Sailing to inclusivity
UL student and world champion sailor Sophie Crosbie has been on an inspiring voyage. The Cork native spoke to Claire Barry about her quest to use sailing to have a positive impact on children with disabilities
UL student and world champion sailor Sophie Crosbie Pictures: Brian Arthur
With a passion for the water and all things nautical, Sophie Crosbie has taken her passion one step further after she pioneered a sailing programme that is inclusive for all and feeds her love for sailing and helping children with disabilities.
An inclusive sailing initiative pioneered by a student at University of Limerick is breaking down barriers and making waves in Crosshaven Harbour, Cork.
Sophie Crosbie, a physiotherapy student at UL, has developed a programme that combines her love of sailing with her commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of children with disabilities.
From a family steeped in rich sailing history, Sophie has been part of the Royal Cork Yacht Club since the age of six.
Her grandfather, Ted Crosbie, served as an admiral of the club and he passed on his love for sailing to Sophie's father, Andrew, who continued the legacy with Sophie and her brother.
Sophie, who is a National and World Champion in sailing, says: “My Dad would have grown up on sailing dinghies with his brothers and sisters. He was quite good at sailing when he was younger. My grandad Ted was super into sailing and the nicest guy you could ever meet. He was so friendly and an amazing granddad.”
Sophie’s interest in studying physiotherapy at UL was driven by a curiosity for science. Growing up in a healthcare-oriented household influenced her decision to pursue a career in the health sciences.
She says: “My parents are doctors, so I grew up in that kind of healthcare environment, talking about it over the dinner table. I considered doing medicine for a long time, and I did the HPAT exam, but I chose physiotherapy in the end.”
The decision between going to Limerick or Dublin for physiotherapy studies was made for her during a visit to UL in sixth year on an open day. The expansive campus and exceptional sports facilities appealed to Sophie, helping her make her choice.
“It was either Limerick or Dublin for a physio undergrad. I visited UL and I just fell in love with the campus because there is so much space, and the sports facilities are amazing. I knew that UL was it. I put it as first choice on my CAO, and I was really lucky to get it. It is fantastic.”
From an early age, Sophie was on the water and involved in sailing just like her father and grandfather before her
From an early age, Sophie was on the water and involved in sailing just like her father and grandfather before her.
I asked questions like, ‘Do you think your child gets enough physical activity?’
Last year, one of her physiotherapy lecturers introduced her to adapted sailing programmes for people with disabilities, sparking an idea that would make a lasting impact.
“In my third year of physiotherapy, we had a brilliant lecturer named Sarah McEvoy from the National Rehabilitation Hospital who told me about some adapted sailing programmes for people with disabilities and she sent me on some studies. So, it was in the back of my mind since then,” Sophie explains.
As part of her placement, Sophie was assigned to the Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) in Midleton, who support children with complex needs. She was tasked with developing a service development initiative as part of the student placement framework. She observed that most children coming into the CDNT service had very few sports available and were relatively inactive. As per the American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines 2021, children with disabilities are 4.5 times less likely to engage in physical activity compared to children without disabilities.
Sophie conducted a needs analysis through a survey given to all parents.
“I asked questions like, ‘Do you think your child gets enough physical activity?’ and ‘Do you think that there is enough physical activity, exercise clubs and programmes available to your child?’.”
The survey revealed that 63% of parents thought their child didn’t get enough physical activity, and 76% reported not having enough physical activity or exercise facilities, sports, or clubs available to their child.
Armed with these insights, Sophie embarked on the ambitious journey of bringing sailing to children with disabilities. Working with the Royal Cork Yacht Club, she launched a pilot programme that used small, accessible yachts with children and their parents on board, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience and learning new sporting skills.
Exploring the unexpected pairing of sailing and disabilities, Sophie ensured that the programme she developed addressed the children's physical, mental, and social needs. The benefits of a well-designed sailing programme include improved quality of life, self-confidence, mood, muscle strength and endurance, cardiovascular fitness, and communication skills.
Reflecting on her programme design process, she says: “I discovered that sailing improves people's health. It improves their strength because, for example, they're holding on to ropes and to the rudders. It gets them more active. It can improve self-confidence, and some have said it improves communication skills. And then, of course, just in terms of having the craic, having fun and mixing with people."
Sophie ran the pilot programme with three children with Autism and their parents. She also enlisted the help of the two physiotherapists from her placement site, Daphne and Gearoid, and another sailing instructor.
“There were quite a lot of people onboard. So, we showed them the ropes. Literally, the ropes! All the children could steer the boat independently by the end of it. They were quiet at the start but really opened up as the sailing session went on. They were having fun and enjoying being out on the water, which was lovely. They all loved it and said that they would come back again.”
Sophie recalls the immediate effect the activity had on her clients.
“One child said, ‘Can I come back soon so that I can learn more sailing skills?’ They were really developing confidence with it. They went from never having been on a boat before to being able to steer the boat, which was amazing. They learned all these new sailing skills, too. What was impressive is that they learned it as fast, if not faster, than any other children would have, which was incredible. I was so impressed.”
Describing the impact on families that accessible sports can have Sophie explains: “It’s a big difference. It’s nearly life-changing because they can feel isolated, and sometimes they may be in a special needs class in school, and they are not mixing that much. But then if they get involved in sports with children like them, they get to exercise and have fun.”
You never think about being unable to do something until you actually can’t do it
The success of the pilot programme inspired Sophie to explore extending the initiative into a long-term plan. With the support of Gavin Deane and Miriam McMahon at the Royal Cork Yacht Club and a successful funding application from Irish Sailing, Sophie aims to make the programme free or at minimal cost for parents of children with disabilities, considering the financial burdens families with additional needs already face.
Sophie encourages others inspired by her story to reach out to national governing bodies for their respective sports and explore opportunities to create inclusive programmes.
“I think there are more clubs offering inclusive programmes and initiatives, but so much more needs to be done. Reach out to your national governing body for your sport. If it is something you are interested in, see what you can do because you are making a huge difference to the overall quality of people’s lives."
“You never think about being unable to do something until you actually can’t do it. Not everyone will be able to go out and do things the usual way, like how things are set up. There’s equality and equity, and some people just need a leg up to be able to do the same amazing things as everyone else.”
As Sophie approaches the completion of her physiotherapy degree at University of Limerick, her dedication to sailing remains unwavering. Balancing her commitment to running sailing courses in Crosshaven over the summer and teaching sailing in Greece in the Autumn, Sophie has also recently been nominated for Irish Sailing Senior Instructor of the Year. Turning her attention to her career in physiotherapy, Sophie plans to gain experience in a hospital setting and potentially return to work with the Children's Disability Network team with more experience under her belt.
From discovering the joy of sailing at the tender age of six under the careful instruction of her grandad Ted, to now being a changemaker in sporting inclusivity, Sophie's story shows how being passionate, kind, hardworking and innovative can make big waves of positive change in people's lives.
