Women play a vital role in all aspects of sailing, and that includes serving as race administrators.
For many, becoming a race official is a way to continue being active in the sport after years of competition. That’s the case for Caroline, who took the Women’s Only Club Judge Seminar.
“The process and title seemed intimidating, but I gave it a shot because it was for women, by women,” Caroline said. This new single-gender online course was added last year based on the popularity of the Women’s Only Basic Race Management seminars.
Your support helped to make this growth possible.
The number of women taking certification courses increases each year, with 21% of Race Official Certificates and 27% of Umpire certifications currently held by women.
Caroline thinks that more women need to get on the entrance ramp as club judges. “It never occurred to any of my Ladies Sailing buddies to even try it and they are much more skilled than I am,” she said.
“It was a hard class but not impossible for an intermediate-skill sailor like me. The instructors were wonderful. It was lots of fun, informative, and a useful part of my path forward. I am very proud of now being a ‘Judge in Training.’”
Good management makes sailing better. It provides consistency across the sport so that sailors can be assured of a professional, standardized, and sailor-friendly process, no matter where they compete.
“I am very glad I took the class,” Caroline said. “It gave me a much better understanding of how to apply the rules (especially when inside the zone) and showed me how fair the protest process is, can, or should be. It has given me enormous confidence to try to move ahead with my participation in giving back to the sport. I will absolutely keep trying to improve my race committee and judge skills.”
“Thanks to US Sailing and everyone involved for hosting this Club Judge Zoomathon!”
Your support is providing more opportunities for race officials to grow their skills and ensure consistency, integrity, and fair play in sailing. Thank you!