City Sailing with Shenandoah Park (E-4)
Kids from Shenandoah Park came to sail with us on On Wednesday, October 13th for the fourth and final time in 2021. The conditions were near perfect and the kids had a lot of fun. This time It was Marite and me who were the only coaches. We each sailed an RS Venture. Marite with the girls and me with the boys…….
CITY SAILING WITH SHENANDOAH PARK (E-3)
City Sailing with Shenandoah Park (E-2)
City Sailing (E-1)
Sailing Through the Summer
Lives Changed and Lessons Learned
Siebel Weekend Warriors
Team Paradise and the Siebel Sailors Program provide increased opportunity and diversity in the sport of sailing to youth sailors from all backgrounds. Sailors from Breakthrough Miami, CARE Elementary and Camillus House learned about the “Five Habit of Excellence”: Fun, Effort, Respect, Student Voice, and Inclusion. They then helped rig the boats and sailed out for some sailing, swimming, and lots and lots of smiling!
Veterans Sailboat Racing
The Crew consisted of Duane Smith, Lanita Soleil, and Nehemiah Cook, all disabled Veterans. Also onboard was Charles Nethersole, a veteran of the British Navy and a world-class sailor. Duane has been sailing with us for several years and he has come a long way. Duane is a certified Basic Keelboat instructor. He helps Team Paradise by teaching sailing, not only to Veterans but to all students. He also heads up our Thursday Veterans Sailing, which has solid attendance.
Siebel Sailors Program Premier in Florida
~ By Siebel Coach MacKenzie McGuckin
Clinic 1, Spring 2021
Sailing has NEVER looked so good!
It was a fabulous weekend kicking off the start of the 2021 Spring season for the Siebel Sailors at Team Paradise!
New Siebel Sailors took the tiller and learned to skipper their own boats this past weekend at Team Paradise Sailing in Miami during the 1st Spring 2021 Clinic. With the sun shining and 8-12 knots both days, sailors were able to quickly learn about the Siebel values (fun, effort, respect, student voice, and inclusivity), the environment, how to sail, and how to be their best selves.
On Saturday, our new sailors, ranging between 10 and 16 years old, arrived not exactly sure what to expect for the weekend. However, the unexplored territory did not scare any one of them away from the new opportunity to learn how to sail. Saturday started off strong with building the Siebel Team's Crew Code or set of guidelines for everyone to follow within the Siebel Values that the sailors construct together. They then learned the parts of the boat and how to rig the boat up (set up the boat) for sailing. A quick boat ride, discussion about wind awareness, anemometers, and lunch at the sandbar - sailors then launched in sailboats with a friend and learned how to steer our RS Feva sailboats around the mooring field. To wrap up the day, we did a "Keep, Stop, Start" activity where sailors were able to tell us what they wanted to keep doing, stop doing, and start doing going into day two of our clinic weekend.
When sailors arrived on Sunday, they were eager to have some more fun! The morning kicked off with a STEM and career connection to Marine Engineering with a clay boat activity where sailors had to build a boat out of clay and see who could hold the most washers inside the boat without sinking it. We discussed Archimedes principle, water displacement, density, and surface area. After a tight competition of washer holding, all sailors participated in a scavenger hunt within the boat park picking up specific items but also collecting as much trash as they could find. A land demo of tacking (turning the boat) and a trip to the sandbar then lead to lunch, everyone going sailing, and some sailors even trying it on their own!
As we debriefed prior to everyone leaving I asked two questions...the first question was "Do you all want to come back?" and without any hesitation, each one of the sailors raised their hand eagerly and said, "I do!". The second question was..."What are you all?" and their reply was "I am a sailor!".
As a parent or guardian, or even an organizational leader who was involved in getting these new sailors to Team Paradise this weekend, I sincerely thank you. These kids were able to try something new, step out of their comfort zone, and learn life skills. They pushed themselves and each other to be the best they can be. They supported, helped, and learned from one another. They learned how to sail in just 2 short days and want to come back for more. These kids can do whatever they set their minds to and each one of them should be very proud of themselves.
Fair Winds and Following Seas,
MacKenzie
The Magnus Liljedahl Sportsmanship Award
Success is Not Smooth Sailing!
Unstoppable Tracy welcomes Magnus Liljedahl, who is the founder and Executive Director of Team Paradise, a non-profit organization dedicated to changing lives by inspiring and empowering disabled and underserved communities”. Team Paradise makes sailing Accessible for ALL!
To listen, please click the arrow above!
The theme of this week’s episode is support and kindness. Earning independence comes from rallying the support of many people. Having a circle of people that stand behind you and beside you through thick and thin exponentially boosts your chances of success. Additionally, when you dedicate time to help others, you gain a sense of fulfillment that is unmatched. Magnus shares his journey and affirms the importance of relationships to our development.
You’ll hear Magnus and Unstoppable Tracy talk about:
Taking action even in the face of uncertainty.
What fueled Magnus’ drive to start Team Paradise.
The importance of focus and self-care.
How support can be just as effective as criticism.
How to emulate Magnus’ success in your own life.
Special Sailors
The term, Inclusive Sailing, is very fitting for what it is. It brings the parents of special sailors and their children together with Team Paradise volunteers for a play-day sailing on Biscayne Bay. The purpose of inclusive sailing is to bring people from different backgrounds together to create an understanding of one another in order to better appreciate who we are.
Basic Keelboat Instructor Course
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Preparing for a Storm
It’s amazing how unpredictable tropical depression can be! The illustration below shows the track and strength of what we experienced as Tropical Storm Eta. During its criss-cross path through the Caribbeans, it packed wind and changed status varying from a Depression to a category 3 Hurricane. Eta was aiming at Miami for a while, but luckily, it turned just in time. We did suffer the dirty side (northeast) but did not have to evacuate our base at the US Sailing Center.
Columbus Day Regatta LXV
Team Paradise located at the US Sailing Center invited my husband, an Operation Iraqi Freedom, myself, an Operation Enduring Freedom veteran and another disabled combat veteran to participate in the Columbus Day Regatta in Coconut Grove, Florida. As a former Navy Sailor there is nothing more joyful than the sound and feel of ocean water. The lovely sound of thundering waves puts me into a deeply relaxed mindset. Although we had some weather building on the horizon the sun came out and it made me feel so incredibly good. While we were racing at high rates of speed, working as a four-person team to control the sailboat I found myself awestruck and incessantly looking at nature in its purest form and its most profound and beautiful forms, being at sea and in nature always seems like it enhances my mindfulness and boosts my physical well-being. Team Paradise allowed me a day away from my regular activities and daily struggles and it created a positive impact on my happiness. Thank-you Team Paradise! Lanita Oceanne Soleil
Give Miami Day 2020 IS NOVEMBER 19th!
We are so thankful for the support we receive each year. Your generous donations help us build on our existing infrastructure of diversity, equity and inclusion in the sport of sailing. We recognize that part of our role as a community sailing organization is to lift up all voices in the sport and provide a welcome and inclusive environment for all.
Update From Paradise!
Siebel Sailors Program Premier in Florida
The Opportunity of a Lifetime
We couldn’t be more excited about the challenges ahead and the increasing opportunities to help others and do better. With the support of our community, Team Paradise has managed to deliver on its mission for the past 15 years, having proven itself many times over. “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”