Full 'shake–up' for sailing on the agenda at next month's ISA AGM
by Afloat.ie on 21 Feb 2013
SW
A full 'shake–up' for sailing is on the agenda at next month's Irish Sailing Association (ISA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) when a former dinghy champion will take aim at current policies he claims are 'damaging the sport'.
GP14 and Mirror dinghy sailor Norman Lee, an active Wicklow boater with a reputation for introducing to people to the sport in both dinghy and cruising boats, says he wants 'The ISA focus off elite sailing and the emphasis instead to be on enjoying sailing for fun as per the association's own articles of association'.
'I want a full shake-up. Let’s take the focus off the Olympics and have a root and branch reappraisal of sail training'.
A failure to provide support and encouragement to clubs and class associations in all parts of the country has led to a decline in dinghy sailing numbers according to the proposal published by the ISA on its website. The agm notice is also downloadable as a word doc below.
The agm is scheduled for Saturday, March 2nd at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire.
Lee is a member of Greystones Sailing Club, Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club and Lough Derg Yacht Club.
Lee says he wants a proper reappraisal of the sport. 'The ISA needs to amend its policies and return to its original objectives of the amateur sport in Ireland'.
In particular Lee says the ISA currently has an over 'emphasis of the training of selected juveniles by the creation of elite squads of possible future Olympians'. This, says Lee, is without proper regard to the interests of those failing (for whatever reasons) to meet that standard or who are not able or cannot afford to give the time or family/financial commitment and this discourages people who are lost to the sport.
Lee says the ISA needs to refocus on the original objective set out in Article 2 of its Memorandum of Association, which is 'to promote the amateur sport of sailing in Ireland' and amend its policies and practices to address the matters referred
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