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Hobie Sailor of the Month - December, 2011
Andy Kiener
The US Sailing Race Management Committee designated Andy Kiener Race Officer Emeritus for his long and distinguished race management career spanning nearly 40 years, and his wide variety of experience as a Certified Regional Race Officer, Senior Race Officer, Principal Race Officer, Senior Judge, and Certified Basic Instructor. Andy was honored by US Sailing on November 11 at the Chicago Yacht Club race committee dinner. “This means a great deal to me, but more importantly it serves as an example to others in race management that our service is being recognized and appreciated.”
US Sailing Race Officer Emeritus is designated to US Sailing Certified Race Officers who over their career in race management, have made exceptional contributions to the sport of sailing.
Andy has contributed in many areas of race management and influenced hundreds of race officers with seminar presentations and peer mentoring. Andy’s career began in the early 1970’s, and has covered many different formats of races and regattas. He continues today as a US Sailing Senior Judge. Andy started out as a race committee member for the U.S. Naval Sailing Association in Chicago. He was also on race committees for the Chicago Yacht Club, Columbia Yacht Club, Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club, and Great Lakes Yacht Club. He worked races including offshore closed courses and port to port distance racing for handicap keelboats and one-design classes.
“When I started, the idea of training people formerly and mentoring out on the race course was relatively new. Those ideas were coming to the floor and had a big effect on the sport,” explained Andy. “Sailboat racing is an exciting and dynamic sport that deserves quality officiating.”
He later served as Race Committee Chair and Principal Race Officer (PRO) for NSA Chicago and the Great Lakes Yacht Club. Andy was Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Chicago Yacht Club Race Committee, where he was PRO for many offshore, keelboat, dingy races, and regattas including the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, Lake Forest Yacht Club Junior Olympics, Jackson Park Yacht Club Lutz Regatta, and J/105 National Championships. He was an Assistant PRO for the Star World Championships, Etchells World and National Championships, and Miami OCR. As a youngster, Andy started sailing on a Sailfish at the age of 12 in Chicago, and soon after was racing the Sunfish. Later in life, Andy became more involved in offshore sailing, and was drawn into race committee work.
“I was told that if I worked on race committees, I’d get to use the sailboats. That was the catch for me,” added Andy.
“Today’s race management is leaps and bounds ahead of where it was years ago. Most sailors are experiencing good, quality race management. There are lots of people to thank for that, including all past and present US Sailing Race Management Committee members.”