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LYC Jr. Racing Team

Mission Statement

The mission of Junior Racing is to promote and facilitate competitive youth sail racing through

club and intra-club races, with a focus on inclusivity, sportsmanship, and skill development.

Why Join?

Junior racing is for junior sailors that love sailing and competition. Not only will they compete

against their own teammates and LYC’s highly skilled senior sailors in club races, but once

ready, they will likely take short trips to Buckeye Lake and Hoover Reservoir to compete against

junior racers from Inter-Lake Yachting Association member clubs in Indiana, Michigan, western

Pennsylvania and around Ohio. The most experienced team members will travel to regattas on

Lake Erie and potentially compete in I-LYA’s Junior Bay Week off the shores of Put-in-Bay.

The team is coached during practices and most regattas. Many believe O’Shaughnessy

Reservoir’s tree lined shores, narrow shape and the resulting shifty wind conditions are ideal to

develop some of the most skilled sailors. This, combined with the club’s nearly 100-year history

and determination to pass along skills to the next generation, means Leatherlips is the home of

23 national champions.

Competitive sailing not only involves physical strength and agility, but teaches navigation,

physics and the importance of teamwork. It’s a sport found at a number of colleges and many

sailors participate for the rest of their life.

You won’t find more welcoming, inclusive, and supportive teammates, coaches, and club

members anywhere else.

Practices

The team participates in weekly practices over the course of the season. Many team members

supplement team practices with the LYC Sailing School’s Advanced Class and club racing.

Regattas

Regattas include the I-LYA Traveler Series, Junior Bay Week at Put-In-Bay, the I-LYA Opti

Championships, and US Sailing Qualifying regattas. Parents attend most regattas and many will

need to tow a boat.

Junior Racing Boat Classes

The team races in four different boat classes. Nine to fifteen year-old kids may race on the

Optimist, or “opti”. Kids of appropriate size, age, and skill level compete on the ILCA 6, aka

Laser Radial, C420s, and Thistles.

Recent Team Awards

The team was the 2021 winner of the I-LYA Sportsmanship Award. Team member Siri Schantz

won Top Female Finisher at Bay Week in 2019 and Evelyn Hannah won the I-LYA Traveler

Series on the Laser Radial in 2022.

Eligibility

Team members must be an Active, Provisional, or Jr Competition Member of Leatherlips Yacht

Club. The Junior Competition membership is a cost-effective membership option for those that

do not have their own boat and facilitates participation at a cost that is comparable to many

other sports.


Participation ages range from nine through the summer after high school graduation. With the

exception of some opti sailors, team members are expected to be taking or have taken LYC

Sailing School’s Advance Racing Class or an equivalent course. Class registration opens early

in the year and fills up fast.

Team members must show appropriate maturity, sportsmanship and respect for all coaches,

teammates and volunteers to promote a positive environment and the team mission statement.

Additional requirements and Code of Conduct are available upon a request of the team manual.

Costs

Team members participating in regattas will have other costs such as purchasing sailing gloves

and a team pinnie (uniform), low priced regatta registration fees, and if using a team boat, a

very reasonable boat use fee. Sailing wear appropriate for the sailing conditions may also be

necessary.

Contacts

To learn more about opti racing, please contact Opti Racing Director Tim Weiher at

tim.wieher@gmail.com. For the team manual or general questions, please contact Jr Racing

Committee Chair Curtis Hannah at lyc.jrraceteam1@gmail.com.




Contact

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