Race Officials Symposium in Annapolis

Annapolis Yacht Club, which routinely hosts major championship events, will share the accumulated knowledge of its membership in a broad-based information session that will cover all aspects of race management. The 2022 AYC Race Officials Symposium has been set for the weekend of February 26-27 in Annapolis, MD.

Race officers, judges and umpires throughout the country are invited to attend the event, which will target both the novice and the expert. This is not a standardized course as there are plenty of those around the country. Rather, AYC is inviting speakers to present unique short sessions on a diverse set of race officiating topics.

Potential areas for discussion include umpiring, ORC scoring, junior regattas, managing virtual juries, ideas to increase participation, match and team racing, weather and routing, event organization, safety equipment, on-water safety and emergency protocols and trackers.

AYC is actively seeking speakers for the symposium and asks applicants to submit an abstract outlining their presentation. Abstracts must be submitted by December 15: click here.

AYC will announce the complete list of speakers and topics in January with the program to feature a combination of large group lectures and smaller breakout sessions.

The inaugural AYC Race Officials Symposium held in February 2019 attracted participants from clubs up and down the Chesapeake Bay along with those elsewhere on the East Coast.

The AYC Sailing Center, which can be divided into rooms of varying sizes, is ideal for an event of this nature.

“I thought the 2019 event was outstanding as a valuable training resource for race officials,” said Commodore Jonathan Bartlett. “I felt it was important for the club to continue hosting this symposium on a regular basis. We have a lot of really good race management officials, so it makes sense to get them all together to provide information and tips to folks from other clubs.”

Kevin Reeds, the current AYC Race Committee Chairman who is annually asked to run regattas across the country, will be one of the guest speakers. Reeds will also moderate a panel of race committee chairs from various yacht clubs.

“We pride ourselves on our club’s race management practices and continuing education for our volunteers. Hosting an event like this to bring race officials from all over the United States to learn from each other is perfectly aligned with that mission,” said Reeds who looks forward to individuals from the principal race officer, umpire and judge communities sharing their experiences and advice on best practices.

“Whether you are an experienced race administrator or a beginner, there will be aspects of this event that will be extremely worthwhile,” Reeds said.

The registration fee of $100 includes continental breakfast for both mornings and a lunch buffet plus beverage service each day. Following the first day of the symposium, that evening will have an attendee happy hour at the Sailing Center including lite fare and a cash bar will be available. You may register for the social activity when registering for the symposium or return to your registration at a later date to RSVP.

To register for the event, click here.

UPDATE: The four keynote speakers are Tom Duggan, Dawn Riley, Andrew Clouston, and Gary Jobson. For more information, click here.