BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — When the 2024 Paris Olympics kicks off in 32 days, one event viewers can enjoy is sailing.
Sailing is also something Kansas Citians can watch and try for themselves at local lakes.
The Jacomo Sailing Club calls Lake Jacomo in Eastern Jackson County home and has since the lake’s creation in 1958. The club has around 125 members.
Erin Doughty is the community relations chair for Jacomo Sailing Club. She first learned to sail six years ago at Shawnee Mission Park through Johnson County Parks and Recreation.
Doughty said she loves the peaceful nature of being out on the water.
“So there is just the camaraderie about all the other sailors. Every time you go out and sail you're going to learn something new, right?" she said. "I can have sailed this boat for 20 or 50 different times, but the winds gonna change, everything's going to be a little different, and you still learn more about yourself and about the boat."
That is one thing that makes sailing special, according to the club’s membership director Lexi Brooks.
Brooks grew up on the water sailing. She said it is a sport that requires community, trust and attention to the water, which she said she wants people to remember when watching sailing in Marseille.
“Just how quickly their mind works. Sailing is a really interesting sport because part of it is the incredible athleticism but part of it is making tactical decisions really fast based on what the wind and what the water is doing," Brooks said. "And so watching them make those decisions so quickly is incredible."
There are 10 Olympic sailing events this summer, with two new events — windsurfer-iQFoil and kiteboarding.
While the professionals are competing for gold on the Mediterranean, you can see races at Lake Jacomo this summer. Races are on Sundays.
If you want to try sailing, reach out toJacomo Sailing Club or Johnson County Sailing Society.
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