It's not long until the Townsville Sailing Club's new youth regatta in the June/July school holidays. HP Coach Danny Fuller and his team will put all participants through their paces and provide professional development for the coaching team. This coaching clinic and new Youth event is an excellent opportunity for our juniors and youth in North Queensland, and we hope that all clubs will support this new event and coaching clinic.   

Youth Sail 2024 planning is well underway. Thank you to all the Queensland Clubs for your support of this event, and I'm sure you can't wait to see the new Keppel Bay Sailing Club building!   From the pictures that have been shared with me, it is going to be spectacular! Entries will go live at the end of June, so please encourage all your juniors and youth to attend this event regardless of their experience. Can your club consider how it can support their families/members in attending? Youth Sail Queensland is THE youth event on the calendar and not to be missed. 

I went to the launch of the Club IQ website and resources for the Queensland Government. It's a fantastic resource for clubs – you can check it out here: https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/sports/club-support  

Grant and I went to the annual QSport Conference, which focused on  'Leading for Legacy'. A couple of takeaways for us were that we are on the right track with focusing on welcoming all people into our sport and how crucial it is to continue to work on sound data and then use that data to help make decisions. We both loved hearing from Skate Australia on how a new young sport is looking at building its legacy and how different organisations make the most of their volunteers. As always, spending time with people from across the industry to connect, learn and share is great. There are always lessons you can learn. 

The sneak preview of the Training in Focus Live workshop is looking fantastic. The morning workshop is all about learning what a good experience looks like. Don't forget that all attendees will get an additional 12 months on their qualification expiry. That means if you come every year, you will never have to revalidate your qualification! 

Alison will take annual leave for four weeks to visit family in the UK. We hope she has a great trip.   

Foiling 

Has your club considered taking the plunge into the most exciting, fastest-growing discipline we've seen in years? 

With increasing interest in foiling, equipment has progressed enormously in the last few years. The cost of entry-level equipment makes foiling more accessible and attractive for recreational and performance sailors alike, who want to get involved and get out on the water in various foiling craft.  

Foiling is also having a positive impact on participation and retention. Foiling disciplines are attracting new groups to sailing clubs. People who may have participated recreationally are now joining clubs to participate in racing and training programs, and there are now more reasons for younger members to stay at clubs to join in the fast classes.  

Action Item/s for Club: Read the following articles to see if foiling is for your club 

Australian Sailng on the lookout for nextgen foiling stars
Foiling safety for coaches club support personnel
New foiling curriculums now available
Will you be delivering learn to wing courses or foil-labs or foiling

The benefits to your club to hold a Discover Sailing Day are many, and the event itself can be as straightforward or as festival-like as you need. There are plenty of resources and case studies that you can utiise for your own event, but please reach out to the team if you need any help. We are here to support you. 

Action Item/s for Club: Commit to holding a Discover Sailing Day. Reach out to your Club Support Officer for any assistance you need