Editors note: Sail1Design came across this idea awhile back, and we asked the founders to share their story about a really cool idea. Enjoy, and please post comments at the bottom of this piece.
Update: Position open at USPA: http://sailingjobs.sail1design.com/employment/us-performance-academy-learning-coach-opportunity-listing-2880.aspx
When a school’s website is www.smartsailor.org, it leaves no doubt as to the focus of the program. The brainchild of educator Peter Smith and former US Optimist Dinghy Association President and Current 29er World Council member Blake MacDiarmid, both lifelong competitive sailors, US Performance Academy is bringing a fresh, new approach to the way youth sailors learn, train and compete at the highest level. With a custom USPA-specific SailX.com online trailing simulator, conditioning programs modeled on Oracle TeamUSA’s efforts and a hydration partnership with Vita Coco, USPA is blazing a new path to excellence.
No longer will developing scholar athletes have to choose between the best in academics and championship, Olympic or America’s Cup dreams – now you can have it all. An independent, small school ecosystem of excellence, USPA is a first of its kind environment combining the best in 21-century learning and the most advanced classroom technology with an innovative, ultra-performance sailing program. With a leadership advisory group that includes Olympic Medalist Lucas Calabrese, MIT Head Coach Matt Lindblad and Former Yale Advancement Officer John Ormiston, USPA is poised to effectively change the way student athletes learn, train and succeed as the school of tomorrow, today.
“Like I did with iPads at my previous school, our goal is to create something truly unique, something that has never been done before in sailing. Based on the feedback, I think we are on the right track,” says Smith, who is Chief Academic Officer.
Leveraged technology, feedback loop training and integrated learning and Olympic level training, conditioning and coaching are the basis of the USPA approach. Based in Miami but accessible anywhere in the world via an individualized 21st Century cloud-based digital learning platform, USPA is the missing link between the emerging talent of the new generation of American Optimist sailors and the retooled U.S. Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. With pre-G 6-8 programming, a comprehensive College Preparatory 9-12 degree program and PG opportunities, Smith says “We meet students where they are to create the optimum learning experience. We are fundamentally changing the paradigm of school vs. sailing to school and sailing, and clearly t’s a win/win approach.”
Importantly, USPA scholar athletes are not limited to one class of boat. From Optimists to i420s, 29ers to F16s – the program integrates your performance with your studies, without dictating a boat or one size fits all academics. Students are empowered to perform at the highest level – and exceptionally prepared for success in college classrooms, international racecourses and professional careers.
And on the performance side, MacDiarmid believes we need to look to the future with an understanding of the past. “After listening to the onboard mics coming off the Cup boats or considering the ‘12 London Games it is no secret we have to create a better pipeline for the development and cultivation of American performance sailors. With unprecedented recent success for Americans at the International Optimist Championship level based on new methods of coaching and preparation, we know how to bring that talent forward in a balanced way – and that’s a big part of our direction.”
MacDiarmid is straightforward about what USPA is all about. “Working cooperatively with Leadro Spina, Charlie McKee and Josh Adams from U.S. Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, we are focused on introducing younger sailors to high performance sailing in a structured, innovative way. And by integrating their studies directly into the process in a collaboratively, we are leaping over a critical barrier to success because smarter sailors are faster sailors – that’s the bottom line.”
Please visit www.SmartSailor.org to learn more about the USPA experience.
Connect with USPA:
Email: Pete@SmartSailor.org Blake@SmartSailor.org
Web: SmartSailor.org
Facebook: USPerformanceAcademy
Twitter: @USPAAcademy
VitaCoco – Official Hydration Partner of USPA
SailX.com – Official Online Training Simulator of USPA
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