Meet The Summer Instructors Part III

Meet Your Sailing Instructors, Part 3: Mo and Brent

Monique Kelly, who goes by Mo, is one of our veteran sailing instructors who has grown up around the Waterfront Center, and is back for her third summer to share her love of the water: “I used to do this camp with a bunch of my friends; I just loved the community so much that I came back to spread the sailing love,” she said (with a big smile, of course). The 19 year-old is a sophomore at Colby College, where she plays soccer and studies environmental policy. The Oyster Bay native is enthusiastic about her summers spent on the water with kids, and finds it exciting that the program attracts so many different young sailors: “I love the variety of kids that come to this camp. You get to meet people from all over...from really experienced sailors who have sailed all over the world to someone who’s never been in a boat before.” For her, sailing is a good way to relax and get away from stress while being out on the water, and she hopes to share that with her campers this summer. Her love of the Waterfront Center, she says, stems from the instructors’ positive attitudes and willingness to engage with the kids; she attests that, “there’s much more learning going on other than sailing.” Mo is excited to get the summer under way, and looks forward to meeting her sailors next week!

Fun Facts:

Desired superhero power: “I would want the power to instantly zap gourmet meals at the dinner table...or wherever!”

Fun Fact: She used to ski competitively, specializing in freestyle. She still teaches skiing in the winter.

Interests: Soccer, spending time outdoors, baking, and dancing

Favorite Ice Cream: Chocolate

Favorite Candy: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Brent Bomkamp has also spent some time at the Waterfront Center: after starting off his sailing career at Centerport Yacht Club, in Opti’s and then 420’s, he participated in the WFC’s high school sailing program. Brent, who just turned 18, will be attending Williams College in the fall, and is confident that he can survive the tough biology major curriculum! Brent is excited to finally be a sailing instructor, and says, “Teaching kids what I’ve learned over the years is going to be a really fulfilling experience.” He was drawn to the WFC’s vibrant staff, and the opportunity to share his sailing knowledge. Brent, like most sailors, knows that it’s the sport’s unique nature that makes it such an interesting skill set to both learn and teach, especially to kids: “I think it’s interesting because it’s very cerebral, as opposed to other sports that are athletics based. You have to really be a thinker to do well in it...It’s more of an individual sport, and that’s something that’s really unique.”

Fun Facts:
Desired Superhero Power: Superspeed
Favorite Ice Cream: Cookies ‘N’ Cream
Favorite Book: Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche
Favorite Sports Team: Purdue Basketball