Over 200 athletes train on east and west coasts with US Sailing Youth & Olympic Development Programs

by US Sailing Team 7 Dec 2024 08:50 PST

US Sailing Olympic Development Program (ODP) Camp 1 © Allison Chenard

With most of the country settling in to welcome the holiday season, training efforts are ramping up in the Youth and Olympic Development (ODP) spaces.

During the week before Thanksgiving, three training camps ran simultaneously for over 200 athletes, with support from 32 US Sailing coaches, 22 regional program coaches, and seven US Sailing staff members.

For athletes training in Olympic boat classes, the first ODP camp since the Paris Olympics took place out of the US Sailing Center in Miami, FL, while the annual Youth Thanksgiving Racing Camp welcomed athletes for the first time on both east and west coasts at Miami Yacht Club in Miami, FL and Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, CA. Youth camps feature sailors training in boat classes found at the Youth World Sailing Championship, which are designed to provide training platforms for these younger athletes to prepare for Olympic class sailing.

US Sailing Olympic Development Program (ODP) Camp 1
Miami, FL @ US Sailing Center | Nov 23-27

"This was our first official ODP camp of the new LA2028 quad, and we're off to an excellent start. We're getting the right resources paired with hardworking sailors to create a holistic, full-time training oasis when athletes are on the ground with us," said Rosie Chapman, Olympic Development Director. "Each day we prioritize sailing and adjust the schedule to capitalize on the best breeze, but we also build in time for the gym, enrichment presentations from specialists, land drills and briefings, and recovery sessions with our physiotherapists."

On-Water Training - photo © Allison Chenard

On-Water Training

To promote knowledge retention within the USST and ODP ecosystem, five Paris 2024 Olympians returned to coach the next generation of athletes. They brought their expertise to the classroom, sailed with ODP athletes on the water, and led athletes through expert rigging sessions to set them up for success before they even left the dock.

In addition to the familiar athlete faces, Chapman brought in seasoned USST coaches including 49er coach Mark Asquith, who helped coach Barrows and Henken to a bronze medal in Paris, Paris 2024 49erFX coach Dave Evans, and Olympian and Tokyo 2020 ILCA 6 coach Steve Mitchell.

Rounding out the coaching staff were some new faces with fresh perspectives: Charles Baillie (Paris 2024 Coach, Team Belgium) and James Gray (British Sailing Team Coach), who worked with ILCA 6 and 7s, respectively.

Presentations - photo © Allison Chenard

Presentations

Along with on-the-water training, athletes were given the chance to hear from a number of experts on shore, with presentations on psychology, fitness, and campaigning.

"So, What is Your Goal and Why Does it Matter?" by US Sailing Team Sport Psychologist Jessica Mohler, PsyD, CMPC
Mohler brought athletes through goal setting exercises and illustrated concepts with interactive activities. She covered the importance of working on mindset during training, not just during competition, and educated athletes on the art of daily reflections.

"Strength, Endurance, and Recovery" by Dr. Dan Fine, US Sailing Team Physiotherapist
Fine reviewed the plan for the week's workouts and discussed the importance of recovery to optimize training outcomes. He covered habit building, communication with the physio team to tailor athlete needs, and structuring winning routines that incorporate essential rest.

Paris 2024 Olympian Panel, moderated by Allison Chenard, US Sailing Team Media + Paris 2024 Press Officer
The panel featured Stephanie Roble, Stu McNay, David Liebenberg, Lara Dallman-Weiss, and Maggie Shea, the session was purposefully not recorded to promote an ask-anything atmosphere with ODP athletes. The Olympians shared what they wish they'd known when they began their campaigns, the highs and lows throughout their careers, and more.

Paris 2024 Olympian Panel, moderated by Allison Chenard, US Sailing Team Media + Paris 2024 Press Officer - photo © Quintin Pelzel

"Campaign Media" by Allison Chenard
Chenard covered professionalizing athletes' media and communications for fundraising efforts, storytelling, and donor/sponsor engagement. She gave athletes tips for how to approach communication as a singlehanded sailor or doublehanded team, what makes a good website, what social media platforms are worth it, and how to best use media to complement Olympic campaigns.

Data Review by B Lindsay, US Sailing Team Data Analyst
Lindsay worked with fleets to review tracking data from their training sessions, applying numbers to inform takeaways from what they experienced on the water.

Workouts & Recovery

When athletes weren't attending guided team lift sessions at the Train8Nine gym with Force Physical Therapy, they chose between running, rowing, assault biking, or road biking as their cardio. Dr. Dan Fine led a teamwork exercise on the final gym morning involving all coaches, athletes, and staff, and organized specialized agility training in a nearby park that was tailored to movements in the boat.

At the end of each day, athletes could return to Force Physical Therapy for recovery sessions with ice baths, treatment from USST Physiotherapists, Normatec boots, cupping, and more.

Workouts and recovery camp - photo © Allison Chenard

While many ODP camp attendees are starting their Olympic campaign journeys, the camp mixed US Sailing Team athletes and Olympians for a full collaborative team atmosphere.

"We're excited to be here with the ODP group. We've got five 49ers all training together and it's been great," said Nevin Snow, USST 49er athlete. "We're all pushing each other, and Mark Asquith is doing a great job of crafting drills that blend a range of experiences. It's been good learnings all around, we've had open debriefs, and we're really enjoying it."

"Our next camp takes place December 18 to 22 and we'll be expanding to three locations across Florida to support over 70 athletes. We're stronger when we're pushing each other and sharing ideas, and we're developing world-class habits that build a strong foundation for a bright future for American Olympic sailing," said Chapman.

Olympic Development coaches, Miami Camp

Mark Asquith - 49er
Dave Evans - 49erFX
Charlie Baillie Strong - ILCA 6
Lara Dallman-Weiss - 49erFX
James Gray - ILCA 7
David Liebenberg - Nacra 17
Stu McNay - 470
Steve Mitchell - ILCA 7
Stephanie Roble - 49erFX
Maggie Shea - 49erFX

US Sailing Youth Thanksgiving Racing Camp - photo © Lexi Pline / US Sailing

US Sailing Youth Thanksgiving Racing Camps Presented by Risk Strategies
Miami, FL @ Miami Yacht Club (Nov 23-26) & Long Beach, CA @ Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (Nov 25-27)

With activity on both coasts for the first time at the Thanksgiving Youth Racing Camp, youth sailors were busy in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. The annual camp attracted over 120 youth sailors to Miami Yacht Club in Miami, FL and 45 sailors to Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, CA.

In Miami, US Sailing brought an impressive coaching lineup, including Paris 2024 Peruvian bronze medalist Stefano Peschiera (ILCA 7), 2x Canadian Olympian Sarah Douglas (ILCA 6), i420 World Champion coach Lior Lavie, iQFOiL expert Justin Ahearn, and American Magic Head Coach Tom Burnham provided by Quantum Racing.

Collegiate National Champion coaches Charles Higgins of Tulane and Chris Klevan of Stanford also presented at the camps, engaging sailors and providing insight to building successful teams.

"The future of our youth program is in collaboration with college sailing, professional sailing, and Olympic class sailing," said Phil Muller, US Sailing Youth Performance Manager. "The message to our youth is consistent from every arena: become a great teammate to be part of a great team."

"It's such a privilege to bring so many talented sailors to this event," continued Muller. "My goal is for our sailors to have a better youth experience than I did — and my experience was pretty fantastic!"

Over in Long Beach, California, the 45 youth sailors took to the water in four of six Youth Worlds classes. Bringing a Youth Thanksgiving camp to the West Coast for the first time is part of a broader effort to bring high quality high-performance to sailors across the country.

"The West Coast camp in Long Beach was a blast, with a very focused and talented group of sailors," said John Pearce, US Sailing Youth Racing Director. "The coaches did a fantastic job of sharing knowledge and creating a productive training environment. Being on the LA2028 Olympic waters really energizes everyone to take advantage of the opportunity."

West Coast coaching staff included ILCA 7 Olympic Trials winner Ford McCann, Youth Worlds i420 champion Caroline Young, skiff expert Sterling Henken, collegiate All-American Quinn Wilson, and Women's America's Cup trimmer Sara Stone from Quantum Racing.

Muller added, "It's been an incredible week for youth sailors in America. We are 'Thankful' so many sailors, parents and coaches came together for training. It is a special thing when we get all the youth worlds classes together. There was a lot of enthusiasm in the boat park and great action on the water."

East Coast Youth Coaches