Pivot on this
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor 2 Nov 13:00 PST
Adrain Finglas coaching Morgan Grieve © Sailing Nation
Yes indeed. As much as I would hate to take people back to the Covid era, that's exactly what I've just done. Making that problematic trip back in time look good, is how much I despise the way 'pivot' (in the common vernacular) got used as many times as those wretched QR codes. When there were no lockdowns, you heard 'pivot' about as often as the orders for smashed avo on toasted sourdough, with a latte.
Blood boiling stuff. Little wonder the drug cartels started 'taking over' avo farms. I mean, a clean, legal product, reliable distribution chains, and rampant demand that meant it had zero price elasticity. Like, hello! Did someone say, 'Cash Cow'?
Now with time passed, when you consider it carefully, just about everybody had to do some sort of pivot. For many it might have been like a bow before royalty, and for others it was like a 300-tonne crane with a 30-tonne boat on the end of its 78m boom.
One person who had to do the latter was Adrian Finglas. The master coach had been enticed down to the Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club by the late and great Andrew Plympton AM, and thence moved on to the Royal Brighton Yacht Club. 'Danganistan', as Victoria had become known, was arguably the world's hardest hit locales when it came to the pesky virus. Mixing and mingling was verboten, and sport, huh, forget it. Clean, fresh air, and some Vitamin D rays be damned. What mental health benefits?
Anyway, Aidz, for I don't think anyone calls him Adrian, went off to get into making balustrades, and then tried his hand at the mastery of another aquatic experience, namely pool maintenance (Read Here). Three years ago, the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron firstly located him, then got him on the road back North to his home in Brisbane. They knew what they had missed in the decade since he had left, and they sorely wanted their beloved, 'prodigal son' back for the leadup to the 2032 Olympic Games. And yes, Aidz is that good...
"It took me about one second to say yes. I was born and bred in Brisbane, and my dad is still here," said Finglas. "It was a great opportunity to get back to the club that I grew up at, the club that I love, and try to create that next generation of not only sailors, but also coaches. I've got a big responsibility with the latter, so that when I eventually hang up my whistle after 2032, I can say to the club that you're in good hands."
Not a can of Pedigree
Finglas' pedigree stems from what he's sailed, and who he's coached, as well as his boyish charm that sort of opens the door, so that his precise use of words can go straight in and get the job done. For some, listing out the achievements and persons involved would get cries of 'name dropping' and 'Who's this GOAT?', but with Aidz it is the very definition of the man.
There is something like eight Australian Championships in maybe seven craft from Sabot to 420, 470, the Five-Ohs, Tasar, and also a teams racing championship. Out at sea, there's a Hobart win (2001) on John Kahlbetzer's Bumblebee V with none other than Iain Murray AM as the Skipper. Eclectic does not really even come close, for there is high-end multihulls in there, including time with Tornado legend, Mitch Booth.
Aidz was a pre-Olympic representative in the 470 with Adam Beashel, and they were 13th at the 1989 Worlds in Tsu, Japan. Of course, if you know Aidz, you know he was on the tiller, not much point having 45 kilos out on the trap... BTW Adam and Aidz also won the Tasar Worlds during that period.
"All of it probably explains why I can jump in and coach most boats at a high level. When I was young, I remember being given the job of coaching Dave Giles and Colin Beashel in the Star (then World Champions BTW). I was thinking, oh my god, I've got my hero, we're in Italy, and we go out for the first race. I was a bit nervous trying to tell Colin about his start, which wasn't glamorous. Colin could see that I was a bit nervous, and he said to me, 'Just tell me how I started, mate. If you need to just tell me what I'm doing wrong, just tell me, and so that started a great week or so of the Star World Championships."
"I also did a campaign with Krystal Weir in the Laser/ILCA, then Krystal with Karyn Gojnich, and Angela Farrell in the Yingling class that won Bronze at the 2008 Worlds in Beijing. In amongst it all there is Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesel Tesch in the Skud at the Paralympics, with Gold and Silver being the outcomes."
A day in the life of
Ultimately it shows that no matter whether its Olympic, World, Paralympic, National, State, or OTB level for someone's first day of Tackers in the Opti, Finglas has it covered. Personally, I have seen 40 to 50 'inductees' all crowded around Aidz at the beach and then a room full of adults ahead of heading out to the keelboats. All have the same attentive mindset, just perhaps different styles...
It is further illustrated by and normal day at 'RQ' where he can go "...from coaching a developing 49er team in one lesson, then on to a 470, an ILCA, Nacra, then the afternoon with a kid who's Green Fleet Opti. When coaching a whole lot of different levels during a day, it's your delivery model that has to change radically to cater for all those different needs and wants. It's not an easy skill. You've got to be always thinking on your feet on how to get the material across for all the different customers."
What he is clear on is that, "You don't have coaches coaching at that top level who haven't sailed at a high level. It's really, really interesting to see who the Olympic sailors of today have as their coaches, and their incredible background in the sport. It is not an easy one to coach. You're not there with them per se, and as the wind builds, they cannot hear you. Then there are the waves, and you're standing in the sun, bobbing around in a boat. So yes, this is why you have to have excellent communication skills to match the challenges."
"Our sport develops great leaders because of the environment that we've got to operate in."
Rotate - not the call before lift off
Things will be different by the time 2032 comes about. Scoring and regatta process for one, maybe number of medals for two (ouch!), equipment for three, and then personnel for four, with exact location as five. That sort of makes it hard to train for 2032. Sure, there's a build-up, but it can only go so far. So, it would be good to be adaptable, and take your knowledge to new realms. This is definitely why Aidz has taught himself how to wing foil.
"If you look at the general age of Olympians and Medallists, it's the 14 and 15-year-olds who are training at the moment that are going to potentially be the stars of Brisbane. Coaches around the nation are all pushing really hard to clearly identify and really develop that 14 to 16-year age group, to hopefully flush out some new superstars."
"We've had kids in our state move to Brisbane to be involved with the RQ program, because they know we've got a really good coaching structure, and we're pushing towards that 2032 goal," said Finglas.
Clearly, the end of 2026 is going to provide many an answer to the above. Could well be at that time that there's no point teaching kids the 420/470 anymore...
So, adaptability will be essential for coaches and sailors alike. One thing that will be carried over, no matter what, is campaign expertise. To that end, it is great that Australia has once again returned to the Youth Worlds. The other item will be proven versatility to work with the ability to master change. As we have seen so far, from that standpoint, Aidz is all set.
"One of the big reasons why I've gone out and learned to wing foil is because the sport at the junior level is getting so much traction. You've also got the push that it could be an Olympic sport. I knew I had to go and learn this discipline, because eventually it could be one of our go-to sports, and I had to know at least the basics," said Finglas.
"I think every kid in the nation should be learning how to wing foil because it is just such a unique class. You're up there, you're flying, there's no sound, and it's where the sport's going. I think all the great sailors of the future are going to be the ones who can wing and foil. Could well be a foiling dinghy class in the mix for 2032, as well."
If you're a fan of foiling, you will have already read our trio on the 'F Word' - Yet more 'F' word, Going to publish the 'F' word - Again!, and Going to publish the 'F' word. The future is all about apparent wind sailing and speed.
Whilst we're at it, many of these classes not only go out in conditions others have been abandoned in, they love it! And you can get them on the track swiftly in a wide wind range, do rapid fire, short-elapsed time racing, as well as drag them right in close to shore for the viewers and cameras (Yes, the things that are going to drive who is in and who is out). Don't agree? Just look at SailGP and put the keyboard back down. Q.E.D.
What are clubs for?
Sailing is not in the sports business anymore. It is in the entertainment caper. Look at weekday twilights versus Saturday Windward/Leewards. By extension, clubs therefore become entertainment hubs. "I think for our sport to progress, clubs around the nation have to change their delivery. We're delivering a product that was developed in the 1970s and 80s and we've got to have races that are no longer than 15 minutes in duration to keep the young people engaged. They want to sail up and back, fast, furious, and fun. And then do it again, and again. Rinse and repeat."
That entertainment also extends to those onshore, no matter whether they are Mum or Dad's Taxi, or other club members. There's such a difference between the pro side and the Olympic side of the sport back down to club land, currently... The engagement has to be delivered straight to the minds of the youngsters, and the passion of the adults. The change to this new model cannot take forever, either. It really does have to be way faster than growing a hedge out the front of the club.
"Amanda and Chris Woodford got our new Opti programme off the ground. Every club needs people like this, who not only generate the idea, but gather all the volunteers and support crew to make it so. Little wonder Mark Dingley (Sailing Manager) placed the whole might of RQ behind this initiative."
"This series is sprint races, and it's all done and dusted by 12 o'clock each Saturday. Families can go and have their family time, which is critical. We can't be more than about two and a half hours long because all of the other sports that we're battling against, they're held inside buildings, at a swimming pool, a court, a pitch, and most of them are over in an hour and a half. With two parents working, and the cost of living these days, we've got to shorten up our sports delivery time to stay relevant to people who are non-sailors, and competitive to all the other requirements in the modern life."
Vitality is the answer, and it will overcome any of a club's perceived issues or compromises. Take RQ, for example. Awesome facilities, good funding, nice weather, heaps of land and parking, just takes a little bit of time to get them out of the marina and out to do a bit of sailing. Which aspect do you choose to focus in on? No silver bullets, so crack on. Adapt, improvise, and conquer.
Thanks for tuning into Sail-World.com
John Curnow
Sail-World.com AUS Editor