Optimist Winter Clinic
A very successful training clinic for optimist sailors took place here at Tralee Bay Sailing School in Fenit Co. Kerry from Jan 3rd to Jan 6th ’09. The coaching team included the ISA junior squad coach Thomas Chaix from Brittany ,Danish team coach Dennis Passke;( former optimist sailor with a top ten result at a World Optimist Championship event) and David White Iodai appointed Leinster regional coach.
The clinic had an international flavour to it with two of the junior fleet sailors coming from Denmark while another highly ranked senior fleet sailor came from France. Some of the ISA squad also participated in the clinic alongside Irish junior fleet champion of 2008 and many other accomplished sailors from Dublin, Lough Derg, Dunmore East and Tralee Bay Sailing Club.
While delivering coaching to highly ranked sailors the clinic also clearly aimed at offering top class coaching to sailors of any level who were eager to work hard and progress. Throughout much of the day the sailors were divided up into similar age and ability level groups to carry out drills designed to sharpen awareness of boat speed, technique and sailing tactics.The focus of the clinic was to develop each sailor’s individual skills.The coaches moved to a new group daily with the result that all sailors benefited from exposure to all coaches by the final day of the clinic.
Tralee Bay Sailing School provided a fine venue for hosting a clinic of this kind. Briefing and debriefing sessions were held in a large heated classroom which doubled up as a warm sheltered spot for serving hot drinks at lunch hour. The dinghy park gave a secure resting place for the dinghies on arrival in after sailing with the provision of strong tie downs for securing each boat. Many of the travelling sailors were hosted by local parents, this gave sailors a chance to relax and socialize with each other off the water, at times through another language!