Attracting and retaining female sailors

Rosie Chapman had previously coached in both Britain and Canada before becoming Program Director and Laser Performance Coach at the Gulf Coast Youth Sailing Association in Houston, one of the top regional sailing programs in the USA.

Chapman, a UK native, had also worked extensively with US Sailing’s Olympic Development Program, and supported Charlotte Rose (Houston, Texas) in her gold medal victory in the Laser Radial at the 2017 Youth Sailing World Championship.

Having been named US Sailing’s 2017 National Coach of the Year, Chapman took her talents to the Southern Hemisphere where she is now working her magic for Yachting New Zealand.

As the women’s sailing manager and Laser Radial coach at Yachting New Zealand, her focus is on attracting more female participants, retaining those already sailing and also advancing equal opportunities.

Statistics show the number of females who belong to yachting and boating clubs in New Zealand drops from about 30 percent at youth level to 20 percent at senior level. This is something clubs and Yachting New Zealand are trying to address and leading a lot of the work in this area is Chapman.

In a Yachting New Zealand podcast, Chapman discusses quotas and gender equity at the high performance level to pathways and obstacles. Additionally, the conversation hits important topics like menstruation and body image and what needs to be done to cater more to the needs of female sailors.

Chapman also talks about her journey from high performance sailor to coach and how this has affected her outlook and opens up about some of the struggles she’s faced. All in all, a good discussion about some important issues that’d be useful for any young sailors, both female and male, and their parents and coaches to have a listen.

Published on May 5th, 2021

SOURCE: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2021/05/05/attracting-and-retaining-female-sailors/

Also read

Get your hard-copy now!

Your advert in The Islander Magazine?

Get your hard-copy now!

Your advert in The Islander Magazine?

JOIN OUR EVENT LIST
and receive your invitation to our events