Coronado Yacht Club
Juniors Handbook

Sports, and particularly sailing for children, can provide invaluable tools for building self-confidence, social skills and strong work habits. It takes a coordinated effort from the coaches, staff, and parents for your child to get the most out of the program.

Tips for Success

Parents can help the entire process by doing the following:

• Use this Reference Guide to obtain answers to your questions.
• Contact the Junior Sailing Director directly with questions or problems. Provide concerns, comments or ideas outside of scheduled class times.
• Monitor the Jr. Calendar plan early for events.
• Volunteer for Jr. Program activities and fundraisers.
• Ensure sailors arrive to class on time.
• Notify instructors if sailors must leave early or cannot attend.
• Ensure sailors come to class with weather appropriate clothing (see "What to Bring").
• Support the coaches and leave the coaching to them.
• Be your child’s "best fan."
• Support and root for all sailors.
• Be involved in the learning process by asking your kids what they learned or what they need to work on, etc.

Regatta Parent

What a parent can do to help ensure sailor enjoys regattas:

• One parent is expected to attend race regattas with their sailor. If either parent absolutely cannot attend, arrange for another parent to chaperone your sailor.
• Monitor the Jr. Program Calendar and plan early which regattas to attend.
• Register early, if required.
• Ensure child has space for boat on departing trailers and ensure boats are loaded prior to deadline.
• Verify times to meet at CYC or regatta site.
• Coordinate food, beverage, for the sailor at the regatta.
• Make sure sailor checks in at registration desk on the morning of the regatta.
• Make sure extra clothes are available.
• Provide assistance when asked to do so by coach.
• Deflect any distractions away from sailors at practice, regattas, or junior functions.
• Refrain from discussing issues unrelated to sailors having fun or sailing better until off club or regatta site property.
• Be supportive. Be appropriate.

How to get the most out of the racing experience

• Keep winning in perspective and help your child do the same.
• Help your child set challenging yet realistic performance goals, rather than focusing only on "winning."
• Help your child understand the valuable lessons sports can teach.
• Encourage all the competitors and congratulate those who deserve it.
• Control your emotions in frustrating situations.
• Encourage your child to compete against themselves.
• Don’t define success in terms of winning and losing.
• Be supportive, but leave the coaching to the coaches.
• Respect and abide by official decisions.
• Train children to disregard uncontrollable things, such as other competitors actions, heat, wind strength, and to focus on their own efforts instead.

Special Requests from Instructors

We ask that you do not help rig your child’s boat on a regular basis. Once in a while a bit of help is great. Knowledge, confidence, and ability all come from your child being responsible for the routine tasks of sailing. It is also important that the sailors learn to help each other with what they cannot do themselves. Parental coaching during scheduled classes is most likely disruptive to the curriculum and lesson plan.

We ask that, while you are on club property or at a regatta site, do not discuss topics near sailing students that may be a distraction or that do not help make the sailors experience more fun or more enjoyable. "Politics" and or other issues not directly related to the ongoing class or regatta should be taken off property or another far away location.