NWISA Sailor Registration Reminder & Substitutions

[Haley Lhamon]

Dear Coaches,

Please make sure your sailors have submitted their 2025-2026 NWISA Sailor Registration before racing this weekend. This form includes the NWISA Code of Conduct agreement and the link to upload enrollment documentation (a screenshot of their schedule showing their name, school name, and date or school year). Approximately 250 sailors have been approved by Jaime and me this fall, and their names are highlighted in green on the NWISA Sailor Eligibility sheet. I've sent multiple reminders since early September, and nine sailors still have issues (names highlighted yellow with explanation). The most common issue is the schedule screenshot doesn't show the name of the school at which they are trying to prove current enrollment. 

A couple of you have asked about the possibility of switching sailors between the silver and gold regattas this weekend. Basically, you're limited in the same ways as switching between A and B divisions within a regatta. Once a sailor skippers, they are locked into that division and that regatta; a crew may switch once. Here's the applicable district rule 7.2 that is linked on the NWISA resources page via District Rules listed on the left side of the resources page (note terminology change that varsity now = gold and JV now = silver):

When an event has both Varsity and JV regattas, there are no restrictions for substituting sailors between Varsity and JV regattas unless the event is a Ranking Regatta. For Ranking Regattas after a sailor has competed as a skipper for one or more race(s) in either the Varsity or JV regatta, they shall not thereafter sail in any other regatta for this event. A sailor who has competed as a crew in a Ranking Regatta (Varsity or JV), but not as a skipper, may shift to the other event (Varsity or JV), as skipper or crew, but thereafter sail only in that division. No substituting or movement between regattas is allowed at District Championship events.

Last, I'm sorry NWISA board members haven't been as present as usual this fall with Sarah and I retiring from coaching but still on the board until elections (Sarah will remain on the board), and three other board members have been extra busy with wedding/honeymoon, nationally racing keelboats and dinghies, and a new baby+returing to a full time job outside of HS sailing. Normally, we'd be at nearly all if not all regattas. Please recognize we've frequently provided support in the background and in person: Sarah ran girls' qualifier and advocated for homeschoolers/virtual/ALE in the two ISSA eligibility committee meetings; Shawn is PRO this weekend with Anna as NWISA rep (who we really appreciate having at Cascadia Cup); and I've made sure we've had qualified judges for singlehands, keelboat qualifier, and this weekend (for gold) as well as being NWISA rep for the two districts (Jaime was rep on call for Cascadia). Thank you for supporting each other when we're not there to help in person, but please don't hesitate to reach out. 

Anna will be in touch early next week with an update from last night's board meeting, but please mark your calendars for the district meeting on the date more could attend: Wednesday, November 5, 7-8:30 PM.

Thank you and best wishes for fall champs! Safe travels!

Kind regards,

Haley