U.S. SailGP Team Announces ‘Foiling First’ Partnership Program
July 11, 2021
NEW YORK一 On June 24 the United States SailGP Team announced they were accepting applications for community organizations to partner with Foiling First, a program set to advance diversity and inclusion in the sport and provide the first professional pathway to foiling in the United States.
The program was developed as part of SailGP’s #RacefortheFuture and will build on the existing social impact commitment from SailGP to advance change in American sailing.
There are three layers to the partnership program, “partner organizations will build a fleet of foiling boats upon which community members will learn to sail (organizations with existing fleets of foiling boats are welcome to apply); U.S. SailGP Team athletes and coaches will lead annual ‘Coach Clinics’ with partner organizations – multi-day courses held at centralized national locations that will equip coaches to instruct foiling and serve as a forum for collaboration on training curriculums; to further increase accessibility for communities less exposed to the sport of sailing and to champion diversity, partner organizations will choose one diversity-focused organization in their community to work with, supported by Foiling First, to create introductions to the sport of sailing,” according to a June 24 press release from Sail GP.
On the same day the team announced that Bristol Yacht Club and East Bay Sailing Foundation have joined as founding partners of the Foiling First: Partnership Program.
As part of the commitment to join the program, the two groups have committed to hosting a Foiling First: Learn to Foil Camp on June 20 and 21, the camp is in partnership with Melges Performance Sailboats and will have U.S. SailGp Team athletes facilitating a multi-day course to introduce community youth and coaches to foiling. For more information see FoilingFirst.com.
