Valhalla Sailing Project, Ltd promotes awareness of veteran suicide and develops resilience and self-efficacy amongst wounded and disabled veterans during their post service transition. This program utilizes the dynamic of crew interaction in competitive sailboat racing as a means of reintegrating these veterans into an environment of teamwork, camaraderie and esprit de corps and capitalizes on th
e public venue of a race regatta to promote awareness of veteran suicide and suicide prevention efforts. BACKGROUND:
The founders, Michael Wood and James McGinnis, both disabled combat veterans and competitive sailors, have experienced first-hand the benefits of competitive sailboat racing in their own transition to civilian life. The demand for team coordination, integrated communication and reliance on your teammate that is required in successful one-design racing directly mirrors those same aspects of the veteran’s service whether as part of a Marine Corps or Army infantry fire team, a Navy boat crew or an Air Force aircraft crew. It is precisely this camaraderie and sense of belonging that many veterans describe as the thing they struggle to find after transitioning civilian life. Valhalla Sailing Project provides a venue that re-establishes the sense of belonging that so many veterans report as absent in their civilian transition. Unlike other veteran focused sailing programs, Valhalla Sailing Project is not just giving veterans a single day’s exposure to the sport of competitive sailing. Rather, Valhalla Sailing Project is about establishing a continuous engagement with the sport as a committed member of the sailing or support crew. We seek to create an environment where service members are a team again, reliant upon one another and united toward a common objective. Competitive sailing provides a year round opportunity to achieve this goal both on and off the water. When not racing, the crew is preparing themselves physically and the boat structurally for the next competitive event. During the off season, the team prepares the boat and its gear for dry storage ashore. While ashore the crew engages in a detailed maintenance schedule with a timeline driven objective of re-launching in advance of the first race of the new season. This cycle is analogous to the operational cycle that is familiar to most service members, regardless of their branch of service and reflects a direct application of their military training within a civilian context. Whether through direct involvement with individual veterans as crew members or through engagement with the public at racing venues, host clubs, race courses, and maritime events Valhalla Sailing Project is engaged in raising awareness of veteran issues and reducing veteran suicide. Sailing events are highly publicized and well attended by those in the local community as well as participants from across the nation and provide an optimal environment for raising awareness of this critical issue. A crew consisting of wounded veterans and/or disabled veterans, as well as intermittent participation by active duty, reserve/National Guard Department of Defense civilian direct demonstrates a unity of effort across the entire spectrum of our national defense network. As we looked past our first year, we realize that the crew onboard Valhalla Sailing Project boats will only be with us for a short time. Knowing this, we will encourage participants to carry the Valhalla Sailing Project with them to wherever they call home. If that participant is from another sailing community (Key West, FL, Galveston, TX, San Diego, CA, Newport, RI, Charleston, SC, etc.) then the first location will facilitate the founding of an additional “syndicate” in that sailing venue. These additional locations will allow for other veteran communities to utilize the benefits of a competitive sailing organization in order to further enrich their lives. THERAPY THROUGH SPORTS:
Valhalla Sailing Project will establish a training regime in order to provide quality instruction in sailing fundamentals and racing. This training will allow participants the ability to progress within the sport of competitive sailing while establishing relationships with like minded individuals. Modeled after proven instructional methodologies and combined with functional life lessons; the Valhalla Sailing Project’s training program is designed to mirror military training evolutions. As members progress though the program, they will be assigned as mentors to new members. It is this bond that assists the veteran’s transition out of their respective services. These mentor based relationships give members and staff “battle buddies” that will provide support in those difficult moments that trouble transitioning veterans. Participation in sports has also been proven to provide therapeutic effects to not only people participating in the sport but to spectators as well. For those participating in a competitive sailing race, heart rates increase, adrenaline spikes, and focus intensifies. These are the feelings that veterans crave. Victory is not necessary for the participants to feel the effects of this rush; even in defeat veterans and service members will analyze their performance in order to determine where improvement is needed. This constant drive for perfection is what makes utilizing therapeutic effects through sports is a match to transitioning veterans and service members. WHO ARE WE? Valhalla Sailing project will be managed by a 100% volunteer Board of Directors and Board of Advisors consisting of veterans and civilian supporters within the local sailing community. Participants to the program will come in either by referrals from veteran or wounded veteran organizations (e.g. Walter Reed, Veterans Administration, USMC Wounded Warrior Battalion, etc.), by nomination from Board members, or by request during events. These participants will then be validated by the Board in order to verify service (VA ID card, DD214, active military ID, etc.). As the program acquires boats that will be raced, participants will be needed to have a primary and secondary crew for each boat. Additionally, participants will be needed to provide on-the-water and on-shore support. We strive to never turn away a participant regardless of our capacity or the severity of their disability. Unfortunately there are limitations into what type of accessibility equipment can be safely added to a racing sailboat, all persons are welcome to the organization. On-the-water support would include a volunteered powerboat whose services would be: safety craft, tow craft, carrying back up crew, carrying food, etc. The crew of this boat will be essential to the greater race success of the racing sailboat. Reasonably, four to five participants will need to crew this support boat. On-shore support would include participants that would set up the Valhalla Sailing Project information booth at sailing venues. These booths would be manned by participants of the program from all facets of the organization (race crew, on-water crew, or shore support). As the program grows, we would like to bring additional participants on board in order to provide mentorship and guidance. Not only will we support other organizations providing suicide prevention awareness, we will be able to provide support within the golden hour utilizing on-staff mentors. ACTIVITY TIME FRAME:
Valhalla Sailing Project will be a year round organization where a majority of the activities fall within the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association (CBYRA) racing schedule. Traditionally, the CBYRA season begins with the National Offshore One Design regatta (late April) and concludes following the Annapolis Fall Series (late October). Throughout the season there are a myriad of events that bring the Annapolis sailing community to the National stage. Some of these events include the National Offshore One Design regatta, the Leukemia Cup, the Governor’s Cup, Annapolis to Bermuda, Annapolis to Newport, and the Annapolis Race Week. During these key regattas, thousands of racers and family descend on Annapolis adding to Valhalla Sailing Program’s visibility. In addition to these high profile regattas, the program will be participating in the annual Wednesday night series, which in concert with the high profile events cumulate into the CBYRA High Point Award. Throughout the sailing season, Valhalla Sailing Project will offer training camps that will constantly introduce new members to the sport of sailing but also enable the refinement of current member’s skills. During the off season, depending on weather conditions, participants may be able to participate in the frostbite series for winter racing (modified rules for safety). If the boat(s) is not being utilized for the frostbite series, participants will be able to assist with regular maintenance of the craft(s) while it is out of the water. Additionally, members will be encouraged to participate in functional physical fitness activities where members will maintain their athletic edge both mentally and physically.
