I have been an instructor for 2 years now. My time at Piers Park, however, started 9 years ago as a Harbor Explorer. Through my years here, Piers Park has both shaped who I am and who I hope to be. This picture, in my mind, shows part of the journey that made me who I am. All of my time here has allowed me to have experiences that otherwise I would not have been able to have, or even thought to have attempted to have. Those experiences are the ones that I want to pass onto the students that I teach.
For me, this program is like no other. The dynamic between instructors and kids, and also between kids themselves, gives the kids time to learn in an environment where they might want to come back not only for the sailing, but also for the experience. When I was younger, I went to a lot of other programs, yet I ended up here because of that atmosphere and how it continued to be passed on. It wasn’t always because of one person, but how all the instructors and other staff understood that and, for the most part, had experienced in the past as students.
I am currently going into my junior year of high school without a very clear idea of how I want to continue after that. I participated in the Olympic Development Program for rowing this summer, which set me on a path that I hope will lead me to the junior national team and college recruitment. I will continue to work at Piers Park for as long as I can, given the role that I am able to enjoy and what I am able to do.
As an instructor, I hope to be fulfilling the role that I looked up to as a student, I am a better sailor everyday and I hope to pass that on effectively to my students. That, however, is just the job description and though it is extremely enjoyable and fulfilling, it is not the entire job. I have made relationships with so many people at Piers Park at all the different times and stages of my journey, as a student, then as a Future Leader, and now as an instructor. Everyday I work with those people to not only just to teach students, but to make their time here more enjoyable. Those relationships are ones I hope last for a long, long time.
I try to pass on my journey everyday in the way that I interact with the students to the things that I teach them, whether that be related to sailing or not. I try to lead them to be adventurous and to be curious. Though those two things are sometimes intertwined, in my mind they are used in two different contexts. Many times students come unsure of what is about to happen and many times have fears of some sort, whether that comes in the form of shyness or a fear of heeling. As time goes on, they start to come out of their shell and at last, they ask questions. That in my mind is the most important thing, because in that way they can form opinions and start to have experiences driven by their own wanting, instead of just going along for the ride. That journey begins with this picture, exploration.
–Sam Sullivan
