Annabel Vose (17) and Megan Brickwood (16), sailing 420, from Southampton were presented with the prestigious YJA Pantaenius Young Sailor of the Year Award for 2011 at the Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show. The award was presented by Olympic Gold Medalist Iain Percy.
SUPPORTING ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
One of the goals of the JSA is to CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT SUPPORTS ETHICAL CHOICES.
We want to stress being proactive rather than being reactive as we strive to give our sailors the tools to make positive choices.
All of us – including PROGRAM CHAIRS, HEAD INSTRUCTORS, INSTRUCTORS and PARENTS should WORK TOGETHER AND WITH JUNIOR SAILORS to accomplish this goal.
We hope that the SUGGESTIONS below will prove helpful.
- GIVE YOUR SAILORS THE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO HELP THEM MAKE ETHICAL CHOICES.
- ENCOURAGE
A FOCUS ON PERFORMANCE RATHER THAN OUTCOME;
SEPARATE THE PERFORMER FROM THE PERFORMANCE;
HELP SAILORS SET REALISTIC GOALS/EXPECTATIONS FOR THEMSELVES. - USE THE JSA ETHICS GUIDELINES POSTER AS A CENTERPIECE FOR YOUR PROGRAM PLANNING.
GUIDELINE #1:
“Respected sailors always know and abide by the Racing Rules. They promptly take a penalty or retire when they know they broke a rule or file a protest when appropriate.”
SUGGESTIONS FOR HELPING SAILORS TO FOLLOW GUIDELINE #1:
-Include rules instruction in your program.
-Introduce a “rule of the week” – at age and skill appropriate levels.
-Include penalty turns as part of the on-the-water training.
-Set up on-the-water drills that will create rules situations (.i.e. rules that apply at mark roundings).
-Use the UK link on the JSA website to study animated rules situations.
-Invite a local judge to help with mock protests.
-Have sailors serve as arbitrators. (See Appendix C of the JSA Yearbook, “Arbitration Procedures and Rules”.)
-Brainstorm other ideas for improving sailors’ knowledge of the RRS and the protest processes
GUIDELINE #2:
“Respected sailors always obey event regulations on and off the water, including housing rules.”
SUGGESTIONS FOR HELPING SAILORS TO FOLLOW GUIDELINE #2:
-Before each regatta go to the JSA Website for the regatta’s “Notice of Race” and the JSA’s “Housing Regulations and Responsibilities”.
-Review these and other regatta regulations with the sailors who will be attending the regatta.
-Make it clear to sailors that they represent not only themselves but also their club/program and that their club/program expects positive representation.
-Make following their daily program regulations as well as regatta regulations part of the culture of their club/program.
GUIDELINE # 3:
“Respected sailors are always organized, prepared, and responsible for their own equipment.”
Before the sailing season begins have a rigging day and check-in each boat that will be used in your program.
-Be sure that all gear, including the sailor’s PFD is clearly and indelibly labeled.
-Check each boat to be sure it has the required safety equipment . . . particularly Optis and Blue Jays. (Safety Equipment lists are made available by JSA.) Make this a condition of participation.
-Strongly encourage sailors and their parents to label all other personal belongings.
-Prepare a regatta checklist for each boat class. This list of necessary boat and personal gear will help sailors get organized for a regatta.
GUIDELINE # 4:
“Respected sailors always show respect to fellow sailors and those helping to run regattas and programs.”
Make RESPECT a major part of what you do.
-Develop ways for sailors to help other sailors and make that a part of the program culture. (i.e. Have 4 Opti sailors work together to remove an Opti from its rack and launch it.)
-Teach strategies for expressing concerns in a positive way.
-Make it clear to parents, instructors, committee people, sailors, and others who are involved with the junior sailors that RESPECTFUL behavior is expected from everyone. Remember that young people learn more from what they observe than from what they are told.
REVIEW THE ETHICS GUIDELINES THAT SPELL OUT WHAT “RESPECTED SAILORS NEVER DO”. BE SURE THE SAILORS UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE AT THE PROGRAM LEVEL, THE REGATTA LEVEL, THE JSA LEVEL AND EVEN, POSSIBLY, THE NATIONAL LEVEL IF THEY:
“1. Swear at, intimidate or harass anyone, including teammates, on or off the water.
2. Steal or borrow, without permission, anything that does not belong to them.
3. Break laws related to alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs.”
(See the JSA document entitled “Enforcing the JSA ETHICS GUIDELINES” and note that the above “Nevers” have also been incorporated in the “Rules for JSA Events, Section 10, Discipline”.)
JSA Ethics Committee – January, 2004
JSA
PROPERTY LOSS PROCEDURES
- At regattas the host club should:
a. designate a highly visible Lost and Found “Guru”, publicize Lost and Found procedures and post lists of missing equipment.
b. designate a specific storage area for gear and have available a safe or lock up facility for storage of small valuables.
c. arrange for a marine supplier to be present as a source for replacing broken or missing equipment.
- Programs should encourage instructors and sailors to carry tool kits and spare parts.
- Programs (instructors) should teach organizational skills (use of storage bags, marking all equipment, regatta checklists, etc.) to their sailors.
- Sailors should learn the following basic principles regarding property loss:
a. property is usually missing, not stolen.
b. look actively for missing property.
c. never borrow.
d. work with instructors to resolve equipment problems.
- Sailors and instructors should inform the appropriate regatta or program authority if they cannot resolve a property loss problem themselves.
JSA Ethics Committee – January, 2004
SUGGESTED REGATTA HOUSING & SHORESIDE
RULES AND REGULATIONS
A Guide for Program Chairs, Head Instructors and Event Organizers
- Any club providing housing for junior sailors should expect those sailors to be accompanied by an instructor. That instructor should:
a) be responsible for the conduct of his/her group during the racing day, from launching to the end of protest hearings. (Instructors need to be compensated for overtime duty.)
b) be housed or stay locally, providing the Housing Chairman with a phone number where he/she can be reached in case of emergency.
c) if being housed, obey the house rules of the host family. - Sailors being housed should:
a) know that assigned housing must be used and stated curfews obeyed.
b) attend any scheduled dinners and social events or remain at their host’s home with the consent of and under the supervision of their host.
c) obey any “house rules” set by their host.
d) express appreciation for hospitality provided by their host family. - Host families should:
a) provide breakfast.
b) provide an appropriate adult-chaperoned environment for junior sailors.
c) make their “house rules” clear.
d) be familiar with and adhere to regatta rules.
e) drive sailors to and from the regatta site, understanding that instructors are not permitted to drive sailors.
f) notify the regatta committee of any problems.
JSA Ethics Committee – January, 2004
ENFORCING THE JSA ETHICS GUIDELINES
A Guide for Program Chairs and Head Instructors
At their junior sailing programs, junior sailors should learn to follow the JSA
Ethics Guidelines* and the guidelines established by their own sailing programs. Any sailor who fails to observe these guidelines should be subject to disciplinary procedures. The junior sailing programs should:
- Make sure that junior sailors are familiar with JSA Ethics Guidelines and their own program guidelines.
- Make sure that junior sailors understand the consequences that will occur if they do not follow these guidelines.
- Publish disciplinary procedures for infractions of JSA Guidelines and their own guidelines.
What follows is an example of one club’s disciplinary procedures:
“If a junior sailor disobeys a rule, one or more of the following will occur in ascending order:
- Conference with instructor in charge at time of infraction.
- Conference with head instructor as soon as possible.
- Dismissal from program for remainder of day, after discussion with parent.
- Conference with junior committee rep, head instructor and sailor.
- Conference with junior committee rep, head instructor, parent and sailor.
- Dismissal from program for one week.
- Dismissal from program for remainder of summer (no refunds).”
Amendment to “Rules for JSA Events”
Changes are italicized and underlined
Section 9 – Other Rules
9.4 Supervision *
c) Support craft shall be operated at all times under recognized principles of safe motorboating. If any driver violates JSA 9.4 c), he or she may be barred from the remainder of the event and/or future events.
d) Inappropriate and/or unsafe conduct by any instructor will result in that instructor being sent home with all his/her competitors, unless another instructor replacement is provided for these competitors.
* See “JSA Guidelines for Instructors”
Section 10 – Discipline
10.1 All junior sailors at all JSA events are expected to behave in accordance with recognized principles of sportsmanship, good manners and fair play. The regatta organizer or protest committee may discipline and/or penalize a junior sailor for actions that include
but are not limited to the following:
a. swearing at, intimidating or harassing anyone, including teammates, on or off the water;
b. stealing or borrowing, without permission, anything that does not belong to them;
c. possessing, consuming, or being under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.
10.2 When at a regatta a junior sailor is disciplined under JSA 10.1, the regatta organizer shall notify the offending sailor’s parents, program chairperson and yacht club commodore, and the Chairman of the JSA. The junior sailor’s club shall take disciplinary action within 48 hours and shall notify the Chairman of the JSA regarding this action. In addition to any action the Club takes, further disciplinary actions may be taken by the Chairman of the JSA including, but not limited to, initiation of action under Section 13 of the JSA By-Laws.
JSA Ethics Committee – January, 2004