The Balearic Optimist Clinic puts young sailors to the test again at the Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita

The Club Nàutic S'Arenal (CNA) and the Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita (CNR) have joined forces for the third consecutive year to organise, starting this Thursday, the Clinic Optimist Balear, which on this occasion will be limited to the sub12 category.

The aim of the Optimist Balear Clinic is to get the sailors out of their comfort zone, out of their group and change their coach for a few days, and from there, to get them to learn in new environments and help them to make a leap in quality. As a novelty, this year a whole day will be dedicated to the training and preparation of the coaches.

The Club Nàutic S'Arenal (CNA) and the Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita (CNR) are holding the third edition of their Optimist Balear Clinic from Thursday 30th of May until Sunday 2nd of June, which on this occasion will focus on the sub12 category. The event, which brings together 54 sailors and their coaches from various clubs in the Balearic Islands and the mainland, is organized with the collaboration of the Balearic Association of the International Optimist Class (ABCIO) and the Balearic Sailing Federation (FBV). On this occasion, the host club will be the CNR, after having been held last year at the CNA.

More than fifty young sailors from different clubs, specifically the CNA, the CNR, the Real Club Náutico de Palma, the Club Nàutic S'Estanyol, the Club Nàutic Portocolom, the Reial Club Nàutic Port de Pollença, the Club Marítimo San Antonio de Playa and the Club Náutico Marítimo de Benalmádena, the Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa and the Club Náutico Marítimo de Benalmádena, are meeting this week at the CNR facilities together with their coaches to undergo some intense days of sailing training.

As a novelty in this edition, the first day is dedicated specifically to coaches, to address issues of interest to them and plan the contents of the Clinic. On this first day, talks will be given by Adrián Barceló, Optimist coach of the CNA and the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation in international championships, and Cristina Hill, sports psychologist, with a talk on communication with the sailors. Inés Cabrer will also address issues related to the topic of protests, how to deal with them from the position of coach and what advice and help to give the sailors in these cases. Joan Sabater and Miki Bover, from the CNA and CNR respectively, will also explain in Clinic the development of the project and its details to the coaches and sailors attending.

It will be on Friday when the athletes, separated into six groups of nine sailors, will address theoretical issues of technique that will then be put into practice in a water session, with exercises aimed at applying the knowledge acquired, as well as in regattas. Finally, they will receive a talk on cabuyería by Juanito Manresa and will conclude the day with an aperitif.

On Saturday, after the physical preparation, they will be explained guidelines for the preparation of regattas, knowledge that they will apply after lunch in a water session, followed by regattas and, to close the day, a talk entitled ‘Road to success’ by Joan Carles Cardona, RS:X sailor in two Olympic campaigns and currently coach of IQ Foil in the Fundació de l'Esport Balear.

Finally, Sunday will be the regatta day par excellence, with four races in which the participants will be able to put into practice everything they have learnt during the Clinic. The day will conclude with a prize-giving ceremony.

‘This joint technification meeting will allow the sailors to mix with each other and to train with different instructors from different clubs. It will be a day of training and enrichment for the sailors, but also for the coaches,’ says Miki Bover, sports director of the CNR.