More than 200 athletes train on the east and west coasts under US Sailing Youth & Olympic Development Programs
by US Sailing Team 7 Dec 08:50 PST
US Sailing Olympic Development Program (ODP) Camp 1 © Allison Chenard
As much of the nation embraces the holiday season, training intensifies in the Youth and Olympic Development (ODP) sectors.
In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, three training camps occurred simultaneously for over 200 athletes, supported by 32 US Sailing coaches, 22 regional program coaches, and seven US Sailing staff members.
For athletes involved in Olympic boat classes, the first ODP camp since the Paris Olympics took place at the US Sailing Center in Miami, FL. At the same time, the annual Youth Thanksgiving Racing Camp welcomed athletes on both the east and west coasts at the Miami Yacht Club in Miami, FL, and the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, CA. Youth camps focus on sailors training in boat classes featured at the Youth World Sailing Championship, aimed at preparing these younger athletes for Olympic class sailing.
US Sailing Olympic Development Program (ODP) Camp 1
Miami, FL @ US Sailing Center | Nov 23-27
“This was our inaugural ODP camp of the new LA2028 quad, and we’re off to a fantastic start. We’re matching the right resources with hardworking sailors to establish a supportive, full-time training environment when athletes are with us,” said Rosie Chapman, the Olympic Development Director. “Each day, we focus on sailing and adapt the agenda to make the most of the best wind conditions. Additionally, we allocate time for gym workouts, specialist enrichment presentations, land drills, briefings, and recovery sessions with our physiotherapists.”
On-Water Training
To foster knowledge retention within the USST and ODP framework, five Olympians from Paris 2024 returned to mentor the next generation of athletes. They shared their expertise in classrooms, sailed alongside ODP athletes, and guided them through rigging sessions to ensure they were adequately prepared before leaving the dock.
In addition to familiar athlete faces, Chapman invited experienced USST coaches, including 49er coach Mark Asquith, who supported Barrows and Henken to a bronze medal finish in Paris, 49erFX coach Dave Evans, and Olympian and Tokyo 2020 ILCA 6 coach Steve Mitchell.
Completing the coaching roster were new faces offering fresh insights: Charles Baillie (Paris 2024 Coach, Team Belgium) and James Gray (British Sailing Team Coach), who advised on ILCA 6 and 7s.
Presentations
In conjunction with the on-water training, athletes had the opportunity to hear from various experts on land, with presentations covering 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 guided athletes through goal-setting exercises and illustrated concepts through interactive activities. She highlighted the significance of cultivating a positive mindset during training and not just during competitions, along with teaching athletes the value of daily reflections.
“Strength, Endurance, and Recovery” by Dr. Dan Fine, US Sailing Team Physiotherapist
Fine outlined the week’s workout plans and stressed the importance of recovery for optimizing training outputs. He discussed building habits, effective communication with the physiotherapist team for athlete-specific needs, and developing winning routines that include necessary 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. This session was intentionally not recorded to cultivate an open environment for ODP athletes to ask questions. The Olympians shared what they wished they had known at the start of their campaigns, their career highs and lows, and more.
“Campaign Media” by Allison Chenard
Chenard discussed how to professionalize athletes’ media and communications efforts for fundraising, storytelling, and engaging donors/sponsors. She provided athletes with tips on communication strategies for both singlehanded and doublehanded teams, what makes an effective website, which social media channels are valuable, and the best ways to leverage media to enhance Olympic campaigns.
Data Review by B Lindsay, US Sailing Team Data Analyst
Lindsay collaborated with fleets to analyze tracking data from their training sessions, using statistics to draw insights from their experiences on the water.
Workouts & Recovery
When not participating in organized team lift sessions at the Train8Nine gym with Force Physical Therapy, athletes had the option of running, rowing, assault biking, or road biking for their cardio. Dr. Dan Fine led a collaborative exercise during the final gym session, engaging coaches, athletes, and staff, and organized specialized agility training in a nearby park focused on movements associated with sailing.
At the end of each day, athletes could return to Force Physical Therapy for recovery sessions featuring ice baths, treatments from USST Physiotherapists, Normatec boots, cupping therapy, and additional recovery modalities.
While many attendees of the ODP camp are commencing their journeys toward the Olympics, the camp leveraged the presence of US Sailing Team athletes and Olympians to foster a fully collaborative team atmosphere.
“We’re thrilled to be here with the ODP group. We have five 49ers training together, and it’s been fantastic,” noted Nevin Snow, USST 49er athlete. “We’re all motivating one another, and Mark Asquith is doing an excellent job creating drills that incorporate a wide range of experiences. It has been a valuable learning experience, with open debriefs, and we’re genuinely enjoying it.”
“Our next camp is scheduled for December 18 to 22, and we will expand to three locations in Florida to support over 70 athletes. We’re more potent when we challenge each other and share ideas, and we’re helping develop world-class habits that form a solid foundation for a bright future for American Olympic sailing,” stated 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 Camps Presented by Risk Strategies
Miami, FL @ Miami Yacht Club (Nov 23-26) & Long Beach, CA @ Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (Nov 25-27)
With concurrent activities taking place on both coasts for the first time during the Thanksgiving Youth Racing Camp, youth sailors were actively engaged in the days approaching Thanksgiving. The annual camp attracted over 120 youth sailors at the Miami Yacht Club and 45 sailors at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club.
In Miami, US Sailing presented a distinguished coaching lineup, including Peruvian bronze medalist Stefano Peschiera (ILCA 7) from Paris 2024, 2x Canadian Olympian Sarah Douglas (ILCA 6), i420 World Champion coach Lior Lavie, iQFOiL specialist Justin Ahearn, and Tom Burnham, head coach of American Magic provided by Quantum Racing.
Collegiate National Champion coaches Charles Higgins from Tulane and Chris Klevan from Stanford also contributed to the camps, engaging sailors and offering insights on building successful teams.
“The future of our youth program hinges on collaboration with collegiate sailing, professional sailing, and Olympic class sailing,” emphasized Phil Muller, US Sailing Youth Performance Manager. “The consistent message to our youth from all areas is to become excellent teammates to be part of a great team.”
“I feel privileged to gather so many talented sailors for this event,” Muller added. “I aim for our sailors to have an even better youth experience than I did — and my experience was truly fantastic!”
In Long Beach, the 45 youth sailors participated in four out of six Youth World classes. Bringing a Youth Thanksgiving camp to the West Coast for the first time is part of a broader initiative to deliver high-quality, high-performance training opportunities to sailors nationwide.
“The West Coast camp in Long Beach was a blast, featuring a dedicated and skilled group of sailors,” noted John Pearce, US Sailing Youth Racing Director. “The coaches excelled in sharing knowledge and creating a productive training atmosphere. Being on the LA2028 Olympic waters really motivates everyone to seize the opportunity.”
The West Coast coaching team featured 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 affiliated with Quantum Racing.
Muller concluded, “It has been an incredible week for youth sailors across America. We are ‘Thankful’ that so many sailors, parents, and coaches collaborated for training. It is special when we gather all the youth world classes. There was abundant 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
