaved and died” his hair under the flagpole at the yacht club at the start of the event.
Craig began competitive sailing later in life and purchased his first Thistle when he was 33 years old. He has since become totally committed to the Thistle Class and has attended most of the class’ Midwinters and National Championships for the last 17 years. His philosophies about competitive sailing are, “if it is not fun, don’t do it!” and “FUN is more important than GOOD!”
He currently resides in the Philadelphia area and often sails with his wife and daughters.
David Sprague
Speeding Up Measurement at Regattas
Preview: A step-by-step procedure for measurement at regatta, how to make it speedy, successful, profitable, educational and fun for boat owners.
David has been a management consultant in Toronto with assignments in Canada, the United States and England over the last 20 years. For the past 17 years, he has been a partner in Management Advice, a Toronto-based international consulting firm. David's area of specialization is executive recruiting and general management consulting. In addition to Executive Search, he has acted as the chief operating officer in a number of companies in Canada and the U.S. on behalf of his clients. Prior to his consulting career in Management Advice, Canadian Marketing Associates and Woods Gordon, David spent twelve years at Procter & Gamble, holding management positions in both the Marketing and the Human Resources Groups. These roles and experiences in various management levels help him to be cognizant of the client's needs and empathetic to their business goals. David has been, and continues to be, active in the community. He has served on the Board of Governors of the Toronto East General Hospital, the Board of Directors of the Boulevard Club in Toronto, the Ontario Sailing Association and the Canadian Yachting Association. He has been a member of Canada’s National Sailing Team and remains very active as a participant and as a volunteer in the sport of sailing, both nationally and internationally. He is currently the Canadian representative on the World governing body of sailing, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), as well as a Past President of the Canadian Yachting Association, Vice-Chair of the ISAF Class Council and Chair of the ISAF International Measurer’s Sub-Committee. David has a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario and has a Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University.
Ken Taylor
Online Registration & Class Database Management
Preview: For regatta organizers, this workshop will cover online event management from registration to scoring and everything inbetween. For fleet captains and class managers, Ken will discuss database management, websites and more.
Ken is president and founder of US SAILING Regatta Network which provides online registration and event management services for competitive sailing events. Ken is an active member of the Austin Yacht Club, actively campaigns a J/22 in the Southwest circuit and has been a member of the J/22 class since 2003, and sailed Hobie 18s in District 6 of the North American Hobie Class association, for six years. The heart of US SAILING Regatta Network was developed during Ken's tenure as the Race Chairman at a central Texas yacht club.
Darryl Waskow, panelist
It's About the Sailors: PROs and Classes Working Together to Create Great Regattas and Increase Participation
Darryl has helped organize events as Regatta Chair, Class Rep., Chief Judge, and a dad. He is a US SAILING and International Judge, and runs races locally and internationally. Darryl sails Snipes and Lightings in NJ. He is Vice Commodore of Surf City Yacht Club, past Commodore of the Long Beach Island Yacht Racing Association, and is on the regatta committee of Brant Beach Yacht Club that won US SAILING’s 2010 One Design Club Award.