By Airwaves Writer Zach Brown
A lot has happened since the London 2012 Olympic Games. The heads of US Olympic sailing went into a deep meditation to reflect on the positives and negatives of the last few quadrenniums. Olympic reviews took place, new leadership began, and plans were created in November 2012. The result of this introspection is a general attitude change, and it’s already evident in 2013. It’s in the air; you can taste it, see it, and for some, you can grasp it. The new US Olympic sailing attitude is inclusive and technical.
Introspection
US Sailing’s 2012 President Gary Jobson selected a highly knowledgeable panel of American sailors in August 2012 with Olympic sailing experience to review the current state of Olympic sailing in the United States. The panel consisted of Ed Adams, Andrew Campbell, Jay Cross, Andrew Kostanecki, Bill Martin, Jack Mathias, Jonathan McKee, Cory Sertl, and Tim Wadlow. They presented a three part report in November 2012 that outlined the positives and negatives of the Olympic program and made recommendations for the 2016 quadrennium and beyond. More information about the report can be found at: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/News/Olympic_Review_Panel.htm.
Leadership
After eight years of legendary leadership, Dean Brenner has positioned the US team well for the future through increased funding, professional structure, and key hires for the 2016 Rio quadrennium. Brenner passed on his position as chairman of the Olympic Sailing Committee to Ben Richardson and his role as managing director to Josh Adams. Immediately following his appointment, Adams hired Charlie McKee as the High Performance Director.
Richardson, Adams, and McKee are all valuable assets to the US Olympic Sailing Program and each player brings unique skills that will help the US get back on the podium in 2016 and beyond. Richardson’s knowledge from multiple laser campaigns, wisdom from his time spent as a member of the OSC board, and his success in the business world make him a great advisor and strategist of the High Performance plan for the Rio quadrennium. US Sailing lays out Adams’s role and attributes in an August press release: “As a coach, journalist, and fundraiser, Josh is well connected to sailors through his various work experiences in the sailing industry. His primary focus will be the recruitment and development of young sailors with Olympic aspirations.” Charlie McKee, a two time bronze medalist and one of America’s greatest professional sailors, will manage the coaching program, technical development, and youth development.
Plan
The US Olympic Sailing Program’s new approach to sustainably winning medals is focused on domestic training, cohesive and collaborative teams, technical advantages, and a youth development pipeline. Charlie McKee is working with his staff of talented coaches to increase the number of US training camps, boost the participation, and raise the skill level.
Each Olympic class is now viewed as a team of sailors working together and sharing information freely to elevate the group as a whole so that domestic training is productive. Take for example the 49er, 49er FX, and the Nacra classes that shared rig tuning numbers and boat setup points after each day of racing at the Sailing World Cup Miami. A database is currently under beta testing that is built for sailors to input and review their settings and sailing conditions each day they train or compete. Not only will this improve the current Olympic campaigners, it will pave the path for the future so that new teams will not have to recreate the wheel every four years.
McKee recently hired Grant “Fuzz” Spanhake for the newly created role of Technical Director. This key move will help the US team obtain technical advantages that will translate into better speed and equipment. McKee stated, “[Spanhake] brings a vast amount of practical experience, knowledge, technical savvy, and is going to be a great resource for our sailors and coaches.” Fuzz will work with the US Team in a wide variety of ways across different classes to elevate the team’s technical game.
The reconstruction of the youth pipeline is focused on improved communication to junior sailors, early exposure to high performance dinghies and Olympic class boats, access to top level coaching, and increased opportunities for young sailors to pursue their Olympic dreams. In order for youth sailors to get firsthand experience of the multiple facets of an Olympic campaign, some Olympic class training camps will be organized to include and involve youth sailors. Adams and McKee are taking unique approaches to expose young talent to Olympic sailing like using select domestic regattas to mix young skippers with veteran crews and vice versa. McKee is looking to provide the top youth talent with high level coaches that are current or past Olympic campaigners so that young sailors will receive great coaching as well as mentorship and role models.
Results
The new Olympic sailing program has already showed some positive results with the 2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami regatta where the US won thirteen medals. Although these scores are incredibly exciting and promising for the start of the new quadrennium, there is still plenty of work to be done to bring the US back to its status as a dominant Olympic sailing power.
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