Shake A Leg Miami (SALM) Dinghy Racing Team, comprised of 7 racers who have physical disabilities, took the top four spots in the 2.3 class and top two spots in the 202 Double Class in equal competition against over 30 able bodied racers!
The racers traveled from Shake A Leg Miami to Naples, FL to compete in this, the 2nd Annual “We Gotta Regatta”, and also the North American Championships for the Access Dinghy class sailboat.
“It was an incredible event and I am so proud of all of the racers” said Meredith Bass, Program Director, Shake A Leg Miami.
“They showed wonderful sportsmanship, were mentors out on the race course and not only won but helped encourage and teach newer racers on the water. Best of all, we had so much fun!”
The “We Gotta’ Regatta” was put on by the Tradewinds Foundation, an organization similar to Shake- A-Leg in its mission to help foster independence and inclusion for all people, despite disabilities.
The event was in partnership with Collier County Parks and Recreation. The regatta was supposed to be two days of intense racing, however due to the cold front, the racers awoke to 25-30 knots of breeze on Saturday and were not able to race.
Sunday’s fair winds and clear skies (and freezing temps) brought some awesome racing, and the Shake-A-Leggers cleared house!
The following are the results for the two classes competing (2.3 class and 303 class), with more than 30 racers in the event! Here are the results:
2.3 Class
1st place: Joshua Seidner, Shake A Leg Miami
2nd place: Manuela Hoyos, Shake A Leg Miami
3rd place: Diego Zorilla, Shake A Leg Miami
4th Place: Herman Sanchez, Shake A Leg Miami
303 Double Class:
1st Place: Stephan Brophy/Ricardo Seidner, Shake A Leg Miami
2nd Place: Kerry Gruson/Leann Donkers, Shake A Leg Miami