FBYC History....
Jere Dennison
Your Historian has been derelict in his duties. Five years ago…five years!...I began a series of article for the Log about the evolution of our Junior Program since the Club’s inception. In the first half of 2006, and in rapid succession, the following literary triumphs were produced: The Junior Seamanship Academy, A Junior Mystery, Juniors in the 1950s, and Juniors in the 1960s. The grand finale was shortly to follow detailing the success of the Club’s current Junior Program format which was created way back in the 1980s. I procrastinate no longer…
Entering the 70s, the children of baby boomers began to multiply. The need for sail training on the junior level increased rapidly. Another problem that had to be addressed was how to keep the older kids interested when the boats used for the program was the basic level Sabot pram, a small fleet of which had been constructed by the membership in the 1960s. The boat was fine for beginners but failed to entice the older and more experienced kids to remain in the program.
It became obvious that the Club needed a new, more exciting, junior racing trainer. Accordingly, the Board selected a Committee in about 1974 to consider the alternatives. Perhaps 6 to 8 small dinghies were on the short list. The decision was facilitated by the formation of the new burgeoning Laser fleet at FBYC. The Laser was chosen for its spirited performance and the fact that many members with children already owned the popular boat. Moreover, as Juniors grew older, they could be expected to naturally transition into racing in one-design events both at the Club and around the Bay region. This meant a steady influx of new competitors on the racecourse.
Although the Laser was deemed a success, still the Junior program sputtered along, spread over a few weekends throughout the summer and coached by a handful of parents with junior age offspring. The program was adequate but not a spectacular success.
However, in 1982, winds of change were blowing through the Junior Program. Johnny Hawksworth, one of our most talented sailors, and Kenzie Hubard, long time member of one of the Club’s most dedicated sailing families, and both with junior age children, took over the reins of the program. The following inauspicious announcement appeared in the April 1982 issue of The Log headlined as “Junior Activities Corner:”
The Junior Activities Program for 1982 will be held June 14 – 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The cost will be $40.00 per child, which includes Manual, Handbook, picnic supper, and movies during the June week. Also instruction and supervision June 13 and July 3, 18, and 31 during the One Design Series Races. It will also include a picnic supper and dance August 28, which is the weekend of the Junior Elimination – Reid Dunn Series.
The program will be limited to 50 participants. Please send your checks by May 15. Listed below are the (53) Juniors who have expressed interest in this course. If a name has been omitted, please contact one of us immediately.
Thank you,
John Hawksworth
Kenzie Hubard
Who would have guessed that what would eventually become known as Junior Week, one of the most acclaimed youth sailing programs on the Bay, began with this new concept. No longer would instruction pop up intermittently during summer months without the continuity that encourages learning, but now we would have a sailing camp of sorts…a week of concentrated coaching, for beginners and experienced alike, and fun-filled activities in the after hours. My supposition is that Johnny and Kenzie implemented this concept with some trepidation since kids would now have to find housing during the week in Deltaville which also meant that parents or some other adult would have to be present to chaperone. Would this format be feasible? Would the parents buy into it? Would the kids like it?
Wow…it was an overwhelming success. The January 1983 notice with now an official application attached for what was still called “The Junior Activities Program” specified that it would be limited to Junior Members ages 10 through 17, the fee would ‘dramatically’ increase by 50% to $60 per child, and limited spaces meant that applications and checks had to be postmarked by March 15. The nearby group picture of the 1983 class of Juniors indicates that at least 66 attended. Johnny and Kenzie are shown seated on the beach in the front row (L – R). (By the way, your Historian is also pictured in this classic Kirk Adams photo. If you can find me, drop me an email and you will win a berth on the Committee Boat next year during the race event of your choosing!)
However, in 1982, winds of change were blowing through the Junior Program. Johnny Hawksworth, one of our most talented sailors, and Kenzie Hubard, long time member of one of the Club’s most dedicated sailing families, and both with junior age children, took over the reins of the program. The following inauspicious announcement appeared in the April 1982 issue of The Log headlined as “Junior Activities Corner:”
What was the winning formula for Junior Week that evolved over the next few years? Basically, I believe it was the realization that most Juniors did not aspire to be avid racing competitors. That given the proper environment, if kids had fun they would acquire the principles of sailing through osmosis, even if they did not excel on the racecourse. That they would establish relationships with other Juniors which would endure for years. That even the parents and grandparents who were pressed into service during Junior Week would enjoy the experience and want to come back for more. This I think was and is the secret of our Junior Week.
In 2012, next year, Junior Week will commemorate its 30th anniversary! Sure, the Junior Program has expanded in scope since the early days. Now we have professional coaches, traveling teams that compete on a regional and national basis, offshoots such as the YMCA community program that looks like Junior Week on a smaller scale, Opti-Kids that teach our very youngest members over the two weekends prior to Junior Week, and now we admit non-members into Junior Week each year. The boats have changed as well: The Optimist Pram is now the trainer of choice and has become the boat of choice for younger kids on the racing circuit. We still have the Laser and have added the two-person 420 for the older and more advanced kids. Over 140 kids attended Junior Week and Opti Kids in 2011.
But Junior Week as envisioned by Johnny Hawksworth and Kenzie Hubard so many years ago continues to be the core component of our Junior Program and will likely remain so for many years in the future. In 1983, the pair were awarded the Mathew Fontaine Maury Bowl, the most coveted of the Club’s perpetual awards, for their outstanding contribution to sailing.
Postscript: As evidence of our Club’s commitment to Junior sailing and recognition of its outstanding programs, FBYC has hosted many youth championship events over the past seven years. These include: the Optimist Atlantic Coast Championship (2004), Junior Olympics (2005), Chesapeake Bay Midget Championship (2005, Virginia State Junior Championship (2006, 2007, 2011), and perhaps our greatest achievement, the US Optimist National Championship (2010).
On a sad note, Johnny Hawksworth died in early 2009. His family donated a perpetual trophy to be awarded to the overall winner of the Club’s Annual Regatta to memorialize his many contributions to FBYC. One such inscription on the trophy recognizes his dedication to the Junior Program that culminated in his receipt of the Maury Bowl in 1983, an award for which he was justly proud.