US Olympic sailing review

Jesse Falsone looks at how the American Olympic sailing team are upping their game and the form for Qingdao

Sailing has always been one of America’s Olympic success stories. With a total of 57 medals since the 1932 games, the US ranks above even Great Britain in the overall medal tally. In fact, in the three quads encompassing the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Games, the US completely dominated sailing, taking 21 medals in 25 medal opportunities. This success was the result of an excellent amateur sailing program in the US that competed with other amateur sailing programs abroad. However, since 1996, the Brits, and many other nations, have taken a very professional approach within their Olympic sailing programs, and the results speak for themselves. In the last three Olympic Games, Great Britain has outscored the United States 12-8 in medals, and 5-2 in Olympic Gold.

What do the Brits and other nations have that the US doesn’t? In the UK, the funding provided by the national lottery over the last three quads has driven the team to develop incredible depth in each class. Contrast this with the USA, much of the recent American sailing success has come from just a handful of very talented sailors, including the likes of Paul Foerster (one gold and two silver), Mark Reynolds (two gold and one silver), Jonathan and Charlie McKee (four medals between them). While the Star class has always been a hotbed for top US sailors, Olympic dinghy sailing in America has languished under the weight of dwindling domestic competition, and the high costs of training and competing overseas. Recognizing the problem, the US Sailing Olympic Committee has embarked upon changing the system.

Dean Brenner, Chairman of the US Olympic Sailing Committee, has helped set the US team on a new course. “This is an exciting time in the history of US Sailing”, Brenner enthuses. “We have embarked on a dramatic reinvention of the program. Since 1996, we have been trying to make the old amateur model work in an increasingly professional competitive environment. This old model relied on the sailors to raise their own funding. Olympic Sailing has gotten so competitive that it often takes more than one quad of training to become a true medal hopeful, and under our old model 8-10 years of training is more than most family and friends are willing to fund.” Now, the amateur model has been scrapped in favor of a professional approach that targets Corporate America.

Brenner knows how difficult an Olympic campaign can be for amateur athletes. He was one of them. In 2000, he teamed with Ed Baird and Tom Burnham in the Soling. Although their team was a top contender, finishing second in the US Trials, and top 10 in 2000 World Championship, they only received very limited funding from US Sailing. While Brenner considers himself a sailor first, and an administrator second, his qualifications for heading the US Olympic Sailing Committee are undeniable. Brenner heads a small consulting firm called The Latimer Group (www.thelatimergroup.com). The Latimer Group trains business executives and sales teams in the art of persuasive speech. They help their clients sell their products, raise capital and communicate effectively.

Using his skills, Brenner and his Olympic Sailing Committee staff have achieved promising results. The corporate sponsorship effort has steadily increased the program’s budget from approximately $1 million five years ago, to $1.5 million last year to over $2.1 million in 2006. And all results point to another strong growth rate for the 2007 budget.

How did Brenner’s team achieve these results? As Brenner puts it: “we had to rehab the brand of US Olympic Sailing, which now partners with its athletes at an unprecedented level.” The new model rewards the most elite athletes - those that train full-time and achieve podium-level results in Grade 1, World Championship, and Continental Championship events. This type of success raises the profile of the sailor, and that of the sponsoring corporations. The financial rewards can be substantial to sailors. For example, winning your Olympic Class world championship in 2005 translated into approximately $22,000 in performance bonuses to each American competitor. However, all of the funding available is based on world class performance, which clearly requires commitment to a rigorous training program. Most of the elite American athletes are now training in excess of 150 days per year.

The new US Olympic Sailing Team model leaves unchanged how the team is selected. In each class, five sailors/teams are chosen each year based on early season results, with the Rolex Miami OCR being mandatory. While this number is sufficient, and perhaps too large for smaller classes such as the Finn and Tornado, it may be prejudicial for classes where American sailors are more dominant and numerous. The Star is an excellent example. Sailors such as Mark Mendelblatt and Mark Strube are left off the team in 2006 despite having won the Star's Barcardi Cup in 2005, and having excelled in international competition. Andy Lovell and Olympic Gold Medalist, Magnus Liljedahl find themselves in a similar predicament. “I think overall the new US Olympic Sailing Team model is good, however it puts even more of a premium on making the team”, comments Mendelblatt, who also represented the US in the Laser at the Athens Olympics. “My team has placed well in international competition since beginning a campaign just two years ago, but these events are not considered in the US Sailing Team ranking.”

Morgan Larson, teamed now with 2004 Olympian Pete Spaulding in the 49er, feels the new model is a vast improvement, but more can be done to help Olympians go for gold. “We need to keep putting the word out there to corporations and potential donors that the US Sailing Team is an excellent way to project a positive image. Sailing embodies many of the virtues that sponsors want to be associated with.”

The revitalized US Sailing Olympic Team is indeed headed in the right direction, with American athletes now producing podium-level results in many prestigious international events. American women are achieving incredible results in the Laser Radial and Yngling, with promising performances in the 470 as well. Talented young men are now finally beginning to displace veterans in the Star, Laser, 470, and Finn. And there are still some veterans putting up great results in the 49er and Tornado.

Here’s a look at who’s who on the US Olympic Sailing Team:





Laser Radial

The Laser Radial was an excellent selection for American women. The class has growth and sustainability potential in the US, and as opposed to the Europe Dinghy, there are large fleets of talented amateur sailors on our shores to fill the ranks. Two talented American women are on a collision course at the trials - Anna Tunnicliffe (bottom) and Paige Railey (top). Having recently graduated from Old Dominion, Anna Tunnicliffe is one of the few women in US sailing history to garner Coed All-American honors, and easily walked away with the Quantum Women’s Sailor of the Year award. Having seen Anna sail, I can tell you she is remarkable talent, and is quickly making strides in the Laser Radial. However, it seems pretty clear at this time that although Anna ranks #1 on the US Sailing Team, she will need to find the speed that has made the 18 year-old Paige Railey a true phenom in the Radial. Railey is the number 1 ranked ISAF Laser Radial sailor, and for good reason. Railey has dominated the women’s Laser Radial class, and if not for a big mistake at the Rolex Miami OCR, Railey would also be #1 on the US Sailing Team this year. Look for a battle-royale.



Laser

The young guns, Andrew Campbell (above) and Brad Funk, look set to duke it out in this class, although past Olympian John Myrdal may have something to say about that. With Mark Mendelblatt moving on to the Star Class, the field looks wide open for the 20-somethings. Brad Funk was a highly decorated junior and collegiate sailor, with a great deal of experience in the Laser. Although still in college, Andrew Campbell has consistently competed in the Laser since 1998, and has steadily climbed the ISAF rankings to his present 36th position. As always, the question remains if these American Laser sailors can bridge the speed gap with foreign competition enough so that their collegiate instincts can give them a chance at a medal in Qingdao. One thing’s for sure – all potential contenders will all be on a serious diet.



Finn

The last US Sailor to win a medal in the Finn was Brian Ledbetter in 1992, and he seems to be in the mix again. However, age and treachery can only get you so far in the Finn, and Zach Railey (yes, Paige’s brother - above), has got to be viewed as the American heir apparent. Geoff Ewenson has also decided to re-enter the fray, after finishing second at the US Trials in 2004. There’s also some question if 2004 Olympian, Kevin Hall, will decide to go on sabbatical from his professional sailing career long enough to be competitive again. This time, Hall’s smaller stature may play to his benefit. US Finn sailors continue to be at a distinct disadvantage as compared to the Europeans, and this is only compounded by the developmental nature of the Finn rig.



470 Men

Paul Foerster and Kevin Burnham are a tough act to follow, but College Sailor of the Year, Mike Anderson-Mitterling and David Hughes (above) are game to follow in the footsteps of these legends. Anderson-Mitterling and Hughes are the clear front-runner on the US squad, showing winning form at last year’s highly competitive Kiel Week. Stu McNay and Graham Biehl will undoubtedly push the top seed hard, as will Justin Law, having teamed with a campaign-hardened Michael Miller. The question remains, however - will they or won’t they? With some preparation, Paul Foerster and Kevin Burnham are good enough to show up at the trials and make an impact.



470 Women

As with the Men’s 470, the old guard has seemingly given way to the next generation, although 1988 Gold Medalist Allison Jolly is still actively campaigning. The top gals are now Amanda Clark and Sarah Mergenthaler (above), currently 13th in the ISAF rankings, and no strangers to competition. Clark was second in the 2004 470 team trials, and has teamed with an excellent sailor in Mergenthaler, who also played four years of Division 1 Collegiate Soccer. Additionally, Mergenthaler also holds the distinction of being the first female to ever convert a field goal in a varsity high school (American) football game. Erin Maxwell and Alice Manard look to give Clark and Mergenthaler some serious competition. Both Maxwell and Manard are four-time collegiate women’s All-American selections (Maxwell was a Coed All-American also), and both have been on the US Sailing Team for many years.



49er

After a promising Olympic result in 2004 (5th), Tim Wadlow and Pete Spaulding have gone their separate ways. Spaulding landed with Morgan Larson (above), who has had great success in the 49er in years past sailing with Kevin Hall, but finished second in the 2000 trials to the McKee brothers. Larson is a dedicated professional sailor, but with an easy-going approach. He and Spaulding make for an experienced duo, but coming on strong are Dalton Bergan and Zack Maxam, who have campaigned together in the 49er since the last quadrennial. Larson and Spaulding hold the edge, having lots of big regatta experience, and having finished at the top in international competition in the 49er.

And keep an eye out for Tim Wadlow, who has come out of retirement with Chris Rast as his new crew. They are putting together a solid campaign and should be contenders in no time.





Star

Never was the battle between youth and energy, and age and wisdom been more distinct on the US squad. A passing glance at the top 10 in the US Sailing rankings tells just part of the story because a host of other American greats, like recent Bacardi Cup winners, John Dane and Austin Sperry, aren’t included on the list, but have since decided to enter the Olympic fray. Andy Horton and Brad Nichol (top) lead the pack for now, but these rankings are all but meaningless when it comes to the trials. There are no clear favorites at this point, and at least a dozen US Star teams are capable of winning big events. It is likely that the full-time sailors will eventually prevail, and that means the likes of Mark Mendelblatt/Mark Strube, and Andy Lovell/Magnus Liljedahl will likely climb the rankings. The cunning of George Szabo/Eric Monroe (bottom), and Mark Reynolds/Hal Haenel should never be under-estimated.



Tornado

At this point, it is unlikely that another team will prevent John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree (above) from again representing the USA in the Tornado, especially now that Lars Guck has seemingly walked away. Lovell and Ogletree won silver in Athens to cap an impressive 2004 season, and have seemingly picked up where they left off by dominating the Miami OCR this year. Robbie Daniel and Enrique Rodriguez are probably the only team standing between another Olympic berth for Lovell and Ogletree.

Yngling

As strong as the US Yngling team is, the Olympic berth can only be lost by Sally Barkow’s team at this juncture. While there are some other very strong teams, none of them are on a par with the current Yngling World Champions. Both Hannah Swett and Carol Cronin (2004 Olympian) have different team members, and it will take time for all the chemistry to materialize. Furthermore, Barkow’s team (with Debbie Capozzi and Carrie Howe) are presumably better-funded given all their success over the past few years. This is another case where it becomes difficult for amateurs to compete with professionals.