Sign Up Night

In July and August I work 4 days a week as the head sailing instructor at a local yacht club's junior sailing program. "Work" may be a misnomer. Don't tell my employer but I'd probably do this job for nothing. My own kids are grown up now and left home some years ago, and my first grandchild is not due until November. So the summer is the only time that I get to spend much time with kids these days. It's a real pleasure to be able to introduce them to the joys of the sport of sailing. Working with kids is challenging and frustrating at times too, as any parent or teacher knows. But all in all one of the highlights of my year.

Friday night was sign up night for the junior sailing program. The parents, often with their kids too, come to the club to sign up the kids for the sailing lessons and to ask any questions they may have. At my suggestion, the club restructured the program this year to provide a better progression for the kids as their skills improved each year, so there were a number of questions from parents about which classes their kids should take.

"None of the parents said their kids don't want to come back this year if that mean old instructor is there again," joked the chairperson of the junior program. (At least I hope she was joking.) I see my role as being partly about helping the kids to learn, but mainly about making sure they have a good time and that they learn that sailing is fun. The worst possible outcome but would be to turn a kid off sailing because I gave them a scary or miserable experience.

Most of my old friends showed up and signed up for another summer. A few of the older kids didn't but they are probably off working summer jobs or having other adventures this summer. A lot of new families came too There were lots of questions...

"My daughter is only six and a half. Can she join up?" In theory our minimum age is seven but I told the mum that it's OK as long as her daughter is adventurous for her age and confident in the water.

"Can my son do the recreational and the racing classes?" Sure. The more time on the water, the better.

"I have my own Optimist this year Mr. S. and I've got two sails." That's great.

A new family came with four kids, one a babe in arms. The mum made the two potential students, two boys aged 7 and 8, give me proper handshakes. As she struggled to complete all the paperwork with the baby on her arm, I took the two boys down to the dock to see the club Optimists. They sat in the boats while I talked a bit about what we do and how much fun we were going to have in the summer. Nice kids.

Last year there was an 11-year-old girl in one of the beginners classes who informed me on the first day of classes that she didn't want to be in the program, but was only doing it because her parents made her. All her family -- father, brothers, uncle and cousins -- sail so they expected her to. I did my best to encourage her and introduce her gently to the sport, but she was easily upset if things didn't go right for her. And that happens a lot of times when you're learning to sail. After a couple of weeks she was making progress and announced to me that, "I'm really proud of myself. I only freaked out once today." As the season progressed her sailing skills improved and she entered into all the activities and games with spirit. She looked like she was having fun. Still, she maintained right to the end of the season that she didn't really like sailing.

I found out on Friday that she's coming back this year. And because she wants to; not because her parents want her to. I must have been doing something right.