The junior team is back at school! But, not before the Lake Lemon Regatta last month. Racing was Olivia DeGella, Matt Johnson, Reagan Lessick, and the old man. The week before on Saturday, Matt and Reagan were out practicing and I mentioned how fast she was. She hadn't been in the Laser for three years. You would think she would be a little slow. But, she went on to win 4 races! Olivia had a great day on Sunday winning a race. "I'm ready to cross the finish line and she came out of no where for the win." Great job, "Girls"!! Matt was having trouble finding speed and going the right direction, but he will learn how to dance with the boat with time. Sam Riley has moved back to Cape Cod to be with his grandmother for the winter. He has been on the team over 3 years. He won the I-LYA Traveler Series this year by 1 point before he left. But, "never say never." We just might see him back next summer. Time will tell.... I've been teaching kids racing for over 18 years on the water and in the classroom. ECSC has won its share of awards in the past...4 I-LYA Traveler Series, 5 Junior Bay week, 1 D-18 Laser Championship, 1 Junior Women's Backus Trophy National Championship and many others. We are small fish in the world of sailing. But we have heart, sole, and the will to win. Next year's team will be built around Olivia (17) and Matt (15), so I'm looking for the next 12-13 year old to join the team. We will start work outs, (climbing, ninja, and weight room) in March of next year. Practice on the water in April. So, if your boy or girl likes to be outside and on the water (and learn the art of sailing, racing, and having fun), look us up. I put Dennis Robertson, Jr. in for the "Sportsman For the Year" award. Hope he wins. I also added his name for the ECSC board of directors. He really did work his butt off this year and in the past 6 years at the Junior Summer Sailing Camp. And, he is so good with the kids. So please vote for him. I'm ready to step back and let my assistant, Katie DeGrella, take the helm as Chairwoman of the ECSC Junior Sailing Program. I will move back as her assistant in the program. This year she was the back bone and helped raise over $21,000 dollars for the club and the program to get the kids onto the water (over 94 kids). That's a record that will stand for a long time. Thank you, Katie, Olivia, and Dennis for all of the hard work! VOTE FOR: Katie DeGrella for the Board so she can be appointed Junior Sailing Chair 2022!! A note from Katie: I am Katie DeGrella and I am running for an ECSC Board Position in 2022. I am a parent of an ECSC Junior Sailor. My daughter, Olivia, has raced and worked at the ECSC Sailing Camp for the last three summers. This summer, I coordinated registration for the Sailing Camp. Both programs, Junior Racing and Sailing Camp, offer so much to children and teens. I would like to contribute to our club by helping to continue these awesome programs that our members (many junior sailing parents before me) have spent years developing. And, therefore giving more kids an opportunity to benefit. I believe that I could add value to the ECSC by serving as Junior Sailing Chair-person. But, either way, I look forward to assisting to organize and run the sailing camp again for summer of 2022. I, Wayne Myers, Junior Sailing Chair 2021, approve this message from Katie above! Ok, guys and girls, see you at the Final Bash November 6th! Wayne

Well it's October all ready! Our racing season will be coming to a close soon. The junior team has one more weekend to race.  We are packing up to travel to Lake Lemon on the September 25th-26th weekend.  It's called our Rookie Regatta.  Matt Johnson is our rookie this year. Also going is Reagan Lessick, Olivia De Grella, and me.  We have been going down to this Lake Lemon regatta near Bloomington, Indiana for over 20 years now.  It's like going back to the 50's in time, a very laid-back club (Bloomington Yacht Club).  At one time many years ago, the showers and johns were outside.  Now they have indoor facilities.  The club members there go out of their way to help us...and they love our kids coming down there. Someone asked me for more statistics on the team over the past years. My records show we won the Junior Bay Week Laser Division 5 times, the I-LYA Travelers Series Laser Division 4 times, we have traveled to Michigan, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina, and Illinois. Just this year, we traveled over 2,500 miles going to battle.  The lads have over 60 races in the bag...with 5-6 more to go before the end.  I was trying to remember how many kids I've taken on the road in total, must be over 30. Just this year, I've watch over kids for two & half months at the club and on the road with the team.  How fast time goes by....... So, what is the plan for next year?  I'll let you know next year! Thanks to all of our club members and to all of you that support the ECSC Junior Sailing Team. Wayne USA 996 ECSC Junior Program  

What a busy month of July: The team traveled to Mentor Harbor, Ohio for the US Sailing Level 1 sailing Certifications. Then: Racing at North Cape Yacht Club, Sandusky, Mentor Harbor again, Vermillion, Put In Bay, Cowan Sailing Club, Hoover, and lastly at Erie. The team raced in over 60 races with light wind with chop, heavy air with waves, no wind, and with upwards to over 45-50 boats on the line. We put 2,550 miles on the great white van this year! "I loved all the time we had together." Well, what happened.... In Junior Bay Week we placed 6th in Gold Fleet (Sam) and 13th in Silver (Olivia) with 40 Lasers on the line. I was betting on a 4th and 8th place, but the bear got me. Many thanks to Ralph & Cathy for pulling the RIB safety boat up. Also, a thanks to Ray & Katie for their support. At Cowan (#8 in the series), Sam finished 3rd with 15 points toward Series standings. Then one more race the following weekend at Erie Yacht Club (#9 in the series). At Erie, Sam placed 1st without winning any races. He battled it out with a junior from Edgewater Yacht Club who had led the Series up till then. Sam finished with 10 points. Olivia Degrella finished 30th overall in the 64-person Laser Radial Fleet. Sam has only 2 years experience in the Laser Class, but over 5 years in the Opti Class from the East coast. Just for the record, we have won the I-LYA Traveler Series Laser Division 4 times in the past 15 years: 2007 - R. J. Graef 2008 - John Fisher 2016 - Cameron Douglas 2021 - Sam Riley Great job team!....We got the BEAR! The team now has a month off. Our next road trip is to Bloomington (Lake Lemon) - September 25 & 26. This is a regatta in which we invite younger sailors who just might join our team for next season. Wayne Myers ECSC Junior Program  

June is gone and what a month! First off, I would wish to say THANK YOU to Olivia DeGrella, Dianna Nicholas, Sam Riley, Dennis Robertson, Jr., and Dunkin York, for all their hard work this 2021 Junior Sailing Camp. And, also helping (my other right hands) for their time and support: Katie DeGrella, Sue Tennant, and Amy Sheppard. It's been a long 5 weeks and over 80 would-be-sailors have learned the art of sailing. So, what is coming up in the month of July for your Junior Team? - June 30, 1, 2 ~ U S Sailing Area E Championship at Sandusky Sailing Club, Ohio - July 7-10 ~ U S Sailing Junior Olympics and Clinic at Mentor Harbor, Ohio - July 12-16 ~ Sandusky and Vermillion Sailing Club for the I-LYA Travelers Series- July 18-22 ~ Junior Bay Week, Put-In-Bay, Ohio - July 30, 31, 1 ~ Cowan Lake, Ohio, I-LYA Travelers Series - August 7 ~ Eire Yacht Club, Cleveland, Ohio, I-lYA Travelers Series   So, what has happened the past month with the Junior Team on the road? - Travelers Series, Hoover Sailing Club, Sam Riley, 1st with 28 boats on the line. - Travelers Series, Hoover Sailing Club, Olivia DeGrella, 18th with 28 boats on the line - Travelers Series, North Cape Yacht Club, Sam Riley, 20th with 35 boats on the line. - Travelers Series, North Cape Yacht Club, Olivia DeGrella, 30 with 35 boats on the line. - Travelers Series, Cleveland Yacht Club, Sam Riley, 6th with 41 boats on the line.   Your ECSC Junior Team will be on the road over 12 days this July...not a record, but close! Thanks again to all for your SUPPORT! Wayne Myers ECSC Junior Program   [caption id="attachment_177373" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Sam Riley Laser[/caption]

Well, June is here...about time! What a busy month for us, Junior Sailing Camp has started...it's 5 weeks long this year. We have more than 85 juniors signed up for various weeks. PLEASE take care driving at the club this month, there will be many kids on our property! On the road June 4 - 9, it's the US Sailing Level 1 & 2's certifications at Mentor, Ohio. Then, we have three weekends on the road with races at Hoover, North Cape, and Cleveland to finish off the month. I wish to say Thanks and a Job Well Done to Katie Degrella for taking on the duties of Assistant for our Junior Sailing Camp 2021. Check out our Junior Sailors page on Facebook (click here) for more pictures and updates for June. Wayne Myers ECSC Junior Program

Well, what do I write about this month? To start off with, your Junior Sailing Team and I would like to say THANK YOU to Katie and Evan Williams for the donation of a new projector for the sailing school. We will be able to video and use the DVR of the junior camp sailors on the water and show it on big screen. Also, we will have movie nights for the members. More on this next month. Last week was our "Go For The Gold” regatta. In that, 11 sailors on Lasers did battle on Eagle Ocean. The water was quite cold! At the skippers meeting, they were told that after a capsize and 2 minutes in the water, they were being pulled out. Only three turned over, but only in the water 45 seconds. "Safety is number one duty with junior's on the water!" The teams came from Carlyle Sailing Club (Illinois), North Cape YC (Michigan), Leatherlips YC (Ohio), Indianapolis Sailing Club, and ECSC. Saturday’s wind was from the east at 5-7 and we got in 4 races before our phones and VFH radio gave us the high pitch tone that thunderstorms were coming. So, we picked up our marks and made for the barn. Sunday's wind was from the northwest and 16-18 mph and very cold. 4 more races in the bag. Ohio won the Gold…Illinois Silver…ECSC Bronze. I wish to say thanks to: Ralph Merriman, Dennis Robertson, Jr., Bob McCoun, Tony Hubbard, Ray DeGrella, and Deanna Nicholas for a Job Well Done on safety and RC duties. Also, thanks to Kenny Chapman for moving members’ boats off of the beach for more room for the teams. The Junior Sailing Camp is just about full. This is the largest camp in history of the club! Our Junior Team is looking forward to June. Olivia DeGrella is team leader. Sam Riley, Deanna Nichols, and Dennis Robertson Jr. are instructors. I'm driving Sam & Olivia to Mentor Harbor YC, Ohio so they can finish their US Sailing certified Level 1's and 2's. They started them last year, but was slowed by CV19. So, May and June will be a very busy month for your Junior Sailing Team. Along with our Junior Sailing Camp, they start racing the weekly I-LYA Traveler Series each Saturday. Our first race is at Hoover Sailing Club, Columbus, Ohio. After that, we move on to North Cape YC in Michigan. There are 11 Saturdays and 3 major championships on the schedule for your team this year. So let the games begin! One last note, Our US Sailing Coach, Reagan Lessick was missing last week. Where in the world was she? Actually, she was in sunny Florida working at an Indy Car Race in St. Petersburg…as a hostess for the Indy teams. What a way to make money! Fun in The Sun! Wayne Myers ECSC Junior Program

ECSC Sailing Camp opens June 1-4 with 8 - 10 year olds. This is our 1st year with this age group. The second week for this age group is June 28-30. Our US Sailing certified instructors are looking forward to these two one-week courses. June 7-11, June 14-18, and June 21-25 are for the older sailors (10 - 18 year olds). On-the-water drills, classroom, and many games are planned. Olivia DeGrella is the head instructor with Dennis Roberson Jr., Sam Riley, and Deanna Nicholas helping out. We provide a safe and fun outdoor environment for all. Class are filling up fast, so get the kids out of the house and onto the water. Go to our web page and check it out (ecsail.org)! If you have multiple campers, SAVE $ 25 on each registration. GO FOR THE GOLD REGATTA Our first race of 2021 will be the weekend of April 24 - 25. It's open to juniors and adults sailing Lasers full and radial rigs. There is NO fee for this weekend of racing! Need a boat? Just let me know and I'll set you up. Camping is OK. Pizza Saturday night and maybe a movie and camp fire. Last year's race, we had 12 boats on the water and Sam Riley brought home the Gold. I hear he is gear-up to repeat this championship again! He's a hard sailor to beat! The NOR will be out April 1st.. So come race with us! WANTED:  More junior sailors! The ECSC Junior Team is looking for 12-14 boys or girls to try out for the team this year. So, if you know of a would-be junior who likes competition and being outside (and likes being on the water is a bonus), bring them down to the sailing school any Saturday in April or E-Mail me. Wayne Myers Junior Sailing Chair