US SAILING Board of Directors Withdraws Mandatory Membership Proposal

Portsmouth, R.I. (June 17, 2008) - US SAILING, national governing body for the sport of sailing, has announced today that its Board of Directors last night voted to withdraw a proposal that would require US SAILING membership of racing sailors.

“We have heard from our members and we thank everyone for their input,” said US SAILING President Jim Capron. “Many sailors and sailing organizations have told us that racing sailors should be members, but that their membership should be voluntary. We also appreciate that many of these sailing organizations have indicated their willingness to help grow our membership. We look forward to working with all of you to strengthen both our organization and our sport.”

This seems like a smart move on the part of US Sailing Board. Mandating that all racing sailors become a member of US Sailing did not sit well with many. I think that there are other ways to grow the sport and organization without requiring membership. I applaud the board of directors for listening to their membership and thinking about other ways to reach their goals.