* J/22 sailor from Annapolis, Sue Mikulski,
a long time veteran competitor and key contributor to the Rolex Women's
reflects on how this special event has impacted her life. Over the
years, she has made it a personal goal of hers to grow competitive
women’s sailing and the Championship has played a major role in
achieving this.Sue was the Outreach Coordinator for the Road to Rolex Clinics and Next Step to Rolex from 2000 to 2005. Road to Rolex clinics are designed to prepare competitors for the Rolex IWKC. Junior women sailors interested in gaining international sailing experience participate in the Next Step to Rolex Program.
“I spent many hours and many evenings contacting women sailors from around the world explaining theses Rolex programs, how it draws women into racing at all levels and that it is the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Sue. “The Road to Rolex clinics helped promote women's sailing, and especially those getting ready to do their first international event.”
Sue is ecstatic about the progress these programs have made on the evolution of the Rolex IWKC and maintaining it as a first class event with talent and diversity.
“It is extremely rewarding to see names of juniors from the Next Step Program now competing in the upcoming RIWKC. I smile when I see those names,” she said.
Sue trained for two years leading up to her first Rolex IWKC in 1995. She joined the Liberty Sailing Club in Philadelphia, Pa. and the Philadelphia Laser Fleet in the early 1990s and sailed close to 200 races a year from 1993 to 1995.
“I felt it important to give back to the sport of sailing, after so many helped me get involved, and that US SAILING helped me get my start in conjunction with Rolex. I had a great team who helped me pull it together,” she said. Sue went on to skipper at the Rolex IWKC at Annapolis in 2001, 2003 and 2005.
She is excited to return to competition this year after missing the 2009 and 2007 events. For the past five years Sue has battling the effects of Chondromalacia. She has no cartilage behind her knee caps and two torn meniscus in each knee. During this time she became very involved with Race Committee at Annapolis Yacht Club, which she loves to be part of. After hours of therapy, she is ready to make a return.
The Rolex IWKC is a unique event with a camaraderie unlike any event I've ever done. Sailing with your girlfriends is fun, intense and such a learning experience about yourself. Racing, owning and skippering my boat helped my confidence, helped my leadership ability and ability to be a team player.”
US SAILING’s 2011 Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (Rolex IWKC), hosted by the Rochester Yacht Club (N.Y.), takes place on August 29 - September 1. For team rosters, results, video, photos, Facebook/Twitter updates and daily racing reports, please visit the event website at http://riwkc.ussailing.org.
