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SCUTTLEBUTT No. 647 - September 15, 2000OLYMPIC MEDALLISTS(So who is going to win the Olympic medals for sailing? The Torresen Sailing Site News Service did a comprehensive look at the field and came up with their predictions. The following is excerpted from their analysis.) LASER: USA Rep John Myrdal was the surprise winner at the USA Laser trials. He's ranked 70th. Myrdal trains in Hawaii in an inward focused manner. Although he pulled off the Trials upset, a medal is not expected. A top 10 finish can be projected. Prediction: Scheidt a 4 time world champion will be the winner. One of the Scandinavians will be 2nd with Australia's Blackburn 3rd. EUROPE: USA Rep Courtenay Becker Dey took up Europe sailing after an unsuccessful 470 campaign. Her overall sailing level and '96 medal make you think a medal is possible, but not likely. Prediction: 1. Matthijsse 2. Robertson 3. Roug FINN: USA Rep Russ Silvestri finished an almost 20 year quest to gain the USA berth at the spring trials. Ranked 38th Silvestri will have to sail the regatta of his life to medal. Prediction: 1. Kusznierewicz 2. Rohart 3. Percy 49ER: USA Reps Brothers Jonathan and Charlie McKee are each looking to become 2 time Olympic medallists. Jonathan won gold in '84, Charlie bronze in '88. Ranked 12th, the McKee's have often been around the top of world-class events. They have a solid medal opportunity. Prediction: 1. Australia 2. New Zealand 3. Germany 470 MEN: USA Reps Paul Foerester and Bob Merrick have waged a consistent campaign as their # 1 status shows. Prediction: 1. USA 2. AUS 3. NZL 470 WOMEN: USA Team - 1992 Bronze medallists J.J. Isler will sail with crew Peace Glaser. They are experienced and have been moving forward. Medal not probable, but possible. Prediction: 1. Ukraine 2. Spain 3. Italy MISTRAL MEN'S SAILBOARD: USA Rep Mike Gebhardt won boardsailing medals in 1988 (bronze) and 1992 (Silver). Not a medal favorite, will have to rely on experience to do well. Prediction: 1. AUS 2. NZL 3. GRE MISTRAL WOMEN'S SAILBOARD: USA Rep Lanee Butler is a several time Olympian - no medals yet. Prediction: 1. NZL 2. AUS 3. USA TORNADO: USA team: 10th ranked Charlie Lovell and John Ogletree finished 8th in 1996. Prediction: 1. AUS 2. SPA 3. GER SOLING: USA Team - Jeff Madrigali/Craig Healey/Hartwell Jordan. Prediction: 1. Germany 2. Denmark 3. USA STAR: USA Team: Mark Reynolds is the skipper with a gold medal from the Barcelona Games. Crew Magnus Liljerdahl was recently elected captain of the Olympic team. Prediction: 1. USA 2. Brazil 3. NZL To read the Torresen Sailing Site's complete Olympic class by class analysis: http://bsd.torresen.com/sd/september00/0913text.htm OLYMPIC SAILING SYDNEY - The spectacular sailing regatta is set to begin Sunday in ideal weather conditions if Australian Bureau of Meteorology forecasters are accurate. Gone are the strong gales that shredded Olympic banners on the major thoroughfares into Sydney last week. The winds were so strong that the warm-up regatta on the harbor was canceled and training badly disrupted. But during the past few days, the winds have been light to moderate with a light sea breeze. Forecaster David Bebee predicted a moderate sea breeze of up to 17 mph from the northeast for the first day of competition. "At this stage, we don't see any weather events that will spoil the first few days," he said. Weather computer modeling revealed a "subtle but quite interesting change" in weather systems moving across the southern coast of Australia. "This tends to suggest the likelihood of getting strong westerly winds like we have seen over the last week or so (is diminished)," Bebee said. "So we may be in for far more typical moderate winds for late September if we continue this process." Bebee predicted the weather would be different each day as the regatta progressed, providing a good test for sailors. - Bob Ross, NBCOlympics.com correspondent Full story: http://www.nbcolympics.com/?/news/sa/2000/09/14sailing.html PERFECTION Serious racers want a clean bottom, keels that are faired to perfection, straight leaches and fully tricked-out sail handling hardware. And the real serious racers want their crew attire to reflect the same commitment to excellence. EASY! Just contact Frank Whitton at Pacific Yacht Embroidery and let him show you how affordable it can be. Frank delivers! Pacyacht@aol.com 619-226-8033 http://www.companystoresite.com OLYMPIC INSIGHT Sydney, Australia - The weather and the lifestyle have always been hospitable to sports in Australia. The sun shines frequently and temperatures in the major cities enable Australians to play all manner of games year-round. But by 1976, something had changed. Australians failed to bring home any gold medals from the Summer Olympics in Montreal. That outcome - a sharp reversal from the eight golds won by Australians at the 1972 Games in Munich - was unacceptable for a country that had grown accustomed to defining itself through international sports success. Sports officials devised a plan to become more competitive, and one of the models was East Germany, whose athletes had won 40 gold medals in Montreal to finish second in the overall count behind the Soviet Union. The East Germans had developed a centralized, government-sponsored sports system. Australians decided to do the same, and in January 1981, the Australian Institute of Sport opened its doors in Canberra, the capital. The goal, based on the East German example, was to bring together athletes, coaches, scientists, trainers, physiotherapists and nutritionists on a large, leafy campus to maximize elite athletes' performances. Institutionalized doping was not part of the plan, although it later became clear that it was an essential reason for East Germany's success. Nearly two decades later, with the Sydney Games set to open tomorrow, Australia has nearly completed its comeback. It is again an Olympic power, and with the help of home crowds and motivated, well-prepared athletes, it could set a new national standard by winning as many as 60 medals. Australia might finish as high as fourth in the medal count. That would be a remarkable achievement for a nation of 19 million people. (The United States, with 260 million people, won 101 medals in the 1996 Games in Atlanta.) The team representing Australia at the Sydney Games will include 628 athletes, the biggest contingent at the Olympics. More than half of the athletes, 320, have received scholarships at one time or another from the Australian Institute of Sport and others have received aid from state sports institutes. - Christopher Clarey, New York Times Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/14/olympics/14AUSS.html LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (leweck@earthlink.net) Letters selected to be printed are edited for clarity, space (250 words max) or to exclude unfounded speculation or personal attacks. This is not a chat room - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot and don't whine if others disagree. -- From Doug Wardrop, Vancouver, B.C. (re: Limits on pro's) - Well said Mr. Isler. What other sport can you go eyeball to eyeball with competitors of that caliber and coming second, third or fourth feel like an honour. I for one have had the privilege of sailing with and against the new (and some of them old) legends of the sport such as my friends Jonathan & Charlie McKee, Ross McDonald and the consummate amateur Bill Buchan among others. And you know - it does bring up your game. Any one that doesn't think so should give their head a shake or try for a berth in the U.S. Open and see what happens. I guess the classic example is my friend "Dr." Roy Gunsolus' 4th place in the very tough Etchells worlds. "The dark horse" from Seattle. There's a story about learning from the best and how the experience was mutual -wasn't it gang! -- From Stefan Lloyd - Professional sailors are fond of telling us how much we amateurs enjoy the opportunity to sail against them, but the evidence shows that the majority of amateur owners want to compete against owners putting a similar level of financial and time commitment into the sport as themselves. For example - 10 years ago in the Solent (England's major sailing area) the J/24 class, which was getting out 40 plus boats for major events, became dominated by sailmakers and other pros. It vanished as a class almost overnight, although it continues to thrive as a club-level boat elsewhere in the UK and Ireland. Four years ago the Melges 24 started to take off in the UK - in came the pros - out went most of the rest of the owners, and the class has never recovered here. As the Melges slumped, the Hunter 707 boomed in the Solent - as a relatively low-tech and simple one-design with a single source of sails and an owner-drive rule for major events, it has never attracted many sailmakers or other pros. Owners who want to sail against the world's best will gravitate to the International classes - for example the Etchells. If we all wanted that, presumably we would all choose to sail in those classes - but obviously we do not. -- From Peter Godfrey - Sailing pros like Peter Isler seem to think that open competition in all events is a great thrill to the amateurs. It isn't. -- From Hugh Elliot (re: "Royal" Classes) - Back in the 1985 or 1986, the United States Yacht Racing Union (USYRU) took up this very subject with discussions in the One Design Class Council (ODCC) and Inshore Committee concerning the recognition of National Classes in a manner similar to ISAF International Classes. The matter was dropped after relatively limited discussion and never even reached the Board for consideration. The reasons for dropping the proposal included difficulty of establishing a fair method of selection and the likely involvement of attorneys together with the cost of defending the organization from court challenges by disgruntled manufacturers and classes which were not granted National Status. More important than those reasons was a general feeling that the proposal was vaguely un-American and, while such a proposal might work in more regimented countries, memories of 1776 - and of the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" referred to in the Declaration of Independence - were still too strong for this to be worth even suggesting to the membership. -- From Ted Ritter, Fort Lauderdale - Peter Isler's idea of 5 foot incremental "royal" one design racing, while interesting is simply impractical. Most (club) racing sailors want do so at their own chosen speed in locally popular boats of their choice at budget levels they are comfortable with. Sharing a race course with the elite of the sport may not be as high on everyone's wish list as Peter may perceive. Besides, where would it be assured that the rock stars would be there? The complexity and startup costs of designing, tooling, licensing, recruiting builders, marketing, measurement and the administration of 8 new 25'-60' classes all add up to a mountain too high in a market too small. There are plethora of venerable and new one designs all ready out there from which to choose and race with the best. Mandating self obsolescence would be the kiss of death before the first boat came out of the mold and what marketing savvy builder would be foolish enough to sign on to that notion? Thanks for the idea Peter, but it has to get a 'thumbs down.' CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: Pedro's story has generated a ton of mail. This thread is likely to be around for a while. -- From Scott Mason - Two comments--both Olympic related. Hans Fogh sailed for Denmark and Canada, and the four golds earned by Elvstrom, Oerter and Redgrave illustrate tremendous durability. We should not forget a sailor who won in the water--Mark Spitz's seven golds at the tragic Munich Olympic Games swimming for the United States. As to young Olympic aspirants--every junior, coach and parent with Olympic visions owes Roy Disney a great big THANK YOU for his unprecedented gift to support junior sailing. Roy's generous support will help junior sailors follow in the footsteps of Robbie Haines, Rod Davis, Eddie Trevelyan, John Shadden, Lanee Butler, JJ Isler, Mark Reynolds and others who have come out of Southern California junior programs to win medals in Olympic Games. -- From Buddha Bob Billingham - One more vote for Vince Brun here. As well as many other one-design championships, Vince won three Soling World Champs. In each of those he sailed in a different crew position - bowman, middleman and helmsman. He's definitely the only guy to win the Worlds in all three positions. Not aware of too many sailors who pulled that off. -- From J. Mark Sims - Please, please stop this stupid, and thinly veiled politicking for Rolex candidates. It is surely the dumbest, and most futile subject matter to wrangle over in an open forum. Remember that the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman are chosen by a select few industry journalists, not by the weight of comments submitted to the "Butt". I remember all to well when recently a sport boat champion was chosen over an Olympic Medallist. Injustices will abound for everyone who has an opinion, but there is nothing we can do about it. CURMUDGEON'S COMMENT: Mark is right. I'm putting this thread "on hold" - at least until after the Olympics. If Mark Reynolds or Jeff Madrigali comes home from Sydney with a medal in addition to the world championships they've already won this year, we may have to open it up again. -- From Cindy Norman - While reading about the Logica accident over the past couple of days, I was wondering why they didn't have any sort of radar on board? I'm assuming that they didn't. As ocean sailors, we have been assuming that the ocean is sufficiently empty of other vessels to give us a good chance of not being hit. We further assume that, if we encounter another boat, that their radar will notice us and alert the crew of the other boat. Maybe the unfortunate time is upon us when we have to be more proactive and equip our sailboats with radar. -- From Bob Smith, NA - I was saddened by Myron Spaulding's passing, but the good feelings of inspiration he gave to me overshadowed them. Myron had many ways to inspire those of us in the yachting community; as a consummate boatwright, as an accomplished naval architect, as an engineer with a practical eye, as a skilled inshore and ocean racing helmsman and sailor, as a businessman, and as a musician. But the real inspiration I received from Myron during the many days I had working alongside him in the 70's, 80's and 90's came not from those aspects of his life, but from him as a kind human being . With all these accomplishments he had to brag about, you never heard him express anything but interest in you, your project, your accomplishments, and your life. I would come to him to measure a new design that had, what I thought to be, an innovation. Very soon, I could tell from the twinkle in his eye, that he not only knew exactly what I had in mind, but had already once or twice in his past thought of the idea himself, in one form or another. But would he switch the conversation to himself and point that out? No. Instead he relished hearing about your ideas and excitements, and took joy in your happiness. In this society where people shamelessly self-promote talents that they don't not have, Myron stood out as one who knew more than the "youngsters", but refused to take anything away from them. US OLYMPIC TEAM Gary Jobson came to the venue to tape interviews with every US Team member for use at a later date. Although he had some technical problems - at times there were four or five helicopters overhead which drove the sound man nuts - Gary managed to get 17 of the 18 athletes in this morning's session. Also overhead was the Goodyear blimp. However, due to sponsorship concerns/conflicts, the Goodyear blimp reads G'DAY. - Jonathan Harley, US Sailing's Olympic Director, http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/2000 CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS * September 18-20: 1D35 National Championship, San Francisco YC. Eight races on the Berkeley Olympic Circle. http://www.1D35.com * September 20-23: US Sailing's Match Racing Championship for the Prince of Wales Bowl, Santana 20s, Balboa YC, Corona del Mar, CA. http://www.ussailing.com/championships * September 21-24: St Francis YC's 37th annual Big Boat Series. 109 boats entered in nine classes (easily topping the all-time record of 95 boats set last year). Biggest class: 35 J/105s (biggest gathering ever of these popular 34-footers). http://www.stfyc.org * September 22-24: Sailing World NOOD (National Offshore One-Design) Regatta, Lakewood YC (Seabrook, Texas). 120 boats from 11 states are expected to compete in 16 classes. Http://www.sailingworld.com
SIMILARITY
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