February 2018 FORUM

Our AmSoc Youth Sports Program (YSP)
committee came up with something
different for our kids to do during the
Brazilian summer vacation this January.
American schools in São Paulo typically break
for the holidays starting the week of Christmas,
through the following three weeks of January,
which means the kids usually have a full month
at home. The schools in the US resume January
2 nd , but it's winter-time there and summer time
here in Brazil. Some families go to the US for
Christmas, but usually fly back right after that
week is over, since they want to enjoy vacation
in June/July, when it is summer in the USA.
ATHLETICS
YSP Sailing: From Stem To Stern
by John Mota, Athletics Coordinator
February 2018
With that scenario in mind, John Mota decided
to speak with the British Sailing Club in São
Paulo (at the São Paulo Yacht Club) aiming to
provide AmSoc families with an English-only,
week-long sailing camp for children ages 8 to
15. The camp was nicely located within the city
of São Paulo, at the shore of the Guarapiranga
water reservoir, a 15-minute drive from Chapel
school. We had to limit the open spots to 15,
to guarantee that all 3 coaches (2 Englishspeaking
sailors and 1 assistant) were able
to attend to all the kids, regardless of their
differing ages and needs. We sold out in
December, in less than 3 weeks!
Parents received a handbook filled with
information, and a WhatsApp group
was created to share pictures and camp
information on a daily basis. John Mota,
AmSoc’s Athletics Coordinator, was at the
camp every day, all day, from 9am to 5pm.
Sailing Camp wasn’t only boats on the water. The
children also participated in paddleboarding,
wake surfing (on a board pulled by a boat),
swimming at the club’s pools, and playing
games on the sand. Over the course of the
camp, the kids learned not only how to ride in
a sailboat, but also how to maneuver it. Boats
were tipped on purpose so campers could learn
how to upright them again and get back inside.
The coaches even sailed with the campers to a
fire department on the lake shore. Sailing took
place during each camp day.
On the very last day, the weather was favorable
enough that campers sailed to Monkey Island,
to feed the monkeys in their habitat. They also
sailed to Treasure Island and back; a long way
through the water reservoir, bordering the
mountains that lead to the ocean. The final day
was celebrated with cake and soda, provided by
John. It was obvious the campers had an excellent
time, judging by the smiles on their faces!
YSP 2018 - 1st Season
Our registration date for the 1 st season of 2018
has been set! If you missed the February 3 rd
event at Graded School, you can always register
on the AmSoc website (amsoc.com.br), which
also has the most up-to-date information. You
can also send an email to John at ysp@amsoc.
com.br or send message via WhatsApp to (11)
99622-2177. §
The majority of the campers already knew
each other from other YSP sessions, so they
felt very comfortable as soon as they arrived.
Warm-up games and sailing theory took
place that morning, which was followed
by lunch and an afternoon of real sailing
introduction with boats on the water. The
idea of the camp was to provide kids with
a week of fun doing something unusual and
different in a city like São Paulo. There were
no TV screens or video games at the camp;
this was a week focused on an active, fun
learning experience!
The American Society of São Paulo FORUM Newsletter
All Youth Sports photos courtesy of John
Mota, Athletics Coordinator. Thank you!
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