US SAILING Selects Team of Subject Experts Responsible for Development of National On-Water Instruction Standards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jake Fish
Communications Manager, US SAILING
401.683.0800 x614
jakefish@ussailing.org

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (October 12, 2011) – The US SAILING Oversight and Management Committees for the Development of National On-Water Instruction Standards for Recreational Boat Operators has established a national team of subject matter experts who currently or recently have on-water instruction experience in the disciplines of sail, power or paddle watercraft. US SAILING, the National Governing Body of the sport and a US Coast Guard Grantee, is providing direction to the team with the objective of developing entry-level skill-based National On-Water Instruction Standards for Recreational Boat Operators through an open consensus-based agreement. Team participants are:

Rick Franke - Harwood, Md.
Joni Palmer - Annapolis, Md.
Harry Horgan - Miami, Fla.
Lynn Walls - Chicago, Ill.
Cai Svendsen - Coral Gables, Fla.
Steve Colgate - Fort Myers, Fla.
Peter Durant - Dartmouth, Mass.
Ed Huntsman - Phoenix, Ariz.
Katherine Tamer - Houston, Texas
Richard Moore - Tallahassee, Fla.
Karen Prioleau - Newport Beach, Calif.
Bob Palmer - Midlothian, Va.
Dick Allsopp - Orange Park, Fla.
Emily King - Galena, Ohio
Larry Meddock - Orlando, Fla.
Jerry Craddock - Mentor, Ohio
Dave Marlow - Knoxville, Tenn.
Charlie Arms - Vallejo, Calif.
Jeremy Oyen - Renton, Wash.
Chris Stec - Fredericksburg, Va.
Josh Hall - Charleston, S.C.
Pam Dillon - Manassas, Va.
Brian Westfall - Mountain Pine, Ark.
Brian Davidson - Kirtland, Ohio
Thomas Lindblade - Rockford, Ill.
Bruce Smith - Brighton, Mass.
Robin Pope - Sylva, N.C.
John Adey - Annapolis, Md.
Bruce Rowe - Scottsdale, Ariz.
Dan Maxim - Cranbury, N.J.

Also part of the team is an Oversight Committee and an Advisory Committee. The Oversight Committee is comprised of Pete Chisholm, Timothea Larr and James P. Muldoon. The Team Advisory Committee includes, Ron Sarver, Rich Jepsen and John Malatak. To ensure a consensus outcome, the team’s work will be guided by a professional facilitator, K. Brian Dorval, CEO of Think First Serve.

The seated Subject Expert Team will develop, for the first time, a core set of skill-based National On-Water Instruction Standards for recreational boat operators in the domain areas of sail, power and paddle, with an emphasis on Power. The primary approach of delivery is experiential, hands-on and on-water instruction. This new set of skill-based standards will represent a consensus of opinions from a wide representation of people and organizations that have vast expertise in boating education, and training and skills development using hands-on and on-water instructional approaches.

These national skill-based standards will enable individuals, groups and organizations to design and deliver their own unique experientially-based approaches to on-water instruction for recreational boat operators. Individual approaches will be designed in a way that allows for a consistent, appropriate and safe hands-on entry-level instruction to the public.

The Subject Expert Team was formulated to represent government, non-profit association, industry, professional, community and public stakeholder interests. The team was selected by the Oversight Committee, from a pool of eligible candidates identified through the application process.

To ensure an effective transition into this mode of skill-based standards development work, the Subject Expert Team will be trained on ANSI-based procedures that involve, among other requirements; the Teams prompt consideration of different views and objections, consensus balloting, a public review of standards drafts, and the opportunity for procedural appeals.

Once the skill-based standards are developed, an initial call for proposed revisions to the standards will be announced. After the Team organizes its work, with instructions for submissions to the call, the standards document will be up for review and other resource items will be made available at http://training.ussailing.org/nationalonwaterstandards.htm. 

US SAILING is an implementing partner of the United States Coast Guard’s National Recreational Boating Safety Strategic Plan. To learn more about the Development of National On-Water Instruction Standards, the application process for the Subject Expert Team and its mission, please visit http://training.ussailing.org/nationalonwaterstandards.htm.