Junior Sailing: Severn Sailing Association (SSA)

Junior Sailing: Severn Sailing Association (SSA)

These days, there are hundreds of yacht clubs, junior sailing programs, and high schools across the country involved with the education of youth sailors and preparing them for the next level of sailing. In some cases, these programs may place an emphasis on sailing as a fun hobby and a way to spend time with friends, and in others, programs are designed to provide junior sailors with a background in racing rules, tactics, and strategy with a focus on performance at top-level national events. These particular programs also prepare their students for the next level of competitive sailing, including college sailing, international competition, and even Olympic aspirations. One such organization is the Severn Sailing Association, located in Annapolis, MD.

The Severn Sailing Association, commonly referred to as SSA in the Annapolis area and throughout the mid-Atlantic, was founded in 1954 by Dr. Stuart Walker and Richard C. “Dixie” Bartlett. Construction at its current location, located on the Severn River at the mouth of Spa Creek and the entrance into Annapolis Harbor, began in 1957 and its first competitive regatta as host was held in that same year. In addition to sailing at the junior level, SSA also possesses a senior club and is a Mecca for one-design racing both throughout the Chesapeake and at the national level. The club has a long-standing reputation for putting out some of the biggest names in competitive sailing including Terry Hutchinson, Gary Jobson, and 1984 Olympic silver medalist in the Men’s Windsurfing Class, Scott Steele.

At the junior level, SSA has been responsible for the education of approximately 375 summer participants each season for the last three years, all ranging in age from 6 to 18 years. The club offers classes from intro. to sailing all the way to nationally competitive race teams. Their summer program runs from June 21 to August 12 and encompasses the use of their fleet of 18 420s, 18 optimists, and 10 coach boats. Even when the weather in Annapolis turns frigid, and it’s time to break out the winter sailing gear, SSA is full-speed ahead.

SSA director Joel Labuzetta, a ’07 College of Charleston alum and team captain of the Cougars’ ’06 and ’07 national championship team, employs part-time coaches John Loe (SMC ’08, three-time All-American skipper), Lily Beck (BC ’09, three-time women’s All-NEISA crew), Joe McCorkell (Kansas ’04), and Sean Harr (Indian Creek ’08) to keep the operation running in the spring and fall sailing seasons. A group of approximately 50 high school sailors from four regional schools, Archbishop Spalding, Broadneck, Key, and Southern high schools, train out of SSA in the winter season in preparation for the ISSA Mallory and Baker Championships each spring. In addition to the high school level, the club also has a small optimist racing program that continues after the summer program into the fall and spring seasons. With the spring sailing season rapidly approaching, these SSA juniors are in full race mode with the spring championships clearly on their mind.