Junior Sailing has been part and parcel of Sutton Dinghy Club since the very early days. As can be seen from the extensive list of achievements down through the years, the Clubs commitment and support of junior dinghy sailing has brought recognition and respect to the Club from all areas of Ireland sailing community. A key role in supporting junior sailing in the club is the Junior Affairs Officer (JAO). The Junior Affairs Officer is a member of the Clubs General Committee and the role involves the following:
- Liaise and work with Sutton Dinghy Clubs Centre Principle on the recruitment of sailing instructors for the Clubs training programmes
- Helps organise and co-ordinate the ISA driven ‘Taste of Sailing’ event in SDC.
- Actively identify and source sponsorship to support Junior activities within the Club.
- Manage the Clubs ‘Sponsored Sail’ event which raise funds to support coaching and provision of resources for Junior section.
- Weekly communication with SDC juniors regarding sailing calendar, coaching and events.
- Organise coaching for Optimists, Laser and other junior dinghy classes.
- Encourage and assist juniors to attend local and regional events.
- Liaison between Sutton Dinghy Club and other Clubs and their JAO to plan inter-club coaching and team racing.
- Provide support and advise sailors and their parents.
- Organise social evenings for Sutton Dinghy Club juniors.
Amanda Kelly is the Clubs JAO. Besides a long and active career with IODA and ISA Amanda is the Liaison Officer for special needs sailing at SDC. Her particular interest are a joyful and safe experience for beginners and novice sailors at SDC. She can cover virtually any function when it comes to SDC – from First Aid to Rescue – so don’t be surprised 😉 to see her around and she will be happy to help.