Developing today’s youth for tomorrow

Three USA Youth and Olympic Development (ODP) training camps were recently held 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 2024 Olympics took place out of the US Sailing Center (Miami, FL), while the youth camps welcomed athletes for the first time on both east and west coasts at Miami Yacht Club (Miami, FL) and Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (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
November 23-27 – Miami, FL
“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.”

To promote knowledge retention, 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 Ian Barrows and Hans 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.

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.

US Sailing Team Sport Psychologist Jessica 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.

US Sailing Team Physiotherapist Dr. Dan 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.

US Sailing Team Officer Allison Chenard moderated a panel that featured Paris Olympians Stephanie Roble, Stu McNay, David Liebenberg, Lara Dallman-Weiss, and Maggie Shea who shared what they wish they’d known when they began their campaigns, the highs and lows throughout their careers, and more.

Chenard also 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.

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

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.

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.”

Chapman noted how the next camp takes place December 18 to 22. “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.”

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 Camps
Nov 23-26 – Miami, FL / Nov 25-27 – Long Beach, CA

Over 120 youth sailors came to Miami for a coaching lineup that included 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. My goal is for our sailors to have a better youth experience than I did — and my experience was pretty fantastic!”

In Long Beach, 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
• Stefano Peschiera, ILCA 6
• Sarah Douglas, ILCA 6
• Lior Lavie, i420
• Justin Ahearn, iQFOiL
• Tom Burnham, Quantum Racing Expert / Nacra 15
• Severin Gramm, 29er

West Coast Youth Coaches
• Quinn Wilson – Formula Kite
• Ford McCann – ILCA 6
• Sterling Henken – 29er
• Caroline Young – i420
• Sara Stone – Quantum Racing Expert

Guest experts
• Sara Stone – Quantum Racing
• Charles Higgins – Tulane University
• Chris Klevan – Stanford University

Source: US Sailing