Immense gratitude for the opportunity

Stephanie Roble and Maggie Shea started their Olympic campaign in 2017 for the Women’s Skiff event, and endured the difficult baptism new teams face when learning how to sail the 49erFX boat. But that was then, with Roble providing this update now:

After two Olympic and Pan Am Games and eight years of giving everything to Olympic sailing, I’ve realized my fire isn’t burning anymore. I am walking away with immense gratitude for the opportunities this journey has given me and great pride in the campaign and team we built.

I am also heartbroken from falling short of our goal to stand on the Olympic podium. The past eight years have challenged and rewarded me in ways I never could have imagined. I’ve grown as an athlete, teammate, and human. I’ve learned what it means to push my body and mind to the limit, in order to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of greatness.

This journey has been my everything and I’ll miss it all so much.

The thrill of race wins. The heartbreak of losses. The tears of frustration. The constant battle to be a little bit better every day. The laughs from wipeouts and inside jokes. The dark moments with no clarity. The satisfaction of applying lessons learnt. A beautiful venue. Building a team and relentlessly pushing each other. The race nerves and anxiety. The feeling of the boat flying underneath me. Building an international family and traveling the world. Making personal sacrifices and being homesick. Marching in Opening and Closing ceremonies. Long hours of training, debriefing, boatwork, gym, running a business, and travel.

It was all so worth it and I’ll cherish the memories forever.

To my incredible teammate Maggie Shea—thank you for giving your all to this campaign alongside me. I am in awe of your determination, resilience, skill, and spirit.

To our greater team, coaches, supporters, the US Sailing Team, my family, friends and anyone who had a piece of the campaign – THANK YOU for believing in us from day one. You all made this possible!

And to the 49erFX fleet – thank you for the fierce competition and camaraderie!

It’s incredibly tough to say goodbye to something I love so much. But I’m excited to step into new opportunities and discover who I am beyond athlete life Forever grateful. Forever, Go Team USA!

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program*:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Venue: Long Beach, CA
Dates: July 21-August 6

* World Sailing voted to keep the Paris 2024 Sailing Program for Los Angeles 2028, but the program is not final until the IOC approves all events, which usually occurs between December 2024 and January 2025. At that time, the IOC will also confirm the quota for sailing and how many medals.