Honing the Edge: Matt Chao’s Story
May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. To celebrate, US Sailing is profiling some of the awesome Asian American & Pacific Islander sailors in our community. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrates all people with connections to Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Hawaiian, and other Asian and Pacific Islander ancestries and their valuable contributions…Read More
Meet Your Match: A One on One with Janel Zarkowsky
In celebration of Women’s History Month, US Sailing chatted with our colleague and friend Janel Zarkowsky about her experience and success in sailing. Zarkowsky works as a Siebel Sailors Program Coach for US Sailing, as well as being a certified instructor, an assistant sailing coach at Georgetown University, and a professional sailor, having most recently…Read More
Quemuel Arroyo: Championing Accessibility in Sailing and Beyond
By Breanne Boatwright & Lexi Pline As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at US Sailing this September and October, we were fortunate to sit down with Quemuel Arroyo, Chief Accessibility Officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), to discuss his Hispanic heritage and his experiences as a disabled sailor. Spending summers in the Dominican Republic,…Read More
A Conversation With Lou Sandoval
US Sailing is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15 to October 15. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on…Read More
Diego Escobar: From Summer Camp to College Sailing Success
US Sailing is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15 to October 15. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law…Read More
Finding Community in Sailing
Patrick Burks is a sailor, race official, umpire, and coach – and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Burks first came out as gay in high school “because that was the best I could describe myself at the time,” said Burks. “Since then I’ve found out just how intricate sexuality and gender is, and have…Read More
HŌKŪLE’A: The Revival of Polynesian Voyaging Sailboats
On the last day of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage month, we are highlighting the Hōkūle'a - a modern recreation of an ancient Polynesian voyaging canoe built in the 1970s to revive the tradition of Polynesian voyaging. In 1975, Hawaiian artist and historian Herb Kawainui Kāne set out to challenge the notion that…Read More
Noe Velasco: Building a Legacy on the Water
When you think of Polynesian sailors, you may think of outrigger canoes and voyages made thousands of years ago, led by the stars. But Asian American and Polynesian sailors are also at the cutting edge of modern sailing scene. Both connected to that legacy and forging her own, 16-year-old Noe Velasco is defining what it…Read More