Latest news with #Optimist
Observer
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Omani sailors camp in Ras Al Hadd
MUSCAT: Sailors from Oman's national teams will spend the summer undergoing technical and tactical training in Ras Al Hadd under the guidance of specialist coaches. Starting from June 29 and running through until August 22, the Optimist, ILCA 4, 29er, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 teams will work on their skills, improve their fitness and conditioning and train on and off the water in preparation for upcoming competitions, including the Oman National Sailing Championships and Mussanah Race Week. In total, 32 sailors will join the camp across six training blocks spanning eight weeks. The camp will be led by Oman Sail's Head Coach Performance, Hashim al Rashdi, and Instructor Marwa al Khaifi, the Female team leader. The 13-strong Optimist team will be accompanied by Coach Sultan al Zadjali and Development Coach Hassan al Rahbi, 15 sailors representing the ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and 7 teams will be led by Coach Ahmed al Wahaibi, four sailors from the 29er team will be coached by Ahmed al Hasani. Abdulaziz al Shidi, Oman Sail's Acting Director of Sailing, said, 'Ras Al Hadd is the ideal venue for our sailors to learn from each other in a supportive environment where sailing is the top priority for us all. The group has made significant progress in the past year and we're looking to build on that by incorporating new challenges, new opportunities and different conditions to support the growth of all of our teams.' Archive image of Ras Al Hadd Training camp Hashim al Rashdi, Oman Sail's Head Coach Performance, added, 'There are several important competitions on the horizon and we need to ensure we're prepared as best we can be. That means being in peak physical and mental condition, gaining experience of the most likely scenarios they will face on the water and ensure all of our teams have the solutions to potential challenges at their disposal. Ras Al Hadd has proved to be an excellent venue in the past and we are all looking forward to another chance to sail in these waters.' The Oman National Sailing Championships gets underway from August 18-22. This will be followed by the 14th edition of Mussanah Race Week from October 15-21, 2025 where Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, ILCA 7, and the para inclusive RS Venture Connect class sailors from around the world head to Oman for one of the most popular events in the national sailing calendar.
Straits Times
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Irish sisters help rewrite the playbook at elite youth worlds
Irish sisters help rewrite the playbook at elite youth worlds In the wind-whipped nursery of elite sailing, three Irish sisters are rewriting the record books at this week's Optimist World Championship in Slovenia — a regatta where futures begin to take shape. Maeve, Emily and Lily Donagh, who swept the podium at the national championships earlier this year, are representing Ireland at the 2025 edition of the regatta in Portoroz. Alongside teammates Charlotte Crosbie and Holly Cantwell, they make up the country's first all-female squad at the event. Ireland is not alone in marking a milestone. Hong Kong also fields an all-girl team, while India, Paraguay and the Philippines each send female sailors as their sole representatives. By contrast, sailing mainstays including Australia, the United States, Britain, Germany and New Zealand are among some 20 nations represented by all-male teams. This year's championship, featuring 287 sailors from a record 66 nations, stands as the sport's foremost proving ground — where young talent is honed, tested, and often launched toward Olympic greatness. The Optimist is a single-handed dinghy class designed for sailors aged 15 and under, and is widely regarded as the foundation of competitive sailing. With more than 150,000 boats registered worldwide, it is the most popular youth racing class and a recognised springboard for future greats including Ben Ainslie, who began his journey in an Optimist. Ainslie went on to become the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, winning five medals for Britain, including four consecutive golds between 2000 and 2012 after a silver in 1996. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Newsroom
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsroom
An Ode to .. Maurice Gee
The death of Maurice Gee last week came as no real surprise. At 93, he had outlasted most of his contemporaries of late 20th Century New Zealand literature. But it struck me harder than I expected. I had never met Maurice Gee, never heard him speak, never seen him in real life. Yet his presence, or the presence of his work, has been with me for a very long time, locked in from when I first read his children's novel Under the Mountain. The battered cover of my long-lost copy I remember well. After 40-plus years, my original reading of the book is tangled up a little with the original TV adaptation. That version featured DIY special effects that were nonetheless highly effective at the time. I found the book compulsive reading, and I returned to it several times. I did again when I heard of Gee's death. His adult novels formed a backdrop to my later reading, but nothing quite had the same visceral sense of evil of Under the Mountain. Other books by other authors had adventures with goodies and baddies. But Gee's story, which in lesser hands could have just been a rollicking adventure with alien baddies, still leaves a chill after decades. From the opening pages, where the twins Rachel and Theo Matheson are mysteriously rescued by a strange alien force – known as Mr. Jones – there is a brooding sense of foreboding. Jones is the last of an alien race, 'The People Who Understand.' He is fading out. His only mission is to stop the remnants of another alien race, the Wilberforces, emerging from their long sleep under the dormant volcanoes of Auckland to ravage Earth and continue a trail of mindless destruction across the galaxy. As for the self-congratulatory name of his all but extinct race, Mr. Jones drily reflects, 'We suffered from pride, you see.' Gee effortlessly fills in enough to locate us in space and time for this showdown. The Hauraki Gulf, the North Shore, Rangitoto – and Lake Pupuke, the deep freshwater lake on the North Shore formed by volcanic craters. My partner grew up very close by. I asked her whether Lake Pupuke was as scary as it was in the book. Yes, apparently. There were several stories – of learning to sail in an Optimist sail-boat, of dislocated shoulders from wind surfing, of alcohol-fuelled teenage swims, even of being attacked by swans from the lake one day as a small child. Legend has it that sunken waka and unrecovered bodies lie at its bottom. Slimy logs or eels might brush your leg. Lake Pupuke, a tranquil breeding ground for nightmares. And the home base for Gee's great fantastic invention, the alien worm-slug symbiotes, the Wilberforces, the 'people of the mud, who conquer and multiply.' This picturesque harbour and suburban enclaves were the setting for a cosmic struggle. Mr. Jones describes the Wilberforces as having as much empathy as a school of sharks. The New Zealand speculative fiction writer Octavia Cade has importantly noted how they are intelligent, lethal, and amoral. 'The amorality is key – the Wilberforces have no better nature to appeal to, no pity and no kindness. Yet neither do they appear to have any malice. They kill out of instinct.' Kill or be killed. The Wilberforces seek to eliminate any threat as quickly as possible. They are implacably driven to expand and consume, to destroy, then move on. Yet Mr. Jones, using the Matheson twins and their special powers, also seeks in turn to destroy their race. This lack of standard-issue villainy gives the Wilberforces their alien nature, but a nature that is not altogether alien. 'They're creatures of tremendous will – no imagination, no conscience, no feeling. They remind me of some of the leaders of your race,' explains Mr Jones. Their shape-changing ability is compromised when a Wilberforce comes under stress. A Wilberforce trying to break into the twin's house starts to melt down from its human form (literally) when it comes up against resistance, and returns to its efficiently slug like self, piece by piece. As the struggle continues inside the house, the Wilberforce is momentarily confused and 'gives a quack of surprise.' Gee, the master at work. Anyone else would have a snarl or a roar in the mouth of the monster – but the otherness of the quack is a moment of beautiful strangeness. There is no happy ending. The Wilberforces are 'given the gift of oblivion' – utterly destroyed. And Mr. Jones, the last remnant of 'The People Who Understand' dissolves into the air after expending the last of his life energy in the desperate battle. 'His voice passed quietly through their minds. It died. They raised their heads and saw a pale flame floating over the crater. It turned into a mist. The wind broke it and flung it away.' Theo and Rachel walk back into the city of Auckland, where dormant volcanoes have erupted, creating devastation. Years later, I would come across Gee's adult novels. Plumb is the obvious masterpiece, a brilliant portrait of a moralistic Clergyman involved in the political and moral debates of the early twentieth century, whose unbending nature eventually wreaks havoc on his own family. Plumb was modelled on Gee's grandfather, the Rev James Chapple. My favourite adult novel of Gee's would have to be Going West, a psychological study of the flawed but decent Jack Skeat, recently retired archivist, and his major life relationships – his wife, his mother, his long dead father, and the complex friendship with the poet Rex Petley. In these relationships lie complexities and secrets that Jack, freed from a busy working and family life investigates, as well as examining his own life with some trepidation: 'I shine my torch back into the dark. Stupid bugger! Don't go there.' Going West threads its way through the social divisions of class, adroitly fictionalises the New Zealand literary scene (sometimes waspishly), and slowly pulls back the layers on the devastating consequences of secrecy, sexual puritanism and emotional constriction on the lives of Jack's parents. In a review in the Listener, the late Kevin Ireland (a contemporary of Gee) described Going West as 'full of cunning touches of craft and stunning insight.' To go a little further, Gee has a startling ability to describe psychological states with a physicality and acuteness. To put into words subjective experiences that are hard to describe, or rarely described. Going West was published in 1992. Society has changed a lot in the intervening years. Jack Skeat notes changes already taking place when visiting his old haunts in Loomis (West Auckland) in Going West. The world Gee writes about is Pakeha, lower middle or middle class, with occasional characters from the fringes. I suppose Gee could be consigned to irrelevance, a chronicler of the 'Old New Zealand', but it would be hard given the quality and depth of his writing. Gee was a left winger and an atheist, which comes out in the way his writing is sensitive to corruption and power relationships between people. Yet it doesn't come across as didactic, nor does it draw from an overtly religious framework. As the world sinks further into violence, genocide and the machinations of 'our leaders' (some of whom reminded Mr. Jones of the Wilberforces), his writing seems to me ever more relevant.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nearly 40 free Shakespeare performances coming to Milwaukee and state parks this summer
Milwaukee audiences and Wisconsin state park visitors can see dozens of free outdoor Shakespeare performances this summer, thanks to Optimist Theatre, also known as Shakespeare in the Park, and Summit Players Theatre. Both groups stage productions tailored to newbies and younger audiences, with small casts of actors (or puppets) performing shortened versions of the Bard's plays. Both groups also present related educational and entertainment activities with their performances. Summit Players Theatre will perform the comedy "Love's Labour's Lost" in a number of Wisconsin state parks. Optimist Theatre will stage a day of Shakespeare activities at Milwaukee-area parks and similar locations. Each day will include performances of "Much Ado About Nothing" and "The Taming of the Shrew." Optimist will present the same schedule at each performing location, highlighted by a 45-minute puppet version of "Much Ado About Nothing" and an 80-minute distillation of "Taming of the Shrew." Both productions are directed by Milwaukee Repertory Theater regular Kelley Faulkner and feature actors Libby Amato, George Lorimer and Brielle Richmond. Optimist promises that both productions are "reimagined with a blast of 1980s beach party flair." The schedule at each site: 1 p.m.:seating opens, "The Play's The Thing" tent with drop-in workshop, activities and games; 2 p.m. "Much Ado About Nothing"; 2:45 p.m. "The Play's The Thing" tent reopens; 4:10 p.m. Early Music Now performance of Renaissance-era music; 5 p.m. "The Taming of the Shrew." Locations: July 12, Wisconsin Lutheran College, 8800 W. Blue Mound Road, Wauwatosa; July 13, Washington Park, 1859 N. 40th St. ; July 19, Humboldt Park, 3000 S. Howell Ave.; July 20, Sherman Park, 3000 N. Sherman Blvd.; July 26, Mitchell Park, 524 S. Layton Blvd.; July 27, Grant Park, 100 Hawthorne Ave, South Milwaukee; Aug. 2, Lake Park, 2975 N. Lake Park Road; Aug. 3, Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum, 2405 W. Forest Home Ave.; Aug. 9, Kern Park, 3614 N. Humboldt Blvd.; Aug. 10, Lincoln Park, 1301 W. Hampton Ave.; Aug. 17, Wisconsin Avenue Park, 10300 W Wisconsin Ave., Wauwatosa. Aug. 16 is being held open in case an earlier scheduled performance is rained out. Bring a blanket or portable chair; no seating is provided. Optimist says these shows are for all ages. If you register for a show at the Optimist website, you will get email updates in case of weather issues or other changes. Also, while the shows are free to attend, if you donate $75 per person, Optimist will reserve a prime 3-feet-by-3-feet space for you. For information, visit A cast of six actors will perform director Maureen Kilmurry's adaptation of this early Shakespeare comedy at 17 state parks and forests, plus an outdoor preview performance on the Marquette University campus. Prior to each performance, Summit presents a 45-minute workshop on the play and its artistry; workshops start about 90 minutes before performance time. In the past Summit has suggested its shows work best for people 8 and older; younger audience members are welcome, but some of the program may over their heads. Bring your own chair or blanket. Here is the performance schedule. Unless a different time is listed, workshop begins at 5:30 p.m. and the performance at 7 p.m. June 12: Marquette University preview on the lawn (pre-show party, 6 p.m., performance, 7 p.m.) June 13: Richard Bong State Recreation Area, 26313 Burlington Road, Kansasville June 14: High Cliff State Park, N7630 State Park Road, Sherwood June 15: Havenwoods State Forest, 6141 N. Hopkins St., Milwaukee (1 p.m. workshop, 2:30 p.m. performance) June 20: Lake Kegonsa State Park, 2405 Door Creek Road, Stoughton June 21: Wyalusing State Park, 13081 State Park Lane, Bagley June 22: Blue Mound State Park, 4350 Mounds Park Road, Blue Mounds (1 p.m workshop, 2:30 p.m. performance) June 27: Amnicon Falls State Park, 4279 County Rd U, South Range June 28: Copper Falls State Park, 36664 Copper Falls Rd, Mellen July 11: Wildcat Mountain State Park, E13660 WI-33, Ontario July 12: Perrot State Park, 26247 Sullivan Road, Trempealeau July 13: Roche-A-Cri State Park, 1767 WI-13 Trunk, Friendship (1 p.m. workshop, 2:30 p.m. performance) July 18: Rib Mountain State Park, 4200 Park Road, Wausau July 19: Interstate State Park, WI-35, St. Croix Falls, July 21: Kohler-Andrae State Park, 1020 Beach Park Lane, Sheboygan July 25: Kettle Moraine State Forest-Pike Lake Unit, 3544 Kettle Moraine Road, Hartford July 26: Mirror Lake State Park, E10320 Fern Dell Road, Baraboo July 27: Hartman Creek State Park, N2480 Hartman Creek Road, Waupaca (1 p.m. workshop, 2:30 p.m. performance) For more info, including links to directions to each park, visit This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Free Shakespeare in Milwaukee, Wisconsin state parks in summer 2025
New York Times
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Growing Up in St. Croix, He Asked Her to the Senior Prom Underwater
Harry Andrew Hoffman met Anne Katherine Hardee in 2004 while they learned to sail an Optimist dinghy, or Opti, during summer sailing camp in St. Croix, V.I. They were both 8. The dinghy 'was the closest thing to a bathtub with a mast and sails,' said Mr. Hoffman, 28, now a lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard in Washington. His family had moved to St. Croix from Toms River, N.J., in 2000, the same year her family, who lived in Fort Worth, Texas, began spending summers and school breaks there. She recalled being 'envious of his beautiful blond ringlets, bigger than Shirley Temple's.' He was intrigued by her Texas twang. In 2011, when she was 14, her family began spending the second half of each school year on St. Croix because they liked the community feeling. 'She was a breath of fresh air,' said Mr. Hoffman, when she joined his freshman high school class at St. Croix Country Day School, now Good Hope Country Day School. After classes, they went to sailing practice — he as a skipper and she a crew member — in their scrappy gear, including rash guards protecting them from the sun. 'Practices were competitive,' said Ms. Hardee, also 28, and now working as an analytics manager for operations at the RealReal, the online luxury fashion reseller. On weekends, they would hang out with some of their 20 classmates on Buck Island or Rainbow Beach, and often snacked on mangoes. [Click here to binge read this week's featured couples.] In 2013, during junior year, he drove her to and from school each day — they lived on neighboring hills — and soon, in exchange for the rides, she regularly made him goat cheese omelets, usually with turkey bacon. That April, they decided to go to the junior prom as friends, but that soon changed after they flew to Miami for a regatta, or a sailboat race. They were watching the MTV Video Music Awards in the lounge of their hotel when they stole their first kiss. After she returned to Fort Worth for the first semester of her senior year, they often spoke on the phone until 3 a.m., and he even took a week off school to visit her. 'We were so in love,' Mr. Hoffman said, adding that he got the 'full American experience in the giant Texas high school system,' where he met her friends and went to a class and a football game with her. During their second semester, when she returned to St. Croix, he asked her to their senior prom in a familiar setting — underwater. 'PROM?' he had spray-painted in red letters on a large piece of canvas, which he pointed out while they went scuba diving at Cane Bay on the island. A week after graduation, he left for swab summer, a boot camp for incoming Coast Guard cadets. She wrote him a letter every day, and he replied whenever he could. She still has the letters in a file cabinet. 'They got me through swab summer,' he said. Mr. Hoffman graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., with a bachelor's degree in naval architecture and marine engineering. Ms. Hardee graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in economics from George Washington University. In 2018, after graduating from the academy, he was assigned to a Coast Guard cutter, or ship, on Virginia Beach, and she worked as an economic consultant for a firm in New York. While at sea and incommunicado for up to three months, he picked up trinkets for her in the Caribbean and Central America. While at port in Virginia, he visited her in New York nearly every weekend. In March 2020, when Covid hit, she packed her bags and went to stay with him in Norfolk, Va., for a couple of weeks. She never left. 'It was an impromptu development,' Mr. Hoffman said, with a laugh. A couple of months later, after he received orders to Base Alameda in California, they moved to Oakland, and, a year later, to San Francisco. In June 2023, they returned to the East Coast when he was assigned to Coast Guard headquarters in Washington. 'We rolled with it,' Mr. Hoffman said. That December, while visiting St. Croix, he proposed on their favorite spot at the western point of Buck Island. On March 15, Eliana L. Schuster-Brown, a Universal Life minister, officiated before 143 guests at the Castle St. Croix, once a contessa's hilltop estate built in the 1970s. After the ceremony, they walked through a sword arch formed by his Coast Guard friends. Later, at the reception, local dishes included fried breadfruit, mashed cassava and fresh mahi mahi. 'We had Moko Jumbie men on stilts to introduce friends to St. Croix culture,' she said. Mr. Hoffman said: 'Conditions were optimal. No rain, not a cloud in the sky and a little breezy. It was a typical hot day in St. Croix, but a special one because I was able to marry Annie.'
