March 3, 2024 | by

JSA of LIS Midwinter Meeting 2024

Panel of JSA LIS Sailing Directors seated at a table.

Samantha Labuzetta, Doug Reynolds and Alec Basilion discussed topics during the Sailing Director Panel

The JSA of LIS Midwinter Meeting was held on Saturday, March 2, at the Beach Point Club, Mamaroneck NY.

The resources from the meeting may be viewed at this link, including the agenda, video recordings, slides, handouts and a meeting feedback form.

Topics: a short introduction about JSA business, summer initiatives and a proposal about pay transparency in instructor job ads was followed by junior sailing program presentations in the morning:

  • New Programming: Ideas from the recent US Sailing National Sailing Programs Symposium were described by participants who attended the NSPS. An initiative from Save the Sound to provide Environmental Education to junior programs was discussed. And some ideas for other initiatives by the JSA were described.
  • Coaches as Teachers: Exploring strategies and tools to help our coaches better handle teaching moments and apply values-based education to sailing programs. Liz Sistare, Waterfront Operations Supervisor at Mystic Seaport Museum, spoke about Social-Emotional Learning, a framework that will allow values-based education methods to be incorporated into your program’s daily routine. Mike Ances, Director of Junior Sailing at Larchmont Yacht Club, shared how he applies skills acquired through his long teaching career to better engage junior sailors, particularly when behavior challenges arise.
  • Sailing Director Panel: Experienced sailing directors responded to some of the topics that attendees had mentioned were important to their preparations for the summer of 2024. Our panelists included: Samantha Labuzetta, Sailing Director at Riverside Yacht Club; Doug Reynolds, Sailing Director at Larchmont Yacht Club; and Alec Basilion, Director of Sailing and Waterfront at Noroton Yacht Club. The Topics Suggested by some of the meeting attendees for discussion among the three experienced sailing directors during this panel session are described at this link.

Additional informal networking occurred during the lunch that followed the morning sessions.