Dear SMBSF,
Thank you so much for your help! I had a wonderful time in Rhode Island at the Brooke Gonzalez Clinic, and I wouldn’t have been able to go without your support. I learned so much from all of the amazing coaches and filled an entire notebook with notes. It was a great opportunity to sail on the East coast for the first time, and I was appropriately challenged by the sailing conditions.
The first 3 days we worked on boat handling and boat speed. As I have just started sailing club 420’s, it was great to get more comfortable with the boat. I got better at maintaining my speed and not pinching. After a full day out on the water we would have “power talks”
while we ate dinner. In these 20 minute lessons, we would talk about informative topics such as how to get a great first race. With tips from these lessons I developed a pre-race routine, which has helped me focus before races and get to know the course.
With all of knowledge I gained at this clinic, I feel ready for Junior Olympics in a couple weeks. I finally feel like my sailing career is taking off thanks to your generous contributions.
Sincerely,
Emilia Clementi