Team Tunnicliffe and Junior Sailors. Image copyright AlphaGraphics, February 2010.
by Anna Tunnicliffe
This weekend, Team Tunnicliffe visited Riverside Yacht Club, CT and Beverly Yacht Club, MA to kick off the start of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics National Speaking Tour. This was the first two of the series that will tour around the country to share our experiences and what it is like to be on the National Sailing Team.
The first evening, at Riverside YC, started with a small talk to the junior sailors from the area. We were given the opportunity to share our stories on how we got into sailing, and then how we eventually got to where we are today. They were given the opportunity to ask us questions, and boy, did they asked a lot, which was great. It was a very rewarding experience to see their interest, and especially cool when their eyes lit up as they were given the opportunity to hold the Gold Medal. After the talk, we had our pictures taken with them and signed some posters for them to take home which will hopefully inspire them to follow their own dreams.
After the junior talk, we had dinner with the adult members which then flowed into a talk about Olympic sailing led by Gary Jobson. Gary did a wonderful job of MC'ing the event, showing video highlights of the 2008 Olympic Games, and our team in action today. We shared stories from what it was like to race in the Olympics to whether Molly and her husband discuss sailing at the table over dinner. It was a great way for us to share what we do on a day-to-day basis of our campaigns, but also to share the grand overview of where the whole USSTAG team is going. Overall it was a very rewarding evening and was fantastic to meet the members of a club that was very supportive of our national team.
Team Tunnicliffe and High School Sailors. Image copyright AlphaGraphics, February 2010.
The next morning we drove to Marion, Massachusetts to our next stop. The evening show was at the very welcoming Beverly YC. The speech part of the evening was held at the Music Hall where we were joined by Beverly YC members, members of the community, and members of the Tabor Academy Sailing Team. Again we shared our experiences of our past campaigns, and where we are going into the future.
This evening was run a bit differently in that it was more of a question-and-answer format, where we answered many questions from the attendees. After the speaking session, we headed two blocks down the street to the Beverly YC, where people had the opportunity to get a picture taken with Team Tunnicliffe and the Gold Medal. We had a big turnout of the high school kids and were very excited that we had the opportunity to talk to them.
We have had a fantastic weekend and would really like to thank Riverside YC and Beverly YC for their hospitality, support and for inviting us to their clubs. We would also like to thank the Dellenbaughs for housing us after the Riverside event, and the Russells for housing us in Marion.
Team Tunnicliffe Sharing a Joke. Image copyright AlphaGraphics, February 2010.
Molly, Debbie, and I are now back in Florida for this week for some training before we head back to New York on Thursday evening for the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Luncheon on Friday.
Anna Tunnicliffe
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