{"id":81392,"date":"2025-04-21T16:43:03","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T20:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=81392"},"modified":"2025-04-21T16:43:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T20:43:04","slug":"lightning-class-empowers-its-young-members-to-recruit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/racing\/lightning-class-empowers-its-young-members-to-recruit\/","title":{"rendered":"Lightning Class Empowers Its Young Members to Recruit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-winward-mark-rounding-2-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"U32 Lightning Invitational\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-winward-mark-rounding-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-winward-mark-rounding-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-winward-mark-rounding-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-winward-mark-rounding-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-winward-mark-rounding-2.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The U32 Lightning Invitational at the Buffalo Canoe Club was created to entice young adults to the class.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Scott Weber<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>A one-design class fades away when either the \u00adbuilding stops or the diehards and old-timers move on. Without sustained and creative efforts to replenish members, the outcome is always inevitable. That\u2019s not the case for the International Lightning Class, however, which is unique because of its generational continuum and the efforts of its faithful to hatch schemes that freshen the bloodlines and get new faces into the slab-sided dinghy designed in 1938 by the late and great Olin Stephens. The class\u2019s \u00adperpetual youth boat-grant program, which puts a competitive loaner into the hands of a young team for a season, is successful, but its impact is granular. To shore up another generation, in 2024, the class has cast a wider net with the creation of an \u201cUnder 32\u201d movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"x8aa2rgac1\" src=\"https:\/\/Sailingworld.dragonforms.com\/x8aa2rgac1\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>The new endeavor is aimed at recruiting wayward postcollegiate sailors\u2014and who better to do so than the class\u2019s young adult members with all the right connections? Build it, invite them, and they will come, they said, and thus the U32 Lightning Invitational was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was originally an \u00adunder-30 concept, which a few other classes already have,\u201d says Jenna Probst, a second-\u00adgeneration Lightning sailor from Ontario\u2019s Buffalo Canoe Club, which remains the cradle of North American Lightning civilization. \u201cBut we had a few friends who were already 31, and U32 just had a better ring to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Probst, who professes her undying loyalty to the class, champions its international status and the high-level racing it\u2019s known for, but it\u2019s also the familial culture, the mentoring, the fun, and the strong youthful base that she advocates. She and a committee of her peers were tasked by a handful of the class\u2019s \u201cOver 32s\u201d with launching, managing, and leading all aspects of the inaugural invitational regatta at the Canoe Club this past August. \u201cThat was the most important thing,\u201d class president David Starck says. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want another regatta where the seasoned adults are running the show. We were there to help, advise and \u00advolunteer, but that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Probst and her U32 committee co-chair, Maya Weber, another Lightning devotee of the Canoe Club, says that the effort started in early 2024 when Starck prompted them to recruit more postcollegiate \u00adsailors (an age range of 21-32). \u201cThe boat-grant program is a good opportunity to get young people into the class,\u201d Weber says, \u201cbut with this, we want to provide a taste of the class for those who don\u2019t have a full summer to \u00adcommit to the boat grant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To pull off the inaugural event in short order, they turned to their Canoe Club connections for charter boats and stuck a pin on the calendar for late August, two weeks after the class\u2019s North American Championship in Ontario. Then they went hard at recruiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe did a lot of targeted social media and marketing, and went directly to different college sailing teams,\u201d Probst says. \u201cWe had someone at College Nationals talking about it and hanging up posters and whatnot, but the biggest thing was just word of mouth. You can have all the right marketing, but you still need to actually talk to people and be like, \u2018Hey, this is an awesome event.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The target was 20 teams, but somehow, and unexpectedly, they got to 32\u2014a good problem to have. \u201cI was surprised,\u201d Weber says. \u201cIt was absolutely incredible how many people were visiting the BCC or the Lightning for the first time and came away being like, \u2018Wow, this was a great experience.\u2019 I\u2019m just excited to see where it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The goal was to have new people experience the class, Probst says. Their postregatta analysis confirmed that 31 percent of the sailors were new to the class, and 9 percent were sailors returning after a \u00adhiatus of two years or more. The class gained 39 new members. Twenty-four sailors\u201425 percent\u2014signed up as individuals and were paired with teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-registration-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"U32 Lightning Invitational registration\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-registration-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-registration-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-registration-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-registration-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/u32-registration.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The inaugural event, run by young class members, was a success.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Scott Weber<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe know a lot of friends who sailed in college and then don\u2019t really know what to do next, or what class to join,\u201d she says. \u201cSo that was kind of our target: people who are looking for a good class that\u2019s competitive but can be affordable. With the age demographic, you can\u2019t just say, \u2018Hey, come buy a boat and join the class,\u2019 so we wanted to set up a good progression with a super-low-cost event, with free housing and a free boat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To set the hook deeper, \u00adparticipants were required to become a class member in order to have borrowed-boat insurance carried by the class. \u201cIn being a member, they\u2019re also signed up to get all of the class communications, and there are now other class regattas that offer a discount for U32 members,\u201d Probst says. \u201cThat was good to see because it encourages a younger generation who might be a little more cash-strapped to come and sail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was no lack of O32s in the volunteer army, leading clinics and handling race-committee duties. President Starck deftly tended bar at the opening social at the BCC, and other local Lightning families hosted dinners on their front lawns. The U32s, meanwhile, were tasked with match-making teams, boat owners, and housing, all while ensuring a good time on and off the water. Providing people with the opportunity to sign up as individuals or as a team allowed new friendships to be forged, and name tags at social events helped to encourage conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe fun part was easy,\u201d Probst says, \u201cbecause everyone seemed to have a second- or third-degree connection from college or junior sailing. It was so cool to see people reconnect.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the U32s could control everything within their control, the one thing beyond their reach was wind. There wasn\u2019t much of it, but they still managed to get three races on the first day, with a noncounting race back to the dock and a bucket of rum. For Weber, there was a silver lining to \u201cnot having our typical BCC conditions with 15 knots and Lake Erie rollers; it provided the perfect opportunity for those newer to the class who were just getting their feet wet to get a handle for the boat without having to deal with tricky conditions. And while we didn\u2019t get to race on the second day, teams got the full Lightning boat part experience chatting and derigging all the borrowed boats together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Probst and Weber say that the point of the exercise was never about race results. It was the spearheading of a new initiative for the class, generating new friendships and interest in the class, while creating a model of sorts for this year\u2019s hosts at Metedeconk River YC in New Jersey, in October, and beyond. For their collective efforts, the co-chairs and all involved were recognized by US Sailing with the \u201cOne Design Creativity Award\u201d at the organization\u2019s biannual Leadership Forum, but the next step for the class is spreading the movement to other regions in the US and other countries as well. \u201cIt seems like it was a great success and a great kind of lightning rod for the initiative moving forward,\u201d Probst says. \u201cWe now have U32 in the US, but now we can also spread the initiative in Chile or Finland, encouraging growth and continued sailing beyond juniors. I think that\u2019ll be a good next step.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Innovating, evolving and growing\u2014that\u2019s how this legendary class continues to sail outside the pearly gates of one-design sailing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The International Lightning Class U-32 initiative lays the groundwork for its next generation of owners and crews.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":81395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Dave Reed","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":"","sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[159],"tags":[369,232,2992,177,178],"class_list":["post-81392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-racing","tag-lightning","tag-one-design","tag-print-spring-2025","tag-racing","tag-sailboat-racing"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}