I have never competed in an Olympic Games before; however, the Olympic Test Event (OTE), was a close indication of what the games will be like next year: High pressure, more media and a very high concentration of the world’s best sailors. The regatta only consisted of 34 competitors; each competitor was the sole representative for their respective nation. The small field of the world’s best RS:X sailors made the fleet extremely unforgiving, but the racing, pressure and general ambiance was great practice as I continue to work towards a spot on the 2012 US Olympic Team.

In addition to the characteristics of the competition, the regatta was very different than other World Cup Events.  For one, the regatta was stretched out over a 2-week period; however, we only raced 6 days.  There are lay days, multiple days for registration and a lot of downtime, all attributing to a lot of casual time spent waiting and thinking about racing.  This was difficult for me to adapt to, but having this experience under my belt will be very beneficial as I work towards securing a position at the 2012 Olympics.

Next year at the Olympic Games, the US Team will stay together in the athlete’s Olympic Village.  There will be multiple athletes in each apartment, and athletes may have to share rooms.  For the OTE, the US Sailing Team wanted to create an environment that would be nearly identical to the atmosphere that the athletes will encounter next year.  Therefore, all the athletes on the US Sailing Team stayed in apartments with anywhere from 2 – 4 people, sharing bedrooms.  At the beginning of my stay, I was very happy.  However, a few nights in a problem began to evolve: my roommate snored...a lot.  Considering I still had a few days before competing, I spoke with our team manager and she relocated me to a different apartment.  That night, I was sleeping perfectly until a second snoring roommate woke me up again! I rectified the problem by pulling my mattress out of the bedroom in the middle of the night and slept in the living room that evening. As you can imagine, I was frustrated at this point, I had been disturbed in the middle of the night the past few times.  Fortunately, my second roommate was very understanding and he elected to move into the living room and I slept in the bedroom for the remainder of the event, it was very nice of him.   The lesson here is that I am clearly a very light sleeper and for the upcoming Games, I need to make sure my roommate sleeps smooth and quietly! Fortunately, I had ample time to fully rest up after the snoring incident and before the regatta.  I was unable to bring my coach, Peter, over due to limited funds; however I used a variety of different US Team Coaches in addition to one Norwegian coach for a few days.  It wasn’t ideal, but it worked out okay.  I essentially needed to decide if I wanted to bring Peter to the OTE or to the worlds in Perth. I will bring him to Perth.

The racing was challenging, but sailing in a small, competitive fleet was very rewarding.  I was pleased with my result, 23rd out of 34; however, I know I can perform better and I will continue to work hard these next few months to achieve an excellent result in Perth.  My sailing continues to be a bit inconsistent.  For instance, I had a few races where I was pushing the top 10 (one race I was in the top 3 for a bit), and other races where I was struggling to beat 5 competitors!  My results were all over the board with 4 top 20 finishes including an 11th, 16th and a 17th and three finishes in the 30s.  I can attribute this inconsistency somewhat to my size, which favors breezy conditions; however, for me to succeed and push hard for a medal in 2012, I need to continue to work very hard on my light air sailing.  I may never be one of the fastest sailors in the fleet in light air; however, if I can put up top 20 results in light air and push the top 5 in breezy conditions, I will be in a very good position.  All of this I am capable of, I just need to continue to maintain focus, work hard and most importantly train smart.

Stadium Sailing: From Weymouth to Chicago

Weymouth is a great sailing venue for many reasons: It is generally windy, flat water (most of the time) and has beautiful scenery.  There is an additional reason that makes it perfect for the Olympics, spectating.  There is one course that is tucked next to a hill, where a majority of the spectating will take place.  The view from the hill is perfect, as you feel like you are nearly on the course and the geographical landscape of the hill doesn’t obstruct the wind (too much!).  I watched the medal race from this location and it was amazing.  You could hear the windsurfers fly over the water in addition to their voices as they battled it out on the course.

After my trek home I ventured over to Navy Pier in Chicago to watch a Grade 2 Match Racing event.  The organizer, the Chicago Match Race Center, put on a fantastic event erecting bleachers and racing the competitors less than 100 yards from Navy Pier.  You could see everything and it felt like you could interact with the athletes.  Sailing as a sport is evolving and is no longer inaccessible to viewers.  Events like this match race regatta in Chicago and racing at the Olympics in Weymouth are bringing sailing closer to its viewers and ultimately increasing its overall attraction to sponsors.  Additionally, there will be an increasing need to monetize viewership, as athletes are demanding higher wages to compete.  Stadium seating and ticketed seats, which will happen in the Olympics, are a big step in the right direction as they will bring in more investment ultimately leading to higher revenues in the sport of sailing.

Looking Forward:

I am back in Chicago and I plan to train here for the next 6 weeks. My focus is going to be strength and fitness.  I have about 3 and half months until my next trials event and this is a perfect time in my schedule to add some power.  In October, I will depart for the Pan American Games, immediately following that event I will trek the 40-hour journey to Perth. 

Thank You:

A Special thanks you to the training partners of Team POW.  They members continued to perform brilliantly; Dorian won Gold at the Olympic Test Event.