Wait, there's sailing in Colorado? You bet, and lots of it! Community Sailing of Colorado provides premier summer camps from beginner through advanced sailing for youth ages 5-17. It's a perfect fit for any adventurous spirit who loves the outdoors.
We teach participants how to sail at Cherry Creek and Boulder Reservoirs using a methodical skills progression that builds on the content of prior camps. We also host a combo camp called Stand Up Paddleboard, Kayak, & Sailing Camp that allows campers to try out multiple watersports.
Our camps focus on safety, fun, and engaged learning which has helped us share our passion for sailing with over 30,000 people since 1994. Below are the top five reasons families love Community Sailing of Colorado summer camps.
1.) It's unlike any other camp on the Front Range.
What could be more fun than driving around in what feels like a wind-powered floating go-kart? Our summer camps are an incredible opportunity for adventurous youth, ages 5-17, to experience all that sailing offers.
In addition to summer camps, we host adult classes, adaptive sailing for individuals with diverse abilities, and a community partnership program targeting under-resourced youth. Our mission is to make sailing accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, or systemic barriers.
CSC aims to ensure everyone can enjoy the magic of feeling the wind in their hair as the sails catch the breeze and the boat accelerates underfoot. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we couldn't do this without our generous donors who provide scholarships for our youth and funding for our adaptive and partnership programs. Last year, we awarded 81 scholarships worth over $34,000.
2.) Social-emotional learning happens without kids even realizing it.
In addition to the excitement it brings, sailing also helps youth further develop skills such as collaboration, creative problem-solving, independence, leadership, and effective communication. At CSC, we feel these experiences reach beyond the shores of our reservoirs and expand children's lives.
We have received countless emails from parents expressing the same sentiment about the unexpected benefits their children received from attending our camps. Emails with subject lines like, "What did you do to my child?" often cite increased confidence, self-advocating, better frustration tolerance, and greater independence.
What we do is far more than teach kids how to sail. We empower them to make decisions that provide an immediate feedback loop impacting their current situation: When you take in cues from your environment and follow directions, your boat works, and you get to go fast. When you're out of tune with what's happening around you or not communicating well with your partner, your boat "stops working."
Imagine the power this kind of experience could have, especially with children who often feel like they have little control over their world. Not only does sailing provide a fun way to unplug and get out in nature, but it's also a powerful teaching cycle for life skills.
3.) CSC is recognized as one of THE BEST programs in the country.
Impactful learning, fun, and safety are paramount in our sport — often considered "out of place" in a landlocked state. We were honored to receive a prestigious "Outstanding Community Sailing Program Award" in 2019 from our governing body, US Sailing.
Sailing programs nationwide were eligible for this award, but our organization stood out as THE BEST. Our programs were one of the first in the country to mandate helmet use six years ago, and it's finally becoming more commonplace.
We also have an incredibly unique electronic incident report analysis that allows us to make evidence-based adjustments to make our programs safer and more effective every year.
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4.) Our staff and volunteers are amazing.
In addition to recognition from a nationwide organization that sets the standards for sailing programs, we would be remiss if we didn't recognize the incredible team of volunteers and instructors that made it possible for us to receive an award of that magnitude.
We've designed a pathway that allows young campers to see themselves as valued assets in the sailing community, often motivating them to become instructors. Day in and day out, they work hard to ensure that the joy they experienced as campers continues to be passed to the next generation of sailors.
After climbing the ranks from beginner to advanced camper, youth at 12 years old can become camp volunteers and eventually step into the instructor role. This process is incredibly successful in growing the best, hardest working staff who have come through our programs and now get to share their passion and pride with others.
5.) Scholarships make this accessible to everyone.
Community Sailing of Colorado does a tremendous amount of fundraising in the off-season so we can provide scholarships for as many individuals as possible. Scholarships and discounts are awarded for many reasons, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA, Military Families, those in Education (including support staff), those in Health Care or Mental Health Care, Marshall Fire Victims, families living with Disabilities, and Income-Based scholarships.
We wholeheartedly believe that sailing should be accessible to everyone, and we are working very diligently to ensure that the future of sailing is more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, not because it's trendy but because it's the right thing to do. There's a reason "Community" is our first name.
When it comes to sailing, it's safe to say we know our stuff. You'll be hard-pressed to find another parallel sailing program in the country, let alone in our mountain-based, land-locked state.
We haven't even touched on our Adaptive Sailing Program or community partnership program focused on under-resourced youth. We didn't share the story of the family who learned to sail with us (including their son, who is on the Autism spectrum), then spent the pandemic living on a sailboat in the Caribbean. Nor did we mention the youth sailor who started in our programs and is now competing collegiately at MIT and was chosen for the US Sailing team of Olympic hopefuls.
All this is to say that the impact of our programs can't be summed up in one article. It has to be experienced first-hand. Join us!
Community Sailing of Colorado
Cherry Creek State Park Marina
4800 S. Dayton St.Greenwood Village, CO 80111
(303) 757-7718
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