Sail Canada announced the selection of sailors for the 2015 Canadian Sailing Team today. Included on the team is NSC member Christine Lavallée.
Christine sails a 2.4 meter and is currently ranking 31st in the world in the Paralympic one person event. She was the gold medalist in the 2.4 meter class at the 2013 Canada Summer Games where fellow club member Aaron Wong-Sing won Bronze. In January 2015 Christine placed 14th at the Miami World Cup Sailing event.
Christine’s sailing skills have shown steady improvement through the opportunity to train with training partners at Nepean Sailing Club and with her willingness to travel to major events throughout North America. The coaching support of Ontario Sailing and Sail Canada, especially Erik Stibbe and Rob Frost, has accelerated her development.
Four years ago Ontario Sailing designated Nepean Sailing Club as the Provincial Training Centre for Paralympic Sailing. This designation has provided assistance for the sailors in the area of coaching support. The NSC team is actively looking for additional sailors to join the Martin 16 and 2.4 race teams; you don’t need to be in a wheel chair to classify as a disabled sailor.
The Canadian Sailing Team consists of 35 elite sailors competing to qualify for the ten Olympic sailing events and three Paralympic sailing events.