Ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, the Jacomo Sailing Club gives an insight into water sports

BLUE SPRINGS, Missouri – When the 2024 Paris Olympics begin in 32 days, spectators will have sailing to look forward to. Kansas City residents will also be able to watch the sailing and try it out for themselves on local lakes.

The Jacomo Sailing Club has been based on Lake Jacomo in eastern Jackson County since its founding in 1958. The club has around 125 members.

Erin Doughty is the public relations director for the Jacomo Sailing Club. She learned to sail six years ago at Shawnee Mission Park as part of Johnson County Parks and Rec. Doughty said she loves the serenity of being on the water.

“So there’s, you know, just the camaraderie among the other sailors. Every time you go out and sail, you learn something new, don’t you? I may have sailed this boat 20 or 50 times, but the wind will change, everything will be a little different and you still learn more about yourself and about the boat,” Doughty said.

That’s one of the things that makes sailing so special, says Lexi Brooks, the club’s membership director. Brooks grew up sailing on the water. She said it’s a sport that requires community, trust and attention to the water. That’s what Brooks wants people to remember when they see sailing in Marseille.

“How fast their minds work. Sailing is a really interesting sport because it’s about incredible athleticism, but it’s also about making tactical decisions very quickly based on how the wind and the water are behaving. And to watch them make those decisions so quickly is incredible,” Brooks said.

This summer there are ten Olympic disciplines, including two new ones: windsurfing-iQFoil and kiteboarding.

While the pros fight for gold in the Mediterranean, you can watch races this summer on Lake Jacomo. Races take place there every Sunday.

If you would like to try sailing, contact the Jacomo Sailing Club or the Johnson County Sailing Society.