2 Days to go until Olympic Games Opening Ceremony
Qingdao, China

I've been Olympic Chairman for nearly four years now, and anyone who knows me knows that one of my primary responsibilities is to raise the profile of Olympic Sailing in the US, and use that raised profile to increase our support for the athletes in our program. And over the last four years of shamelessly stumping for Olympic sailing, one of the questions I get asked consistently is "Dean, I care about our sport, but why should I care about Olympic sailing?"

Well, I wish I could use a little 1960s-era Star Trek technology to beam everyone who has ever asked me that question over here to Qingdao. Because anyone who has ever spent five minutes with the athletes on the 2008 Olympic Sailing Team will never ask that question again.

I've been embedded with our team over the last few weeks. We eat together, we play foosball together, we work out together, we live on the same floor of the hotel, we crowd into the same small room to go online. And it's a little known secret that I also provide a team-only haircut and salon service. That's a long way of saying that I have a front-row seat to witness the character and work ethic of this team. And I can say without hesitation that if you care about our sport, you need to care about this team.

Sailors in the USA talk constantly about the state of our sport. Declining competitive participation, aging yacht membership populations and stagnant marine industry sales are top-of-mind for those who care about sailing in the USA. Everyone I speak to is aware of these problems, and everyone seems to be willing to debate the proper solutions. But as I think about how to make the sport of sailing stronger in our country, there is no doubt in my mind that a strong Olympic Program and an Olympic Team full of articulate, passionate, likable ambassadors is something that can pay huge dividends for all of us. Why? The answer lies in the simple reality that human beings channel and emulate the things that they see and the things that they like. And when the next generation of junior athletes sees an Olympic Sailing Team they can relate to, and that they think are cool, they will look at sailing and say "I want to do that... I want to be like Graham Biehl... I want to be like Amanda Clark... I want to be like Zach Railey."

As I wrote in the first graph of this post, I spend a lot of time traveling around the country talking about the Olympic Sailing Program. And every time I speak at a yacht club, I ask all the juniors to sit up front. I direct a lot of my attention towards them when I speak. And when I show them video and photos of our Olympic Sailing Team, you can watch the growing realization that many members of this team are not that much older than they are spread across their faces. Their perspectives are broadened and they start to look at themselves in the mirror and think, "wow, I can do that. I can be an Olympian."

That level of self-confidence is powerful in a young person. That self-confidence may lead them to actually pursue a spot on a future US Olympic Team. Or it may lead them towards another life path. But self-confidence is never a bad thing in a young person, regardless of the path they travel. When I look at this 2008 Olympic Team, I see a group of young adults that are, and can continue to be, an inspiration to the next generation of young sailors-to-be in the United States. Why should you care about the success of our Olympic Program and Olympic Team? Because a few more great role models for your kids is a very powerful thing.

If enough of the next generation of sailors-to-be actually choose our sport as something they want to do, then we are well on our way to providing a good answer to all of today's ills in the marine industry. You want more people on the race course? You want your yacht club's average membership age to go down? You want stronger sales in the marine industry? Well, a group of potential solutions to these problems has gathered in Qingdao, China and is about to represent our country at the Olympic Games.

A team of fit, passionate, intelligent, dedicated, elite athletes can be role models for our sport. And when we have good role models, that young people want to emulate, the profile in our sport is raised, and eventually, there is a trickle down effect to every college program, every high school program and every junior sailing program in our country.

I hope you will pay attention over the next few weeks. The 2008 US Olympic Sailing Team should be an inspiration to all of us. I've been with them morning, noon and night for the last few weeks, and I know they have inspired me.

Racing starts in three days.

Sail fast,

Dean Brenner
Team Leader
US Olympic Sailing Team