Event Chairperson – The event chairperson responsibility is to oversee the entire operation. The event chair’s dedication and knowledge will go a long way in determining the success of the event. This person should be highly qualified as an organizer and administrator, committed to doing an excellent job, and reasonably unencumbered in terms of other commitments in their lives. The Chair will put together the host "team", oversee the planning, liaise with the National Chair, and take responsibility for the "final product". The Chair will also stay on top of things until all accounts are settled and all paperwork completed.
The Event Chairperson should:
• Ensure the club has adequate facilities to host the event. Are there adequate sailing area, equipment and personnel?
• Establish and work with the race committee.
• Work to ensure that safety and risk management requirements are met
• Be the liaison between US SAILING’s Championships Director, the National Chair and your organization.
• Ensure that adequate insurance coverage is maintained on all borrowed boats and that there is regatta liability insurance.
Each of the events below requires a volunteer to manage what needs to be done. Good delegation and organization can help a host prepare and run the event smoothly.
Registrar
This is the second most important job at the championship besides the event host. This event depends on accurate, up-to-the-minute printouts, sorted a variety of ways. The registrar should be computer literate with high speed access. Familiarity with spreadsheets is a definite plus.
It is imperative to have a person whose sole responsibility is to generate the necessary printouts for any committee member who request it, which will include entering the information and numbers for the scoring program. This person should be comfortable with word processing and working with databases, and will have to learn the use of the event-scoring program. The computer and printer should be set up in a secure, quiet area at the club. This person should plan to keep all evenings free during the event!
Communications
This is the center of the operation throughout the event. There should be one person in charge of setting up the Communications desk, and arranging for its coverage throughout the event. This is where the phone and radio will be, Medical Forms kept in alphabetical order, First Aid kit kept, other registration forms kept, messages left, questions asked, lost & found items stored, etc. The Communications Desk person will also maintain the General Announcement and Official Notice Boards. That should include weather forecast, social events and so on. The Computer Expert will usually also be at the Communications Desk.
Publicity
This person is also the individual assigned to Twitter or blog during the championship. US SAILING will provide a contact for this person to communicate with during the championship. They will providing mark rounds for the top five boats, updating information on the racing conditions, and letting fans know when the results are posted. A good Twitter makes the regatta come alive for people watching from home.This person will also e-mail digital pictures and end of the day results to US SAILING. Many committees combine communication and publicity into one role.
For the sake of the sailors, the host and all the volunteers that work so hard it is very rewarding and beneficial to have good local press coverage of the event. This includes leading up to the event and during the clinic and racing. In many years we have had a local TV station send a team out to give it "nightly news" coverage. Clearly the newspapers need to be alerted and given the pertinent information. US SAILING handles the national media and can provide a list of local media contacts. The press person would make the contacts, prepare the information, arrange for the press to come to the championship, do interviews and get out on the water. Encourage the press to attend and get out on a VIP or spectator boat.
Green Regatta Liason
This person will be responsible for ensuring that the championship or semi final is being run as a green event. They will liase with Sailors for the Sea, US SAILING's environmental partner,assembling a team to work on shore and sea cleanup, oversee recycling operations and communicate the goals of the program throughout the event. This can be a great opportunity for community service hours for high school students.
The Green team will ensure that all motorized vessels shall carry and use at least one bilge sponge and one fueling spill pad. They will be gathering the materials and information needed for the Skippers packages about how to run a clean regatta. Lastly they will be responsible for a short presentation at the opening ceremonies covering how the championship' green commitment will work. Sailors for the Sea will provide some materials, but this will also include locations of recycling bins, water bottle refilling and other logistical details.
Charter Captain
This is one of the key positions on the committee for events which use charter boats: The Charter Captain is the person on your committee who will be managing the loading and unloading of the boats. In a nutshell, he or she will source and manage the people to help unload the boats when they arrive and to assist in the load up when the regatta ends. So, this person should be a natural leader and pretty physically strong too. (Sweat will be involved!) They will need to be around pretty much for the entire day of the unloading and the day of the loading – it’s definitely a two day commitment.
This person is responsible for liaising with the boat supplier and the registrar. He or she will coordinate the delivery and storage of the charter boats and the location of the “repair shop” if the manufacturer is providing such a facility. The day the trucks arrive, the drivers will coordinate with the Charter Captain as to when they will be there and the Captain's team should be on site to unload the boats at that time. The Charter Captain is “on tap” pretty much all day on the last day of the regatta, when they will organize and prepare the trucks for loading while the LaserPerformance rep is on the water providing assistance to the racers. Once the boats are in, they will assist LaserPerformance in the loading, and generally help manage the traffic flow of boats from de-rig, to check in, to loading.
This person will also manage the damage deposit and charter forms as they arrive at the site ensuring that all of the necessary paperwork has been provided to the registrar. Boats cannot be awarded unless the appropriate paperwork has been submitted. They will also take responsibility of getting any information on damage deposits which need to be charged to the registrar.
Clinic (if one is held)
This is the person in charge of making sure the Clinic Director has everything needed to run the Clinic; and that everything is set and ready to go. This person will need to be on site during the Clinic.
Entertainment
This committee manages all social functions that the organizers wish to host, i.e., cocktail parties, dinners, banquets, etc. It is suggested that nametags be provided for all competitors, judges, and committee members. Host membership involvement enhances the quality of the event –members might work on committees, attend socials, supply lunches, host social events and/or provide food.
Food
Food will be the largest budget item. The person in charge of "food" must know pricing, purchasing, storage, planning so excess food can be rolled into the next meal, logistics of serving large numbers, etc. The event's motto on food is: "nothing fancy and plenty of it!". US SAILING recommends using a lunch buffet each day to ensure sailors can choose the foods they like and eliminate waste.
Housing
It is required at US SAILING Championships to provide housing for junior competitors, judges and officials in host members’ homes; oversee and check in all personnel at the start of the series; and to provide lunches for competitors and officials during the series. This is perhaps the most time consuming and challenging job next to the Chair's. Some competitors will have cars, others won't. This needs to be considered. There'll be girls and boys; helmsmen and crews, friends that would prefer to stay together or couples. This person should have ready access to a word processor and should be a "people-person" in that a lot of favors will be asked for.
For Junior Events, you will need to ensure that the housing form (and alternate housing forms if offered) are signed by a parent or guardian. Additionally, you will have to segregate by gender. See if your state requires criminal background checks for adults working with minors in a volunteer capacity. This can apply to host family housing, but requirements vary from state to state. If your state requires it, appoint a person to work with the local police to facilitate this.
Medical Needs & Emergency Medical Systems
No one area of the event is more critical than this. This person will arrange for ample First Aid kits at the club and on the water; will check same to be sure all are fully equipped; will arrange for at least one person competent in CPR to be at the club at all times; will alert local EMT service(s) how many sailors are coming; will alert all volunteers involved in the event as to the system in the event of an emergency on shore and on the water. US SAILING recommends, but does not require, that all participants including judges, race officials and volunteers complete a medical form so that is available in the unlikely event of an emergency. A medical form is required for all Junior and Youth Events and for all persons under 18 competing in U.S. Championships.
For all Junior Events they should also have alphabetized copies of the Medical Forms in a waterproof bag with them at all times. Arrange to have a physician on call throughout the event and research the paperwork necessary to have a child admitted to the nearest emergency facility and review findings with Event Chair.
Building & Grounds
The building(s) will receive extra use and may need the close attention of a knowledgeable individual. Toilets, showers, kitchen, etc. are some areas getting extra stress. Lock-up at night is important. The grounds will need extra trash patrol, storage and removal. Someone will have to check for safety hazards (glass, nails, splinters, holes in docks, etc. and see to it they are removed/fixed. Many clubs have a full-time person already in this role; others will need to assign someone. The other responsibility of this person is to "map out" the storage and launching areas for the fleets.
Prizes and Awards - This person will take the responsibility of insuring that all is setup for the awards presentation. This will include arranging for the photographer to be present; setting up the tables, PA system, etc.; inventorying and setting up the medals and trophies, preparing the trophy accountability forms, sending the digital pictures back to US SAILING, etc. The organizing authority supplies medals for the top three finishers, as well as a perpetual trophy. These will be sent to the host immediately prior to the regatta. Other awards provided by the host might include shipshape, sportsmanship, and/or participation awards, if they do not already exist (coordinate with committee chair). US SAILING has an official awards program that is used for all US SAILING Championships. Contact the US SAILING Championship office for details.
Radios / VIDEO Cameras / DVD’s/ TVs
From a safety and quality race management point of view it will be necessary to have reliable radio communication both afloat and between the water operations and Communications Desk. Furthermore, if there are two courses, there will be the need for access to two channels, plus a third `undisclosed channel' for "private" RC/JURY talk. Clearly, none of these should be the normally monitored citizen/marine bands in the area to avoid interference. Experience indicates that when one person is in charge of all the radios, things go smoother and radios are returned in working order, etc. This person will have to determine the number needed, arrange for their use, keep them charged and in working order, and see to it they get properly returned.
This person can work with the coach to determine how many cameras and TV’s are needed and may be in the best position to arrange for the use of video cameras for the on-water sessions in the Clinic; plus the necessary DVDs (if not built-in to the camera) and color TVs for playback ashore.
Scoring
Scoring will be done on a computer, preferably using Regatta Network with a "live" link to the website.
Boats: Spectators / Press / Spare Parts & Repair Boat / Judges
It is extremely useful to assign one person the responsibility of designating the above listed boats, assigning them to a course, and for telling the appropriate people which boat to go out in. These boats are all independent of the race management operation, and so do not normally fall under their "job description". This is particularly helpful in getting the "spectators" out and onto the Course of their preference. A host can ask some of these boats to fly sponsors’ and numbered burgees so that they can be easily identified.
This event involves a tremendous number of powerboats. Experience shows that one person should be assigned "chief mechanic". They will be sure all the engines start in the morning, are gassed, and are running properly. They will trouble-shoot problems at the end of each day and have them solved - when possible - by the next morning. Clearly this person should be conversant with the variety of engines involved in this event.
Most clubs/organizations have to arrange to borrow people's and other clubs' boats to round up the number and type necessary to run the Clinic and Regatta. It has proven effective to put one person in charge of this. This person should be highly trustworthy, reliable and well respected in the area, plus out-going and assertive.
Transportation
Approximately 10-20% of adult sailors and 60-80% of junior sailors will NOT have their own transportation during the event. Juniors should be discouraged from using their own cars for safety reasons. Arrangements will need to be made to get the sailors to and from the airport; and to and from their housing hosts' homes. The housing hosts can be an invaluable assist in both. It may be necessary to arrange additional transportation for competitors and officials as well as monitoring for any special needs. Often, one of the daytime or evening entertainment programs will involve a mass transit operation on a bus, etc. It is important that one person be responsible for thinking through the transportation aspects of the event.
Your National Chair is available to answer any questions or concerns that you may have.