Meet West Vancouver Yacht Club sailing coach Tine Moberg-Parker
WEST VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Tine Moberg-Parker is the Head Optimist sailing coach at West Vancouver Yacht Club. She has been coaching for four decades and currently coaches sailors between the ages of seven to fifteen from beginner to high performance, including those competing at international events representing Canada. The Optimist team is the largest in Canada, creating opportunities to use various skills.
Tine started sailing at just six years old while growing up in Norway. She was an active kid and was on the national Norway team until she transferred to the Canadian team, competed in 40 world cup events, won World Championships and medaled at the 1994 Goodwill Games. In 1990 she immigrated to Canada and developed a coaching program specifically for sailors under the age of fifteen. To be a successful sailor, individual and team goals are essential, as are friendships, dedicated volunteers and travelling to attend competitions. The volunteers especially inspire her; it wouldn’t be possible to mentor young sailors without their support. In particular, Kathy and Bev Parslow go above and beyond. Also, David Sutcliffe has dedicated over 1000 hours to developing a program that educates sailors on Safety at Sea. David also lends the team his truck to drive to San Francisco in June for the Heavy Wind Regatta. Over the week, sailors build their confidence and participate in long races.
Tine has experienced many memorable moments during her career, such as the 2022 Optimist Canadian Championships in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The sailors rose to the challenge of utilizing a skill they had yet to focus on in practice, learned as they went along and got rewarded with a silver medal. Tine was incredibly impressed with how the team worked together. The group learned so much from each other. After the competition, they huddled together to discuss what knowledge they had acquired. “It is all about the process of learning. The sailors are young; they are all starting their life journeys in the sport,” says Tine.
Time is incredibly proud of the sailors she has been honoured to coach and the people she surprises by being a female coach who mentors sailors to become winners. For example, she coached the first Canadian to win the International Youth World championships. It is also rewarding to see how the sailors transfer the skills they learn in the water to their education and everyday life. “The executive group at the West Vancouver Yacht Club’s support to host events and make every child’s experience so valuable – this is why I continue to support the sport,” says Tine.
The biggest life lesson she learned over the past four decades is that you must be careful with some parents due to their harmful intentions, especially if they are jealous. Instead, it is best to surround yourself with compassionate and helpful parents who are there for everyone without a malicious agenda. In addition, volunteers are essential; giving back to our community and sport and supporting each other is vital. “Sailing is a wonderful sport with a closeness to nature and personal successes. As a lifetime sport, sailing is wonderful as a family sport, with friends and as a job,” says Tine.
“The goal of sailing is to learn something every single practice; a small step forward every time is better than a huge leap in one step. Learning takes patience and time.” – Tine Moberg-Parker.
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