♪ >> ONCE YOU GET OUT ON THE
WATER, THE FEELING OF ACTUALLY HOLDING THE MAIN SHEET AND
STEERING WITH THE TILLER, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE IN CHARGE.
YOU FEEL POWERFUL. ♪
>> WE WANT TO GET TO KNOW ALL OF YOU.
AGAIN, I WANT TO KNOW YOUR NAME. WHERE YOU GO TO SCHOOL.
>> MY NAME IS LAUREN MORRISON. I'M THE LAKE MONROE SAILING
ASSOCIATION YOUTH SAILING CAMP DIRECTOR.
I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE CAMP FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
MAKE MONROE SAILING ASSOCIATION YOUTH SAILING CAMP HAS BEEN
AROUND FOR AT LEAST THE PAST 15 YEARS AND WE TEACH KIDS FROM 9
THROUGH 16 HOW TO SAIL, AND IT'S TO FURTHER THE LOVE OF SAILING
TO THE NEXT GENERATION. ♪
THROUGH THE BLOOMINGTON MARKS AND REC, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
GROW OUR PROGRAM AND GET KIDS FROM ALL OVER THAT WOULDN'T HAVE
HEARD ABOUT OUR PROGRAM TO COME DOWN TO THE LAKE AND DEVELOP A
LOVE FOR IT. ♪
>> I WAS 8 YEARS OLD, AND MY MOM WAS LIKE, OH, YOU NEED TO DO
THAT SAILING CAMP DOWN THERE. I WAS LIKE, OH, I REALLY DON'T
WANT TO. I DON'T WANT TO SPEND MY SUMMER
DOING THAT. AND THEN ONCE I GOT TO CAMP, IT
WAS SUCH A GOOD ENVIRONMENT, AND EVERYBODY WAS SO NICE.
>> THIS IS HOW YOU CONTROL THE
BOAT. IT'S CONNECTED TO THE RUDDER.
>> THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THE YOUTH SAILING CAMP.
REALLY, ANYWHERE IN THIS AREA. THERE'S A LOT OF SAILING CAMPS
ON THE COASTS, BUT IT'S REALLY UNIQUE FOR THE MIDWEST TO BE
ABLE TO HAVE A PROGRAM LIKE
THIS. >> SO WHEN YOU SIGN UP FOR
SAILING CAMP, YOU CAN EXPECT TO GET WET.
>> MAN OVERBOARD. >> WE TEACH KIDS ABOUT SAILING
FROM THE FUNDAMENTALS OF HAVING NEVER STEPPED ON A BOAT BEFORE
AND MAYBE NEVER HAVING BEEN DOWN TO THE LAKE BEFORE.
>> WE SET UP THE PROGRAM SO THEY CAN WORK THEIR WAY UP FROM
HAVING LITTLE TO KNOW KNOWLEDGE TO BEING ABLE TO SAIL A BOAT
COMPLETELY ON THEIR OWN. >> OUR THREE CAMP GOALS ARE TO
BE SAFE, HAVE FUN, AND LEARN TO SAIL.
AND IF EVERYBODY WALKS AWAY FROM THE PROGRAM WITH THOSE THREE
THINGS, WE CONSIDER IT A SUCCESS.
♪ >> IF I HAD A GOAL THAT I WOULD
WANT EVERY CAMPER TO WALK AWAY FROM THIS CAMP KNOWING AND
UNDERSTANDING IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE BOAT TO THE
WATER, AND HOW THAT INTERACTS. HOW DO WE HARNESS THE WIND IN
ORDER TO MAKE THE BOAT MOVE.
♪ >> WE TEACH THEM ABOUT WIND
DIRECTION. WE TEACH THEM ABOUT POINTS OF
SAIL. WE TEACH THEM ABOUT CAPSIZING.
SO THAT'S WHEN THE BOAT TIPS
OVER. YOU HAVE TO FLIP IT BACK
UPRIGHT. >> AND THEN KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN
COMING HERE FOR YEARS AND YEARS. THEY LEARN RACING TECHNIQUES.
WE GET INTO THE SPORT OF SAILING AND THE SPORT OF RACING
SAILBOATS. >> SAIL CLOSER TO THE BOX.
TRY TO GET BACK? >> WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT ALL THE KIDS HAVE A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF BOATS AND THE
BOTTOM PART IS THE HULL AND THE BIG HOLE, THE GIANT METAL
LIGHTNING ROD IS THE MAST. THAT'S WHAT HOLDS UP THE SAIL.
THE PART OF THE MAST THAT STICKS OUT HORIZONTALLY, WE CALL IT THE
BOOM. YOU HAVE A MAIN SAIL WHICH THE
BIGGER SAIL AND THEN SOME OF OUR BOATS HAVE A SMALLER SAIL ON
THERE, WHICH IS THE JIB. WE DON'T HAVE ANY ROPES ON A
BOAT. THEY ARE CALLED LINES OR SHEETS.
IN ORDER TO CONTROL THE MAIN SHEET, IT'S A MAIN SHEET AND
THEN WE HAVE A RUDDER ON THE BACK, PART THAT YOU HOLD ON TO
IS CALLED THE TILLER. ♪
♪ >> ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS
ABOUT THIS PROGRAM THAT I THINK THAT WALTON REED DID JUST A
WONDERFUL JOB WHEN THEY ESTABLISHED IT.
THERE'S CAMPERS THAT COME FOR WEEK AFTER WEEK AND THEY HAVE
STRUCTURED THE PROGRAM IN A WAY THAT THEY THEN GO FROM LEARNING
TO SAIL, TO LEARNING TO TEACH
SAILING. AND THEY ARE PASSING ON THEIR
LOVE OF THE SPORT AND THE ACTIVITY TO THE NEXT GENERATION,
YOU KNOW, KIDS THAT ARE YOUNGER THAN THEY ARE.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS? >> AFTER THAT ONE FIRST SUMMER,
I REALIZED THAT I HAD MADE SOME
FRIENDS. SO I KEPT COMING.
EVENTUALLY MOVED MY WAY UP THE RANKS AND GOT ALL THE BRACELETS.
SLOWLY BECAME AN INSTRUCTOR. >> ALL OF THE STAFF HERE WERE
SCAM CAMPERS AT -- CAMPERS AT ONE POINT.
IT'S ALWAYS LIKE ONCE YOU ARE SAILING AND YOU GET SMALL BOAT
CERTIFIED AND THEN ONCE YOU TURN 14, YOU CAN BECOME AN INTERN.
AND EVERYBODY CHOOSES TO BECOME STAFF BECAUSE BEING STAFF IS
SUPER FUN! WE ARE ALWAYS LIKE ONE BIG
FAMILY. IT'S REALLY COOL.
THIS IS MY FIRST YEAR AS AN INSTRUCTOR.
SO THAT'S PRETTY EXCITING. I LOVE BEING ON THE BOATS, JUST
TEACHING THE CHILDREN AND JUST HAVING FUN WITH IT.
A LOT OF IT IS JUST TRYING TO BE THAT FUN PERSON THAT THE KIDS
CAN RELATE TO, HAVE FUN WITH. >> IT WOULD BE GREAT IF EVERY
KID CAME AWAY KNOWING, YOU KNOW, A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF HOW WE
HARNESS THE WIND AND MOVE THIS BOAT AND I CAN DO IT.
I'M A KID BUT I CAN DO THIS HARD, COOL THING BY MYSELF.
AND, YOU KNOW YORK RE REAL -- I DON'T REALLY NEED ADULT HELP.
I THINK IT IS A GREAT WAY FOR KIDS TO GROW IN THEIR
INDEPENDENCE. AND IF EVERY KID WALKS AWAY
HAVING SOME UNDERSTANDING OF SAILING, BUT ALSO JUST HAD A
GREAT TIME AND FEELS MORE CONFIDENT, THEN THAT'S
EXCELLENT.
♪