Mark Ivey named as new U.S. SailGP Team coach
by Laura Muma 7 Dec 2023 02:09 AEDT
Mark Ivey named as new U.S. SailGP Team coach © Ricardo Pinto for SailGP
The United States SailGP Team today announced two-time U.S Sailing Coach of the Year and multi-world champion Mark Ivey as the team's new coach.
With more than 24 years coaching and professional racing experience, a highlight of Ivey's career has been coaching the Swedish Star Class team to a gold medal during the 2012 London Olympics. Prior to coaching gold medalists and championship teams, Ivey led an impressive collegiate career as a four-time All American athlete and College Sailor of the Year in 1999. In 2016, he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. He has also raced and coached more than 52 world championships throughout his career.
"This is the biggest coaching opportunity by far in the U.S.," says Ivey, who joined the revamped U.S. SailGP Team earlier this week onsite in Dubai. "We have a lot of work in front of us, and it's impressive to see the squad's amazing energy and focus on display here in Dubai during our first training camp. I appreciate the vote of confidence that Ryan [McKillen] and Mike [Buckley] have put in me."
Ivey is also the 2023 recipient of US Sailing's Kevin Burnham Memorial Award, awarded to a sailor who embodies the spirit of the late Olympic silver and gold medalist Kevin Burnham: passion, persistence, perseverance, sportsmanship on and off the water, and the love of the sport and love of his or her competitors.
"Mark is a proven winner on and off the water," says Mike Buckley, U.S. SailGP Team CEO. "His ability to lead a team is unparalleled and I've long admired how he can establish the foundation for a team culture that inspires connection and confidence while striving for success."
Next event
The Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas takes place Sat. and Sun., December 9-10. U.S. fans can watch the racing live via CBS Sports and SailGP's YouTube at 5 a.m. - 7 a.m. EST.