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Rolex Miami Olympic Class Regatta: #1 Ranked Spot on 2011 US Sailing Team Alphagraphics and Only US Windsurfing Representative at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico This year, the Rolex Miami OCR was the qualifier for the US Pan American Games Representative spot and the 2011 US National Team (2 spots). Needless to say, I accomplished the ultimate goal for this event: Top American Finisher. I finished 15th overall, in one of the most competitive, yet small fleets on the world cup circuit. Out of the 31 competitors, there were: ...

The 2010 season ended on a high note. I finished the year with some impressive results, some incredible stories, met some amazing people and traveled to some beautiful destinations. More importantly, however, I become more of an all around sailor and put myself in a position to win the Olympic trials and bring home the Gold! Despite taking some time away from the board during the fall months, I feel fitter and stronger than I did at the end of the 2010 season. Additionally, I feel mentally rejuvenated and my motivation to win the Olympic trial...

Worlds wrap up and end of the season review Kerteminde, Denmark, the site of the 2010 RS:X world Championships proved to be an interesting, yet desolate venue.  The town consisted of one supermarket, a few bakeries, no more than five restaurants and rain.  I arrived about 12 days before the event to do some on-site training.  The training was great.  However, the weather, entertainment and general ambience of the town was lacking. The town did not offer much to distract our minds from the training. In order to keep our ...

Leading up to the Weymouth stop I was training to peak at this particular ISAF World Sailing Cup event.   Next year, this event will be the first regatta of the US Olympic selection.  Additionally, this is the venue of the 2012 Olympic Games.  Therefore, I was putting a large emphasis on this regatta and treating it as my most important event of the season.    A few days before the regatta started one of my best friends, Jamie Shepherd, passed away after a terrible boating accident.  Jamie and I grew up saili...

 I first met Jamie at the Columbia Yacht Club when he began his sailing career; however, our relationship didn’t blossom fully until we started sailing together. When we first got into the boat together, I was 14, and Jamie was an athletic twelve-year-old, eager to learn and exemplifying a disciplined and smart approach to sailing.   Initially, our relationship was centered around sailing, since we spent the Chicago summers sailing and traveling together.  However, as the practice days greatened and the number of saili...

Prior to the World Cup event in North Germany I spent 10 days with the Polish team touching up on a few skills.  The training consisted of 3-5 practice races a day, which proved to be extremely productive.  I arrived in Kiel, Germany three days before the event and utilized the time to rest, prepare and set up the tent that I would be living in for the next 8 days.    Kiel Week is slightly different from the other World Cup events.  The regatta takes place in coordination with the largest festival in Northern Europe.&n...

After taking some time away from the board (2 weeks) after the French Olympic Week, I was itching to get back into racing at the 2010 Delta Lloyd regatta. Prior to the event, I was feeling rested, fast and prepared for the World Cup event, and it showed during the first day of racing.    For the first time all season, we finally had some breeze to race in, even though the breeze did not fully materialize until the second race.  However, it was great to plane around the course.  All three races that day went  ...

Prior to the French Olympic Week regatta in Hyeres, France I was sailing the best I have sailed all season.  I participated in a training camp with the polish team and I was continuing to improve in light air. Additionally, my heavy air sailing was starting to click.  As the event neared I found myself becoming increasingly tired and my day-to-day recovery seemed to be slowing down.  I understood that these were signs of overtraining, so I trained cautiously the few days leading up to the event.   The event, similar to ever...

Day three (20 knots, 8-10 foot waves):   The forecast for day three was a prefrontal 20-30 knot southwesterly and that is exactly what we got, in addition to 8-12 foot waves.  In the early morning the breeze was manageable and the Race Committee decided to send the Finns out to race.  However, as the Finns were sailing out, the breeze kicked up to about 25-35 knots.  The race committee made the right decision to send the Finns back to shore only after they experienced a handful of breakdowns.  We waited onshore until a...

The first two days of the Princess Sofia Regatta in the Bay of Palma saw similar conditions, 4-8 knots out of the southwest.  Going into the regatta I was feeling increasingly confident in these conditions, and throughout the first two days of racing, my light air sailing began to click for parts of the races.   Day One: The first race started off great.  I had a solid start and was able to get a clear lane all the way up the course in a 70-board fleet.   My upwind speed and pumping technique felt very good and I round...