Tuesday, June 15, 2021
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Serving Elkhart County and parts of Noble, LaGrange & Marshall Counties unties Know Your Neighbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2➤ ➤ Speak Outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Good Neighbor. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fathers Day . . . . . . . . . . .6 & 7 Vol. 49 No. 10
Goshen (574) 534-2591
134 S. Main, Goshen, Indiana 46526
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$ *25*(286 '$< 72 6$,/ ³ Sailboats can be seen dotting Fidler Pond as campers from the Goshen Parks and Recreation Department÷s sailing camp prepare to launch their sunflsh boats. The parks department has been offering a sailing camp since 2015. The department hopes to expand the program by adding more camps for kids and adults. Photo provided by Goshen Parks and Recreation. %\ /$85(1 =(8*1(5 $VVRFLDWH (GLWRU Anyone driving by Fidler Pond Park during the mornings this week may notice several sailboats on the water. This week the Goshen Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a sailing camp for kids ages 8-15. The parks department has been hosting a sailing camp since 2015. Jim Wellington, an avid sailor and a member of the Goshen Parks and Recreation Board, has been instructing the camp since it started. “The pond there is fantastic for a sailing camp,” he said, explaining the pond is safe with no wave action, no motorized boats to contend with and it offers a great launch area, making it welcoming to novice sailors. Those attending the camp will learn to rig their sail boats and how to sail them. Wellington said the camp uses Sunfish sailboats,
which are “super easy to rig, easy to handle, inexpensive,” but also have an international following when it comes to sailboat racing. Kim Stephens, recreation director for the parks department, said when the camps were first offered, equipment was borrowed from the Wawasee Yacht Club in Syracuse, where Wellington is a member. In 2018, Stephens was able to purchase a few sailboats for the program. In a typical year, as many as 30 kids may sign up for the camp, but this year there are fewer. In addition to Wellington, his children, daughters Mia and Wynn will be assisting in instructing the campers as well as his son, Pi. The girls have helped in the past and this is Pi’s first year helping. Also assisting is Jeremy Stutzman, a former camper. Wellington said if the campers are good enough at manning the ropes and sails, they can sail on
their own on the pond. Younger campers usually go out with an instructor so they get some one-onone instruction on steering. “A lot of times we take them out, when they feel comfortable, they can help steer,” Wellington said. All the kids who participate need to know how to swim and wear life jackets when on the water. “It teaches life skills and life experience from a little different perspective and a respect for nature,” Stephens said. Prior to sailing camp, the parks department offers “I Try Sailing,” where those interested in sailing can come out to Fidler Pond for a free introductory sailing clinic. This year the event was held Saturday, June 5. “We had people from 7 to their 70s come try sailing,” Wellington said. When there are more kids, the sailing camp is split into a morning and afternoon session with older kids meeting in the
morning and younger kids in the afternoon. Because there are fewer kids this year, they’ve been combined into the morning session. Stephens said campers come from as far away as South Bend and southern Michigan. “We also have families that have vacation homes at Wawasee. A lot (of campers) are local, but we do have kids from other areas,” she said. Stephens is currently working on making the sailing camp financially self-sufficient. Currently it costs $110 per camper to attend with all the equipment and materials provided. Stephens has been looking for sponsorship opportunities, so scholarships could be provided to children interested in attending sailing camp, but whose family may not be able to afford it. Anyone interested in learning more about the sponsorship opportunities should contact Stephens at (574) 534-2901. Continued on page 3