September 25, 2000 - Medals for our 49er Team!

Pictured are the 49er medal winners in their gold, silver and bronze positions, flying spinnakers at the conclusion of the final race of their series.

This evening will be the medal ceremonies for the Mistral M&W, Tornado, 49er.

We have tried to line up as many USA Team members to show respect for the Olympic champions and medal winners, but to cheer loudest for our first 2000 medallists: Jonathan and Charlie McKee.

Racing continues in other classes and the winners of the 470 Men and Women’s events will be decided in a final race Wednesday. Currently Paul and Bobby are in second, 5 points out of first, and JJ/Pease are in third, nine points out of 1st.

After two consecutive reserve days, racing resumes tomorrow for the Europe and Laser fleets; and continues for Finn and Stars.

I'm off to the ceremonies and hope to have pictures when I return sometime later this evening. 11:00 p.m. my time 8:00 a.m. your time.

September 24, 2000

Today I was able to get away from the Rushcutters Bay venue, and had hoped to view the Soling Match Racing from the steps of the Opera house. Word had it that yesterday the viewing was excellent from the steps with huge crows cheering for the locals (AUS). Our first Soling race was to be against AUS so we tried to muster all the voices we could to lend support to our Team.

Unfortunately the wind was not cooperative and the course had to be moved across the harbour and viewing from the Opera House was not very good. Some of the USA crowd took a ferry across the harbor for a better view, but I stayed behind to take in some of the sights from the Opera House. There is a huge scoreboard which announces the sailing events beginning with the start time, as well as a list of mark roundings for all classes sailing that day.

I was able to get some pictures of other classes racing. The Mistrals were in the distance, and I could not make out how the USA was doing. Final results showed Lanee Butler finished third. Her best Olympic finish, and as she said, "I'm probably the happiest fourth place finished ever". Lanee was last seen with a beer in each hand enjoying the camaraderie of her fellow windsurfers, which is what the Olympics are all about.

I photographed a group of individuals doing the "Bridge Climb" something I had done last September during the Pre-Olympic Regatta. It was a fantastic experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Sydney.

I managed to get in some shopping at The Olympic Store, but had to wait in line 10 minutes before being allowed to enter. The crowds are tremendous, and sales are always brisk. Each successive Olympics there seems to be more and more merchandise available, so obviously the profits are better. In fact, The Olympic Store, at the main stadium did AUS$1,000,000 in sales in ONE DAY last week.

I returned to the Rushcutters Bay venue to learn our Soling team had been eliminated from further competition. A big disappointment to all, but skipper Jeff Madrigali faced the press with dignity, and even answered some foolish questions from the press. Afterwards, I had a drink with Jeff at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, and his first comment was "I hear Athens is a great place to sail". His wife, and biggest supporter, covered her ears. The Olympic bug gets to people as it is a wonderful, fulfilling experience. Jeff was most concerned for his crew -- together they are the 2000 Soling World Champions, but would trade that for an Olympic medal. "I have my medal, but I wish I could have helped them get theirs". Our Soling team has nothing to be ashamed about.

September 23, 2000 - More Security

I know I reported briefly on security in the past, but as it is a part of daily life here it warrants additional attention.  

Upon our arrival at the venue it was necessary to have our USOC-provided vehicle completely "sanitized" by the local security force. This meant we all had to get out of the vehicle, we were all screened and then a search of the vehicle began. The bonnet (hood) and boot (trunk) needed to be inspected thoroughly. The underside of the vehicle was searched using mirrors before we could proceed any further down New Beach Road. At the next checkpoint we all needed to show our Olympic Sailing credentials, before we could proceed into the venue. Anything brought into the venue needed to be put through a scanner, and any bags brought in have to be opened every time one enters the venue.

Not only athletes, but also every volunteer, and even the ISAF President must go through the security checkpoints. At 7:30 a.m. when the venue opens there is a line of approximately 25/30 volunteers waiting to go through security, but at most other times there is hardly a wait.

Another means of security checking has to do with the type of access pass you have. If you are a volunteer you use one gate, press uses another gate, and athletes and coaches use a third. You must enter and exit through the same gate each and every time. There are even gates for the arrival and departure of boats, the keelboats (Star and Soling) enter one gate, whereas the dinghies enter another.

It all seems to work like clockwork, and after four previous Olympic Games I've gotten used to it. It just becomes part of your day. The security know almost everyone by sight with a first name, and even with that knowledge you must still be checked out.

On the sailing front FIN won the 49er gold and the McKees are in a fight with GBR for silver. Russ Silvestri had a 2-20 and is in 8th place and Mark Reynolds/Magnus Liljedahl had a 14-3. AUS won the Tornado silver and bronze will be decided in the final race tomorrow. Also the Mistral medals will be decided tomorrow, while the final 49er race is scheduled for Monday.

Medal Ceremonies tickets were passed out today and again security is tight as there will be special seating for credentialed individuals, as well as a special section for medallists. The general public is invited to the ceremony, which will be held at 7:45 p.m .Monday night at the Sydney Opera House.

September 22, 2000

It was a great day for the USA with lots of top finishers. To top the leader board was Paul Foerster/Bob Merrick with two solid first-place finishes to move them into first overall in the 470 Men’s fleet. They sailed very well, and seemed to relish the shifty conditions on "D" course after the first two days outside the heads.

Our 49er boys had a great day as well with a 3-3-1-11, to remain in first place, although it is close at this point and there are four races to go. Almost all the top teams have had a bad race or two, including the McKee's so there is not much room for error from here on in. There will be three races scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, followed by a lay day. The 49ers final race is Monday followed by the Medal Ceremonies on the steps of the Opera House.

Tornados had a three race day, and Johnny/Charlie finished the day with a strong third. They currently are in seventh place. The GOLD was secured by AUT, WITH TWO RACES TO GO!!! A very impressive series.

Lanee Butler is a solid fourth with one race to go on Sunday. Gebi is in sixth with two races to go, and may move following a protest against the ‘96 Gold Medallist from GRE.

FINALLY, the Star and Finn classes will begin tomorrow, with two races to be sailed outside on "E" course.

With the Games winding down for a few classes it is time to begin to think about coming home and getting all the boats and equipment back to the USA. As I mentioned in my early story about departure from San Diego about all our gear -- we were considered to be the gold medallists of excess gear! Well we also have a lock on the gold for returning containers as there are eight 40’ containers to be returned from Sydney.

Some containers will go to the West coast (San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle) and some to the East coast (Savannah, Miami, St. Petersburg) and we hope to be able to send one to Europe with a coach boat or two to set up our plans for Athens 2004.

My stock answer to anyone who asks "Aren't you glad the Olympics are over", is "The Olympics are never over, they just occur every four years, and Athens is really only three years and ten months away -- precious little time to prepare a Team".

Spirits are high among the Team and we still have some work to do before we can relax and come home.

September 21, 2000

Another day of fairly good winds. All courses were in use, and all classes raced (except Finn, Soling and Stars who were not scheduled to race today). The Mistrals were delayed briefly on shore but managed to get in their two races finally.

Big news is that our 49er team, Jonathan and Charlie McKee, who were concerned with their finishes of 14-13-1, ended the day in first overall. So in true Tour de France fashion, they will be wearing the yellow (gold) jersey tomorrow, as well as having a gold sticker on their mainsail and hull. JJ Isler/Pease Glaser wore the gold today and will switch to red tomorrow for being in third overall (second wears blue).

With all the dinghy classes sailing, except Finns, there is tremendous activity in the dinghy park early and late in the day -- between noon to 3:00 p.m. the dinghy park is like a morgue.

Both our 470 teams were involved in protests tonight so once again we marshaled all the troops to get everything turned in on time, and all statements prepared. With Brad Dellenbaugh coaching the athletes on the rules they are as well prepared as possible when they enter "the room". No reports back yet, but our team went in confident.

One other topic I have not covered yet is security. It is very difficult to gain access to any venue without the proper credentials. Your photo ID is checked at numerous points, and upon first entering the venue you go through metal detectors and must empty everything out of your pockets, similar to airport security. With our Team house across the street I make numerous trips a day and it is always the same. "Hello, how are you, please empty your pockets, thanks, g'day mate".

As I may have mentioned previously, there are no individual day passes to the yachting venue, which is too bad. I saw one young female athlete from Europe who wanted to show her grandparents the venue, just for five minutes, and the answer was NO. If you do not have SOCOG credentials you do not get access.

Today there was an individual who entered the venue without proper credentials and six security personnel were assigned to check every individual credential to try to locate the culprit and escort him/her out. Security gets stricter with each passing Olympics, especially as no one wants a repeat of Munich 1972 , and at times it is a hassle, but everyone feels safe.

The Finn and Star fleets will finally get in their practice races tomorrow, with their first official race Saturday. It has been a long wait and Russ Silvestri and Mark Reynolds/Magnus Liljedahl are certainly ready to join the action.

September 20, 2000

Today was a full day from beginning to end. It started for me at 6:45 a.m. by picking up our Soling Match Racing coach Russell Coutts, and getting him to the SOCOG Accreditation center in Homebush Bay by 8:00 when it opened. Not having been there previously, it took longer than I anticipated, and was further complicated by numerous one way streets and I always seemed to be at the wrong end of the necessary street.

Fortunately, Gary Moy from USOC met us at the entrance and whisked Russell through. We returned to the venue with plenty of time for him to get his coach boat and get on the water with our Soling team. He had a positive influence as they placed 2-2 for the day and finished fourth overall in the fleet racing, so will have a bye in the first round. Trying to fully describe the complete match racing format would be way too complicated and take way too long. Needless to say our boys were very pleased to have a few days off to practice, and watch some very capable match racers duke it out in the first round.

On the other courses things went very well. In the 49ers, with new gennakers, the McKees finished 5-1-5 to move into second overall, one point out of the lead. Our 470 women are leading the fleet with finishes of 6-1. Our 470 men went 8-9 and are in the thick of the battle with nine races to go.

 John Myrdal had an up and down day with a 4-21. Leader is four-time world champ Robert Scheidt (BRA) with a 1-3. Courtenay Dey had difficulty getting out of the box and finished 20-18. Our boardsailors continue to get good results, but after six races a few strong leaders are emerging.

While all this is going on I spent most of the day at the athlete’s lounge on the cell phone getting results and questions from the different coaches. In one start there was an individual recall flag displayed, but no one returned -- so I would wait for results to show up on the TV monitors and let the coaches know it was not a USA boat. Each class would be updated at each and every mark and posted on the monitors. Today the Laser class was shown live from wire to wire, and tomorrow they will select another class.

It was also very important to keep updated on the Soling overall results as the points were close and we needed to know if there were any OSCs or protests that could have a bearing on the last race. Only place to get accurate results is on the official scoring notice board in the athlete’s lounge. Pretty exciting day. . . watching TV monitors and calling results to coaches.

Tomorrow should be more of the same as again five courses will be in use and only Solings, Stars and Finns will not be racing. With all the light winds this week the organizers are trying to catch up, and it has been very busy for all the race management teams.

To finish off the day Lanee Butler, and several others entered protests against 5/6 Mistral women sailors for sailing outside the exclusion zone. The rules state you may not sail past a straight line between two exclusion zone markers. It can be a huge advantage to just go 1/2 boat length out to keep your air clear. Two boards were disqualified, but I have not seen updated results yet.

So from 6:15 a.m., when I awoke this morning, until the results of the protests were announced at 9:00 p.m. it was a pretty full day and its off to bed shortly.

September 19, 2000 - Press Activity

Hopefully we will catch up and the remaining schedule will work out.

September 18, 2000

I will not try to report on the daily race results as that will be covered elsewhere, but I will try to cover things of related interest to the sailing event.

Today I want to report on the AT&T sponsorship of the entire USA Olympic team from two different perspectives.

First I want to say how impressive the AT&T support is of all the USA athletes. There is a restaurant in the historic Rocks section of Sydney that AT&T has taken over and is being used as a place there every USA athlete may entertain friends and family. The restaurant is open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. every day and serves meals all day long. I would encourage all USA family members to visit and enjoy the view of the Opera House as well as Circular Quay.

Additionally, the AT&T sponsorship provided a cell phone (referred to here as a ‘mobile’) to every member of the USA delegation. With the distances between race courses it has been a huge asset to have the phones. However, two of our phones have become victims of the "briny deep", and when I called to cancel the service the AT&T USOC representative was not surprised at all. He indicated that the phones were being lost at an alarming rate. Some were caused to fail because athletes took them into the shower, some just were misplaced/lost and some "just fell into the toilet".

Each of these phones will have to be replaced and today I purchased three new phones to ensure we were covered. I hope I do not have to purchase any more, however they can be used around the world, and will last longer than September 30.

On the sailing front the 49er racing for tomorrow had been cancelled as the organizing committee attempts to solve the gennaker problem that has come up. All gennakers have been supplied with a distinctive look of the specific country and the sails have not been handling the light winds we have experienced to date. All gennakers will be replaced by 0900 on Wednesday 20 September.

Racing continues tomorrow, with yet another light wind forecast.

September 17, 2000

Following years of preparation for our US Team Race Day One finally arrived. It was a huge relief for all, from athletes to coaches to families to supporters.

Today the Mistral M&W and Tornado classes had their first two races. The Solings were scheduled for two races, however, light winds offshore resulted in only one race being completed.

Mike Gebhardt started off the day with a 2nd in race one, followed by a 22^nd in race two. Gebi was upbeat and said "I had one good one and one throw out, which I guess is better than two bad races".

Lanee Butler finished with a 4th and 5th in her two races. Unfortunately, the fourth turned out to be a DSQ as a result of a protest with HKG. With two throw outs in the series she is upbeat about her chances.

Tornados sailed on D course between the "heads" and our scores were 8-6. Conditions were very challenging on this difficult course.

Solings waited the longest for wind and following a fourth by our Team, racing was cancelled for the day.

Tomorrow the 49ers begin their series, while the Europe and Lasers have their practice race.

There continues to be activity in the dinghy park as the remaining classes prepare for racing. I spent over two hours in the Finn measurement tent while Russ Silvestri's name, American flag, and IOC three-letter code were applied to his two sails.