The winter season for sailing in Miami is upon us and Olympic/Paralympic hopefuls from around the globe are returning to Biscayne Bay. The excitement is building as most teams have yet to be selected for the 2012 Games. Only one team per country qualifies and the competition is fierce. Everyone is looking for an edge.
Team Paradise will be co-hosting US Sailing/AlphaGraphics High Performance Paralympic training camp at Shake-A-Leg Miami in the Sonar class during November 5-6, 2011. World-class race clinics typically include components such as speed testing, starting practice, and short-course racing. This clinic is no different. Plain and simple, the top teams come here to get better.
The event will include several top crews from North America, including US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) members Ricky Doerr / Brad Kendall / Hugh Freund and Paul Callahan / Brad Johnsson / Tom Brown along with USSTAG head coach Betsy Alison. Canadian contenders Bruce Millar / Logan Campbell / Scott Lutes and the world's number-3 ranked team—Norway's Alejks Wang Hansen, Per Eguen Kristiansen / Maria Solberg—will be attending as well.
Team Paradise sailors will be introducing some new, but very talented sailors to the mix. Daniel Evans will be skippering a Team Paradise boat with Canadian Paralympic sailor, Brenda Hopkins, trimming the jib. On the other Team Paradise boat, Sweden’s Patrick Norstrom, will be helming with Brian Tabler trimming the jib. Both teams will have Olympic and World Champion sailors trimming the main, upgrading the crew-roster, in an attempt to stay even with the more established Paralympic medal contenders.
Sailing is one of the few sports where disabled can compete against anyone, disabled, or not. The sport integrates individuals with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. Boats are adapted to suite the needs of the sailor. Blind sailors develop their other senses, some paraplegics control their boat from a swivel chair, double leg amputees often require transfer benches and cross bars for lateral movement and participants with no arms are able to steer with their feet and only minor adaptations are needed.