Dylan Parker and his Prince Rupert sailing partner Tommy Ly captured bronze at the BC Summer Games last weekend.
Their coach Fraser Smith helped them launch the boats Saturday morning. The teams are all part of the Sea Cadets program that provides opportunities for young athletes to excel at sailing.
Zone 7 North West contestants qualify by sailing at Babine Lake. Then, they go to Comox on Vancouver Island for a six-week summer camp to fine tune their skills. The Sea Cadets program is vital to their skill development by providing boats and gear to help these young athletes succeed.
A series of prequalifying regattas lead the top four sailors in the Sea Cadet program to compete in Kingston, Ontario each year under the Canadian Olympic Regatta Kingston program. Coach Fraser excelled in the Sea Cadets program and went to Kingston to compete a few years ago. Now, he shares his knowledge and skills by coaching others in northern B.C. to help them work toward competitions at the national level.
Putting teams together in some of the zones can be a challenge, as wind and water don’t always combine for ideal sailing competition conditions. However, sailing is an exciting and enjoyable sport within the summer games and coaches like Fraser keep the Summer Games sailing component alive.
–Submitted story.
