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Dear Opti Parents,
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Being a successful Opti parent (and how do we measure that... by
trophies won by our kids?)* is a daunting task, as is parenting in
general. To the rescue is avowed sports performance expert, Australian
Wayne Goldsmith. His passion for working with young athletes, their
coaches and their families, combined with an uncanny grasp of
the associated fundamental issues is evident throughout his work. I hope you download, read and share his letter to swimming sport
parents that I have adapted for sailing. Here are a few excerpts: Your child is not a sailor. They are a person who sails. And as a person, who they are impacts
on every aspect of their sailing. ...And once you have made the decision to entrust
the development of your child to a particular coach, give that coach 100% total
commitment, dedication and support. If you can't...find another coach. You don't sail Optis.
Your kids do. Don't do it all for them.
The most important thing you can do to help your
child achieve their sailing goals is to help
them develop as a person with real independence and self management skills. You
prepare them for life......let the coach prepare them to sail
fast. The three of you - parent, coach and child - working together is an
unstoppable force!!!
Download article HERE.
Read Goldsmith's Blog HERE.
Subscribe to his Twitter HERE.
*NO!
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Spring into Opti repairs / Epoxy? Gelcoat?
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The best resource for Opti gelcoat/glass repair
Only use Marine Tex or other  epoxies for temporary or non-visible structural repairs. Not for repairing gelcoat. Why? Epoxy sticks to polyester, but polyester will not stick to epoxy. Therefore all future repairs have to be made in epoxy. Epoxy is much harder than the gelcoat. When you sand the epoxy the existing surface around the repair will dish around the repair before the epoxy is flattened. The epoxy is not the same color and does not look good. Why mess the boat up forever when you can make it look like new with gelcoat?Last epoxy expands and contracts at a different rate than polyester as the temperature changes.Eventually you will be able to see and feel the edges of the repair. Nuff said? CLICK HERE for Steve's great article on gelcoat and fiberglass repairs, especially for Optis.
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Optis in the 2010 Winter Olympics
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...and you missed this?
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Need cool and unique trophies or awards?
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 Pre-assembled Opti Model
Now available is an affordable Opti model, completely finished and handmade of wood. No gluing, no snap-together small parts, no muss-no-fuss. Step the mast, unfurl the sail and clip on the blocks; insert daggerboard and hang the rudder ...and set sail! On it's varnished stand (included) it measures 11"tall and 7.5" long. Aside from prizes, this would make a great birthday or "thank you" gift. Available at your friendly neighborhood Optiparts dealer. $35 retail. |
Olimpic Sails - Back on top...AGAIN!
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Speed test with the
new Olimpic sail cross cut design
by Javier Borojovich (aka Coach Rulo)
During my recent optimist clinic in
Malaysia I had the opportunity to do a sail test with some of the best optimist
sailors in the globe. (three top-ten at the last worlds, the New Zealand
champion and the vice-champion at the 2009 Europeans). We did 8 days of sailing with
the new cross cut sail from Olimpic Sails. This new design was called "custom
design" for the clinic but for me, they should name this sail "Toro" or
"Ferrari" because is the most powerful optimist sail at moment. (This is
the new Olimpic "ALL BLACK") We sailed in all the conditions (3
to 22 knots of wind) and the sail was used by sailors between 36 kg to 51 kg. Test results: CLICK HERE
Below is a second sail test:
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| What's the most important part of an Opti?
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Click image to find out!
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Unbeatable inflatable prices!
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These two will not last long.
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We hope you enjoy our newsletters and if you do, won't you please forward to your friends? We appreciate that!
Simply click on the bright blue Forward email hot link below. Thanks!!
Sincerely,
Tom Coleman
Mclaughlin Optimist / OPPI / Optiparts
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