2017 US Sailing National Sailing Programs Symposium

There’s not much to be excited about in the month of February. The days are short and shoveling driveways is pretty much a 3 time a week choir. Condo dwellers aside of course. Oh by the way, this is coming from the perspective of a Canadian. Specifically, a Torontonian.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. After all, let's consider that Blue Jays spring training starts soon, the Raptors and Leafs are both in the playoffs as of today, (or at least in the playoff hunt) but aside from that, February doesn't exactly have you jumping out of bed.

But then, a welcomed yearly event springs up on the calendar and February all of sudden turn into a month to anticipate. The event I'm referring to is the US Sailing NSPS (National Sailing Programs Symposium). This year, the event is being held from February 16 through Saturday, February 18, 2017 at the Sheraton Austin at the Capitol. This truly is a fantastic event! Last year, it was held in San Diego and for us Canadians, the dramatic temperature swing was very welcomed along with the opportunity to get out on the water in February.

This was my 2nd year at this event and once again, it didn’t disappoint. From morning keynote sessions to breakout session during the day, it ran like a well oiled machine. Both years that I’ve attended, there’s a great balance of learning opportunities for people of all roles in the sailing community.

US Sailing National Sailing Programs Symposium

Topics include:

Community Sailing Programs
Yacht Club Best Practices
Race Management
Junior Sailing
Keelboat Sailing

On top of all the great sessions during the day, you can take a stroll in the evening through the bar district and you'll find a sailor or two mixed into the crowd. Actually, who am I kidding, you'll predominantly find sailors in the crowd. It's a sailing event after all right!

Ok, back to the symposium. The exhibitors pavilion is very well structured with lunch breaks being held in the centre of the pavilion and as an exhibitor, this is a great opportunity to connect and meet people. The icing on the cake, we get to go sailing! That’s right, RS Sailing and Hobie both setup a launch site where we had a chance to hit the water! I sure hope for the same this year.

As for us here at Checklick, we’ll once again be located in the exhibitors pavilion and we’re really excited and look forward to meeting new people and sailors alike. Also, check out our speaker session 12:30pm on Saturday titled, "Going Digital- How to leverage digital resource to improve your programming"

If you’d like to come by our booth to chat about choosing the right payment and registration system for your sailing club, or how to utilize US Sailing programs to evaluate sailors right from your phone, I'll be around.