Young women

Invited to take part in Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship to be held in Annapolis

The 2003 Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (Rolex IWKC) Outreach Committee invites junior women sailors to participate in the Rolex Next Step Program, September 26-28 in Annapolis, MD. The event will be held in conjunction with the Rolex IWKC, part of US SAILING’s adult championship series, to be held 27 September 27-3 October at the Annapolis Yacht Club.

Junior women sailors of 13 to 19 years old, should write, in 250 words or less, what they enjoy about sailing, their sailing experiences, and what they think they will gain from spending a weekend at the opening of the Rolex IWKC. The deadline for entries is August 1, 2003.

Entries should include a letter of recommendation from a sailing coach or instructor and be submitted to Sue Mikulski at SuMikulski@aol.com. Attach the essay and reference letter as Word documents and put “Rolex IWKC Outreach Committee” in the subject line. Junior women can also apply online here.

The Rolex Next Step Program was established in 1997 to expose juniors to international women’s sailing in a mentoring atmosphere. This year’s program begins on Friday, September 26 with a welcome party and workshop at J Port Annapolis, featuring asymmetrical spinnaker sailing with Rolex IWKC competitors aboard J/80s provided by J Port Sailing Club and J World Annapolis.

Saturday, September 27 features a keelboat clinic with America’s Cup campaign veteran Tucker Thompson and US SAILING Instructor Trainer Nan Leute Walker, director of J Port Sailing Club. A barbecue and informal conversation with elite-level women sailors at AYC will follow.

On Sunday morning, September 28, there will be a breakfast for the Next Step juniors with a talk by sports psychologist Jessica Mohler.

Sunday afternoon, former US SAILING president Jim Muldoon will host the juniors aboard his well-known offshore racer, Donnybrook, for lunch and to observe the Rolex IWKC practice race, with commentary from Dave Gendell, the editor of SpinSheet magazine. Participants will be presented with certificates of achievement from Rolex.