Blog

Hi Zach Very good analysis! I agree that we need to focus on process to get better results. We definitely need to find better ways to make the learning curve less daunting for our talented 2020 Olympic candidates that have not committed to a campaign. I would be very interested in reading Olympic coach perspectives. Possible interview opportunity for a future artical? Doug

Zack: Nice analysis, & I think you really hit the sweet spot by identifying the weakness of a quasi European training system. (Euro sailing is built around Club racing, identifying potential prospects collecting them into a National team & training till the elite float to the top). While this system can work it doesn’t cater to bringing out individualism in promoting the good decision making qualities necessary to eliminate the mistakes that drive one back to deep in the fleet. Winning is basically about who makes the least mistakes from bad decisions, be it life, business, war, or sport. Very akin to taking a test in school. Any school boy or girl can tell you what it takes to “ace “ test in school whether they be a 1st grader or upperclassman. To get a 100 on a test you have to Think, Decide, & Act to get all the correct answers. Every error in decision making drives you further down the results curve. So “Winning” is really about accumulating least mistakes wherever one is being tested. Even the first grader can tell you that to get an “A” one has to be better prepared than anyone else, & be the one who makes the least mistakes. As an aside, most Jrs. I interact with when they don’t do well, I ask them what they did to prepare for the regatta will tell me that they just “showed up”. So if it can be seen that ”winning” is mostly about good decision making & eliminating “mistakes” (be it: selecting coach, boat, sail, training venue/program , fitness program, diet, etc. let alone decisions on race course), focusing on eliminating mistakes should be a prime priority. College & now H.S. sailing understood this from its inception in mid ‘30’s. Lots of VERY short races, NO throw outs, means slightest mistake will drive one back into field with no chance to catch-up. 4 yrs of this format of racing with 100s of races where Thinking, good Decision & Acting on the Decisions in a changing environment can only teach that error free racing is what it takes to win. It is all about being better prepared than competitors. See OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide Act) Loop thesis by John Boyd. Having a Trials end ¾ of a year before an event is incomprehensible. What student would stop studying/preparing even days before Finals, SAT’s, LCAT’S? Up till Trials, I would be very surprised if there was any willingness among competitors to share info. After Trials if the path chosen was to have extended open period, agree there must be very intense preparation with training partner(s) to ramp up skills to highest level. But I think this is a path ill trodden. Better to have intense competition among rivals to elevate winner to top of his game. To be the best you have to sail against the best on a day to day basis to know how far to the right side of the “Bell Curve” you have to be to “own” the Class. Having early Trials would seem to eliminate any motive to improve. As far as carping excuses by some that short course college style racing isn’t compatible with training for Olympic style racing. This is just an excuse with little basis by those seeking to cover their accumulated mistakes with throw outs(s). Long races are lost by having more time to accumulate more mistakes. Long races demand a higher level of physical fitness & a thorough understand of wind patterns to stay in phase with more & more shifts & should be part of the decision process while preparing. In any case winner of long race will still be the one with least # of accumulated mistakes. Of course a well designed hybrid training program could be developed too. FYI, some years ago I saw the need for the USA to have a Pre-Olympic training Regatta a la C.O.R.K. & brought the concept to sailors in the Miami & St Pete area. Charley Morgan (SPYC) & Peter Commette ran with concept & S.P.O.R.T. and O.R.C. came to be. Then it seemed that a dedicated training center & pipeline for prepping promising youth sailors & those needing a out of season all year around training facility with accompanying high level coaching should be available in place of the remote Association Island venue. After talking to Ding Schoonmaker, he got behind the idea & made it happen. Unfortunately, those subsequently running the facility failed to understand the mission statement & turned the facility into a “dead boat park” as source of revenue. If there had been a good understanding of the proper use of the facility, it would have been oversubscribed hosting Jr. & Sr. clinics to ramp up jrs. to be better prepared for college sailing & Srs. To be better prepared for international competition by best coaching available worldwide, & incidentally vetting & training potential Jr. & Olympic coaches. This could still be done but would take a major commitment & World Class Coach in charge of the venue with proper mandate & budget. E.g. Mark Ivey or perhaps Andy Zawieja, or any other of # of well proven coaches w/o an agenda. If this were to happen the Sailing Center in Miami would soon be self sustaining & able to attract Grants & 401k donations. The Board of Directors should be selected by those who support & understand the Centers Training Mandate & audit the performance of the Sailing Director/Head Coach. -Bill

Zach: One of the first lessons athletes learn is “You play the way you practice.” The opportunities to practice in Olympic-class boats in the US are limited, probably because the pipeline you refer to is not being filled by the organization that will ultimately use the best US sailors in the next Olympics. The pipeline should include events at US venues that attract the best competitors — both US and foreign. A higher level of competition at home will make US sailors more competitive abroad. Good luck to you and Fred in Rio in 2016!

Those of us who race here and are finding it hard to go to regattas in our home areas (Chesapeake Bay in my case) because of the dismal economy , find it difficult to have sympathy for the failure of professional sailors abroad at public expense. We’d simply like to afford to sail a few more regattas here. Never mind America. I’d like to sail for myself.

Interesting Analysis!!! Seems hard to isolate/quantify all the variables, but you took some nice steps!