58th birthday - Oldest Member of US Olympic Team

by Lynn Fitzpatrick on 9 Jul 2008 The Oldest Member of the 2008 US Olympic Team Celebrates his Birthday on July 15.

John Dane III will celebrate his 58th birthday on July 15, 2008 and shortly afterward will take off for the Olympics. He was part of a team that took second place at the 1968 US Olympic Trials in Sailing, and 40 years later, at 58 years old, he will be the oldest member of the 2008 US Olympic Team. He will also be the oldest of 400 sailors participating in the Olympic sailing events. John will sail a Star boat in one of eleven sailing events in Qingdao, China, the Olympic Sailing Venue. His crew will be his 30-year old son-in-law Austin Sperry.

Only one team from each country can qualify for each of the Olympic sailing events. Last fall, Dane and Sperry won the US Sailing Trials in the Star boat, the sailboat used in the Men’s Keelboat event at the Olympics. Ever since then Dane, Sperry, their coaches, and family have been preparing for the Olympics. 'At my age, it’s my last chance and I am going to make the most of it and enjoy every moment,' said Dane whose wife, seven children and a son-in-law and daughter-in-law will join him at the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing on August 8, 2008.

The Men’s Keelboat competition will take place starting on August 15th and continue through August 24th. Ten fleet races are scheduled and there are days built into the schedule should weather conditions not be favorable for sailing. The top ten teams from the ten-race preliminary round will qualify for the Medal Race. Dane will compete against teams from Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Croatia, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland.

John Dane III is the CEO and President of one of the largest super yacht manufacturers in the world, Trinity Yachts, with boat yards in Gulfport, Mississippi and New Orleans, LA. In addition to being the spokesperson for the Melanoma Research Foundation and the Chairman of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Sports Commission, Dane is involved with many organizations including:

Society of Naval Architects
US Coast Guard Foundation
Navy League
The Tulane University President’s Council
Boys and Girls Club of Broward County
Shake-a-Leg Miami
Pass Christian Yacht Club
US Sailing Association of New Orleans

Dane is also the President of US Marine Inc., a patrol boat manufacturing company.