ASU Sailing Club Honored For Disabled Sailing Program

LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Arizona State University Sailing Club is recognized nationally for its unique sailing program. The Community Sailing Council of US SAILING recently honored the ASU Sailing Club for having an outstanding program for disabled sailors in 2005. “It is a great feeling to be recognized for doing something different in the sailing community,” said Jake Geller, president of the ASU Sailing Club.

What makes the program unique is how the club is inclusive of people of all abilities in the Arizona State University community, he said. Disabled and able-bodied sailors sail side-by-side as one team, Geller said.

The award was given out at US SAILING’s 2006 National Sailing Programs Symposium in Long Beach, Calif. The purpose of the annual symposium is to network with other organizers and to share ideas on what it takes to run a successful sailing program.

The mission of the ASU Sailing Club is to promote sailing and sailing education for people of all abilities within the greater ASU community and to develop personal leadership skills and team building skills through the sport of sailing for everyone regardless of ability.

The ASU Sailing Club primarily sails on Tempe Town Lake. To read more about the ASU Sailing Club, please visit http://www.asu.edu/clubs/sailing.

The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, R.I., the organization’s mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the United States.

US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams.

For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.