Siese: We need to help Opti graduates

Newly-elected Bermuda Sailing Association president Martin Siese said the number one priority is to increase participation.

“We want to get more people out and enjoying the sport.”

He said a close second was to help layout better the progression from the various stages of sailing to “those who are wanting to push to the highest levels. We do have some access to funding to help them out. I’m not sure we publicize it well enough so I’m looking to make sure the sailors who are wanting to do a Pan Am games, a CAC Games or the Olympics are aware of the limited funding we do have available for them.  We want to try to help them out where we can.”

He said the BSA can also help advise the youth as they come out of the well-organized Opti programme as to what options they have to continue sailing.

“We have a lot of youngsters who do very well at a very high level, but we seem to have them fall by the wayside when they have to do more work on their own. We need to set up more of a support structure for them.”

Siese added that the parents help do a great job in raising funds for the Opti sailors that when they graduate from the programme “it is a complete sea-change because all of a sudden they are on their own. We want them to be able to strive on for bigger and better things.”

Siese said sailing has a rich tradition of being successful at the highest level of sport, the most recent example being Zander and Jesse Kirkland.

“There are more and more professionals out there nowadays, which makes it more difficult for us, who are basically amateurs, to compete at that level. The Kirkland brothers did a good job at the Olympics for us. It can still be done.”