> US SAILING Media > Sailor of the Week > 2010 > Sailor of the Week - February, 2010 > Amy Gross-Kehoe
Amy Gross-Kehoe
Sailor of the Week: Jan. 28 - Feb. 3
The 2010 National Sailing Program Symposium (NSPS) in Houston is upon us. It is important for US SAILING and the entire sailing community to recognize those who make it all possible. One name that comes to mind is Amy Gross-Kehoe. Amy has been the co-agenda coordinator for NSPS, along with Deb Sullivan-Gravelle, since 2005. She has the task of recruiting experienced and successful sailing program leaders to the symposium who can share their knowledge.
Amy’s involvement in the sport is vast. She has been US SAILING’s Youth Council Chair since 2006, and she was on the board of directors from 2006 to 2008. Currently, she is the advertising traffic coordinator at SpinSheet Magazine and the head coach of the Gunston Day School Sailing Team in Centreville, Md. Amy is also a certified level one instructor trainer. Her background in the sport ranges from beginner to collegiate level sailing. As an expert at teaching Learn-to-Sail programs, developing junior champions and competing and coaching internationally, Amy has the experience to be effective at all levels of youth sailing. Presently, her focus is building a bigger base for the sport. Getting more kids involved in sailing and keeping them engaged is her goal.
Amy has lived all over the country, including Long Island, New England, Florida and California. “The U.S. has a challenge in its size and diversity,” Amy said. “Our different climates mean that junior sailing has developed differently in different areas.”
Amy was raised in a sailing family. Her parents and grandparents were cruisers on Long Island Sound and Chesapeake Bay. Her brother, Alex, is also a sailor. Amy says her parents convinced her to give sailing a chance when she was nine. “I hated it until I was 12,” she admitted. “Most of the folks I grew up with at Centerport Yacht Club on Long Island Sound can’t believe that I’ve made my career in sailing. No one expects the kid crying on the dock to grow up to be a professional in sailing,” she added.
Amy appreciates the sport more now than ever. “Now that I’m battling brain cancer, I’m really glad sailing offers different levels of physical involvement,” she said. “I’m planning to start with a wheel in my hand, and a mainsheet trimmer at my side. Eventually, I’ll be back at the jib sheets in a women’s match racing tacking duel!”