Hello all --

While the Olympic Games are now done, the other critical piece of our program, our Paralympic Team, begins their competition in a few days. One part of the program closes, and the next one begins.

We'll have great coverage in the usual places, and I hope you'll join me in cheering for and cheering on Nick, Maureen, John, Rick, Bill and Tim.

My last post from the Olympic Games is directly below this one, but I wanted to make sure you all continued to pay attention over the next few weeks. I'll be watching every day, and I hope you will also.

Go Team USA!

Dean Brenner
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We're stuck in China... a few of us are anyway. Today is August 25, the Closing Ceremony was last night, and most of our team (and most olympians for that matter) left this morning for home. A few of us, however, were supposed to be on a 6:30pm flight to Washington Dulles that was delayed for about 12 hours. So... one more night in the Athlete Village before we get to go home.

This place changes quickly. Once the competition ends and the athletes leave the place takes on a whole different feel. What makes the Village and the Games cool is not the buildings or the services or the amenities. It's the energy of the place. It's the fact that the Olympics are happening that makes this place jump. And now, it's quiet.

Last night's Closing was beautifully done by our Chinese hosts. Once again, they outdid themselves and put on an artistic display that was really beyond words. And in many ways, they have set the bar incredibly high for future Games. The British have big shoes to fill, but if I were them, I wouldn't spend too much time trying to "outdo" anything done here. Not sure that will be possible.

As I look back on these Games from the sailing team's perspective, I'll repeat a phrase I have used repeatedly over the last few days. It has become my way of describing my bottom line analysis of our team. On one hand, I am proud. We won a gold and silver, both medals produced by young first-time Olympians who may on several Olympic Teams in the future. And the rest of our team sailed hard, came here prepared, and did everything we could ask them to do. However, while I feel a great sense of pride, I am not satisfied. We can do better, and I am quite confident that every coach and athlete in our program will agree with that statement. We're proud of what we did accomplish, but we know there is much more we could have accomplished.

The Olympic Games is the pinnacle of our sport. Yeah, yeah... the big marquee events like the Cup and the Volvo like to claim to be the pinnacle. And sure, I see that argument. But I firmly believe that the Games are the pinncale for several reasons.

First, even in the classes where these is some development opportunities, it is still about the sailor first and foremost. No matter what you do to develop your equipment or sails, you still have to sail well because breakthrough development will give you only a few extra feet or a few extra seconds of advantage. This is as close to one design sailing as you will find, and therefore, to win you have to sail well.

But the second, and more powerful, reason why the Games is the pinnacle is that it is not exclusive to a certain part of the sailing community. I know many who have sailed in the Cup or the Volvo. But neither of those events are open to a broad spectrum of people. You either need to be able to afford to run your own multi-million dollar campaign, or you need to be a member of the rather exclusive community of pro sailors who continually get rides in those events.

At the Games, in each one of the 11 events, there are great sailors from a broad spectrum of countries, all of them racing in strict "one design" format. The racing is as close as it gets, and we saw many examples this week of a great sailor with a world-class list of past ahievements, lose control of their regatta with one bad race or one bad leg. You blink, and you're in deep trouble.

Not everyone comes here truly capable of winning a medal. But they still come, and that's what makes this event even better. I watched many very talented sailors this week, some of whom did not have a legitimate chance to win, but who came and raced hard, and carried with them the hopes and dreams of friends and family back home.

The Games has what so many of these other events lack... a sense of national pride. Money is a big part of this game, but despite the need for sponsorship in our part of the sport, nationalism still makes this thing what it is. You see athletes walking around proudly in their team kit. (Well... not all of them. Some of the outfits were so ridiculous that you could read the body language when you pointed a camera at certain people. Please don't let anyone see me dressed like this...) But there are flags waving and your sail number has been replaced by nothing more than your country code. You are sailing for yourself, your friends and family, and your country. That's pretty special.

And finally, the Games gives us moments that you just won't find anywhere else. Many of you have almost certainly now heard about the Danish 49er team. Heading into the medal race, they were leading for the Gold. It was blowing 20+ knots, and they broke their mast before the start of the race. The race committee seemed determined to start the race, and in the minds of all of us, the Danes chances were gone. The gold was now available to someone else. They limped their boat back to the dock, and I happened to be standing there when they came in. They were quietly derigging their boat, subdued by the lost opportunity. Then there was a huge rush of yelling and cheering, and the Croatian 49er team came running down the dock, pushing their boat, already rigged with the sails up. They handed it to the Danes and told them to go race in their equipment. Last time I checked, if Ernesto or Larry had a gear failure, hell would freeze over before either of them would help the other. Incidentally, the Danes went on to win the gold in the Croatian boat. What a story...

The Games is a special event, and it is an experience unlike anything else I have ever seen or been a part of. And that's why it feels so odd when it is over. I'm sitting here in Beijing, in a dramtically less populated athlete village, typing next to Tim Wadlow who is stranded with me. And it's becoming more and more obvious to me why so many people who participate in a Games want so desperately to come back.

So at some point, we'll all be home, we'll take a rest, and then we'll continue to work on our 2012 plan. The Opening Ceremony to the 2012 Games begins in 1432 days. And yes... I'm counting.

Sail fast and cheer hard,

Dean Brenner
Team Leader
2008 US Olympic Sailing Team
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The racing for Team USA is done. We ended yesterday, and are now in China for another couple of days. We'll walk in the Closing Ceremony and then head on home. I'm sure I speak for everyone on the team when I say we're equal parts proud of what we did accomplish, disappointed by what we did not accomplish, and exhausted from the entire experience.

I'll raise the curtain again for a few moments and share with you some thoughts on what is going inside my head right now.

Keep in mind that I wear very different hats for US Olympic Sailing right now. On one hand, I am Chairman and have been for four years. The Chairman's job is about strategy and program management. It's big picture. It's long term. The Team Leader's job is about tactics in the moment and regatta performace at the Games. It's "in the moment." It's short term. These jobs are very different and I have had to consciously remind myself throughout these Games that I am not here as the Chairman and I am here as the Team Leader. My job these last few months has been to help these athletes here and now, not worry about any long-term plans or implications.

But now that the Games are wrapping up, I'm starting to take my Team Leader hat off and put my Chairman's hat back on. And I'm asking myself, "how did we do?" That's an important question that we will discuss and debate for a while. And others will as well. Some will debate it with the good intentions of helping our program continue to improve. Others will debate it with other intentions. Enough said. But regardless, it is a conversation that needs to happen.

I am proud of this team and of our performance. We won two medals. We could have won more, but we didn't, and there are a lot of teams going home right now with fewer than two medals. We won a gold and a silver from two first-time Olympians, both of whom appear to be sticking around for another go. That's a real positive. We can build off those two performances. And we can enter the next four-year Olympic cycle with strength in those two events.

We also enter the next Olympic cycle with lots more young talent that may sign up for another go. I think there are more than a few 2008 Olympians who will feel the tug of "unifinshed business." That's also a huge positive.

But make no mistake about it... we have work left to do. I leave these Games proud, but not satisfied. That's an important distinction. Everyone on this team worked hard, we gave them more support than any US athletes have ever received before, and they represented us with grace and class. Those things are all important. I am deeply proud of this team. But at the same time, I am not satisfied. There are other teams still ahead of us in a few ways. And I am not happy about that. I respect their programs and their success, but I also want to put us back on top of the pile. We'll do the full debrief with our leadership team over the next few weeks, and continue to lay out our plan for 2012. We have lots to talk about.

I have always known how close and intense the competition is at this level. I've been part of our Olympic Program for a long time, but until you see it and hear it in person, it's hard to explain how close the racing can be. Regatta results and medals literally turn on one bad jibe or one bad start. It's pretty intense.

I'm still working my way through all this stuff. It will take some time, but we'll come back stronger and better in 2012. I firmly believe that.

That's all for now. I'll submit one more post after the Closing Ceremony in a couple of days.

Until then, sail fast, cheer hard and be proud of your 2008 Olympic Sailing Team.

Dean Brenner
Team Leader
US Olympic Sailing Team
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Every athlete is different. Every athlete deals with pressure and stress differently. Some give into it. Some thrive on it. And some seem to be oblivious to it.

I have a daily routine when I am at big events like the Games. I make a point of walking each athlete and their boat down to the boat ramp, and giving them a fist bump or a hug or a pat on the back before they shove off for the day. I like to be that last smiling face they see before they compete, and I like to let them know I have confidence in them. I like to think it helps them.

So, yesterday, at about 12:32pm, I walked Anna Tunnicliffe and her Laser down the boat ramp for the Laser Radial Medal Race at the 2008 Olympic Games. This was a big moment. Anna was on the verge of her first Olympic gold medal, at her first Olympic Games, but it would not be easy. Gold medals never are, especially when the air is light, the current is strong and the points are still close. Yesterday was going to be very difficult.

On this walk, I'm doing my very best to convey a sense of calm and cool that she can feed off. I want to be that rock for her, that cool influence that makes it all a little easier. And we are walking... and walking... and I realize that neither of us is actually saying anything. Total silence. Awkward moment. So I'm reaching for just the right words to say. I'm trying to own my little slice of this moment, and say something that she will remember and I'll be proud to have said. And then... nothing. Absolutely nothing. I've got nothing to say. Sweet, Dean. Way to own the moment, brother.

So, Anna senses all of this, I'm sure, and she does what the great ones do. She grabs the moment and takes control, with a huge smile on her face. "Hey Dean, you nervous?" I wanted to say, "no, not at all, Anna" with total confidence. She set me up to grab back control of the moment, and I flubbed it again. I think I stammered through a weak attempt at confidence. I really don't remember. Nice job, Team Leader!

This comically awkward moment (remember... I'm there to help her, right?) ended with our standard fist bump, and a quick hug, and then Anna nimbly jumped on to her boat and looked back at me with a smile and said "Don't worry, Dean, I'll take care of this for you." She was owning her moment. Thank god one of us was!

Sure sounds like I added a lot of value, doesn't it! :)

Anna went out and finished second in her race, won the gold and made us all proud. It was a crowning moment on these Games for Team USA, and yet another moment for me to be proud of these athletes. Anna sailed beautifully all week, always conservative, always in the front of the pack, avoiding the big mistakes that eventually took all of her competitors down a notch. Hers was a gold medal performance from start to finish.

But what I find most remarkable about Anna was what I saw as we walked down the boat ramp yesterday. She was totally comfortable in the moment. The moment was hers, and she was not going to let it go. When you have the honor to be Team Leader at a Games, you get the front row seat to what is really happening. And beyond all the other stuff that a TL has to do, and much of it ain't fun, these little moments with our athletes are the good stuff. These are the moments when you get to see what is really happening, and how people really tick.

Yesterday was a great day for Team USA. We are all proud of Anna, and the whole team met her at the dock and joined her for her medal ceremony. It was a great moment for Anna, and for all of us.

Sail fast and cheer hard,

Dean Brenner
Team Leader
US Olympic Sailing Team
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This is my sixth draft of today's post. I normally post in one draft, because the words just come. But not today.

Yesterday was one of those days. It was one of those days that you dream about and you dread. It was one of those days you look forward to all your life, and hope will never come.

We had three medal races yesterday, first in the Yngling, then the Finn and then the 49er. We watched all three races on Course A from the sea wall, and we spent the day standing in rain that could generously be described as biblical. My guess is about a foot of rain fell from the skies yesterday, and the winds ranged from 15 early in the day, to a solid 25 for the 49er race. It rained constantly. When I finally returned to my room last night after 12 hours in the rain, I looked like I had just stepped out of the shower with my clothes on.

Yesterday, 24-year-old Zach Railey exceeded the expectations of everyone other than his teammates and his family when he secured his first Olympic medal, a silver in the Finn. Zach and his coach Kenneth Andreasen (who will soon succeed Gary Bodie as our High Performance Director) were masterful this week, in both their preparation and their execution. I could not be more proud of Zach. He has worked hard for this, and earned it. No one gave it to him. He made it happen, and I have no doubt that this is not the last time he will stand on the podium at this event. I cried tears of joy yesterday, and I'm doing so again right now. Zach lived what so many of us dream about.

Also yesterday, Sally Barkow, Debbie Capozzi and Carrie Howe did not meet their lofty goals, and fell just short of an Olympic medal. The details of the how and when are not important here. But their race did not go as planned and while they certainly had their opportunities yesterday, it was not to be. I am immensely proud of these three young women. They have done nothing but make us proud for four years. Over the last four years, Sally was twice named Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, and both times she credited Debbie and Carrie for being with her every step of the way. These three women have been on the podium about 80% of the time they have raced their Yngling these last few years. That's a performance we may never see again. And yet, they go away from here feeling an intense sadness and everyone close to them right now is feeling it with them. They cried last night, and I cried with them.

And finally, yesterday, Tim Wadlow and Chris Rast did not meet their lofty goals either. By the time Tim and Chris and the other 49ers made it out to the race course, it was blowing an easy 20-25 knots, and these ten 49ers, handled by the finest sailors in the world, could not make it around the course without capsizing multiple times each. Have you ever sailed a 49er? I have... once... for about four minutes. People watching on shore had to look away with displaced embarrassment, trying hard not to laugh. It was blowing 6 knots and the water was flat as a board. So I can't even imagine the skill level required yesterday. And as with our Yngling team, things did not work out well for Tim and Chris, yet I am so immensely proud of them. They put together a focused effort these last two years that had them peaking at our Trials and again coming into these Games. They did everything correctly in their preparation. They were ready. It just didn't work out.

That's the thing about the Games. Everyone here is a great sailor. Everyone here has worked hard. Everyone has the same level of commitment. Everyone has a fast boat. The margins between winning and not are so small it is difficult to describe. Sometimes being fully prepared and peaking is not enough. Sometimes you need a break also. Can we say that our Yngling team or our 49er team were any less prepared than Zach? I can't say that. They were all ready to go. They were all ready to succeed. It worked out for Zach. It didn't for the others. I wish I could explain it, but I can't.

Yesterday was an emotional roller coaster ride like nothing I have experienced in my life. I rode the highs and the lows with members of our team, and with the family and friends of these athletes. It's so hard to console a parent whose child has just missed a medal, 20 minutes later celebrate with another whose child is living their dreams, and then again commiserate with a third family's disappointment. Intense diappointment, utter elation and intense disappointment once again. All inside about 90 minutes time.

Yet yesterday I also lived one of my proudest moments as the leader of this program. It occurred towards the end of the day. After Sally, Debbie and Carrie came back to shore, overcome by disappointment, you know what they all did? They changed out of their wet gear, and came out to the sea wall to watch Zach, Tim and Chris race. They came to cheer on their teammates. That's called class. That's called grace. And then, as Tim and Chris made it back to shore after a brutally tiring race, they were greeted by nearly our entire team. The team knew how tired and disappointed they would be, and Tim and Chris were met with friendly faces who gave them a hug and shoulders to cry on. And finally, nearly every member of the team made it down to the medal ceremony for Zach. Each of these athletes have their own goals, and so far several of them have dealt with some disappointment. But they put that aside last evening to come celebrate with a teammate who was on the podium.

I always, always, talk about the importance of medal production as the most important way to evaluate our program. And in many ways that will always be true. But yesterday, as I finally calmed down from a day I will never forget, I saw value in all the other things our program has achieved these last four years. Don't worry... I still want to win the medal count, and will do everything I can to make that happen some day soon. But while it may be primarily about medals and the podium, it is not all about medals and the podium.

My soul jumps for Zach. My heart sinks for Sally, Debbie, Carrie, Tim and Chris. And every member of this team has earned my eternal respect for the way they are conducting themselves here and for the way they have committed themselves to their goals. They are role models for all of us.

Today is another big day. Lots of things on the schedule, and I need to run.

Sail fast and cheer hard,

Dean Brenner
Team Leader
US Olympic Sailing Team
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Rather than leave you hanging with no post today, I'll revert to brief and total honesty. I overslept. I just told my roommate Luther Carpenter that I am finding it harder and harder to get out of bed each day. I'm still not sleeping very well, and it's getting harder to leap out of bed around 5am like I did the first couple of weeks we were here. But I feel like I owe you something each day as we get further into these Games. So here are a few quick thoughts...

Today is big... how many times have you read that from me in the last week?!? I say it all the time, because it is true every day. Lots going on today.

The wind gods did not cooperate yesterday and the two medal races on Course A - Finn and Yngling - did not happen. But out on the other courses, some interesting things happened. Tim and Chris had another good day in the 49er. They rolled a 4-8-3 and are now 9 points from silver and 6 points from bronze enetering today's medal race. We will have three consecutive medal races today: Yngling at 1, Finn at 2, and 49er at 3. Big day on Course A. This has the makings of being a HUGE day in the history of US Olympic Sailing.

We also have a nice little story starting to build in the Star Class. John and Austin are sailing fast and clean and yesterday rolled a 2-4 to take the lead in the Star class. On the Radial course, Anna is still hitting singles and avoiding the big risks. She posted another 6 yesterday, but since the drop race kicked in, she fell from 1st to 3rd overall because some of the other top boats already had a bad score they could now drop. But I'm not worried about the overall standings right now with Anna. She's the only top competitor that has not sailed a drop yet. She is tough as nails, and will be fine.

Three cheers right now from each and every one of you for Amanda Clark, Sarah Mergenthaler, Stu McNay and Graham Biehl. Our two 470 teams did not make the top 10, and did not qualify for their medal race yesterday. Their Olympic Games are over. But I am bursting with pride over these four young athletes. All are first-time Olympians, and I have confidence that we will see more from them in the future. Amanda and Sarah had some great moments, and over the last four years have represented us with grace and it has been an honor to have them on our national team. Stu and Graham came to these Olympics ahead of schedule, so to speak. Their goal at the outset of their campaign was to qualify and be competitive at the 2012 Games. But they were competitive here. They won two races at these Olympics, and clearly have the stuff to compete. They were a little inconsistent, but if they apply themselves appropriately there is no doubt in my mind that they can be a force on the international scene.

I'm proud of all of them, and I hope you are as well.

That's all I have for you today. I need to jump in the shower and get ready for today. We are moving into the second week of these Games. Keeping the focus sharp gets harder in the second week. It's just a long event. But we are ready, and I am looking forward to week 2 just as much as week 1. Great things are in store for Team USA.

Sail fast and cheer hard!

Dean Brenner
Team Leader
US Olympic Sailing Team
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I'm torn between the polar opposite emotions of joy and stress. On one hand, I am jumping-out-of-my-skin happy for Zach Railey who yesterday sailed a brilliant 8th race in the Finn Class and put himself on the brink of an Olympic medal. But on the other hand, Sally Barkow, Debbie Capozzi and Carrie Howe are in for a full-on street brawl in the Yngling Class today.

Zach saw an opportunity yesterday, match-raced the French Finn sailor to the back of the fleet, and put a significant cushion between himself and 4th place in the standings. He still has some work to do today, but the points between him and the boats in 3rd and 4th are not small.

Sally, Debbie and Carrie had a tougher day in the Yngling, and are now essentially in a six-boat race for the bronze medal. Both Finns and Ynglings race today in their "medal race." For those of you not familiar with this new concept, it is a made-for-TV convention in the sport of sailing, where the Top 10 boats sail in a final race that counts double. In sailing, your worst score can typically be discarded. But not the medal race. Not only does it count double, but it cannot be discarded. It's big, and entering the Yngling medal race today there are two boats that have distanced themselves on the scoreboard and are guaranteed gold and silver, and six others (including our team) that will scrum for the bronze.

I am in uncharted water here. How do you give in to totally competing emotions at the same time, both of which are related to people you care about? If anyone has an idea, please send me a quick email because it's a puzzle to me. And the Finn and Yngling are the first two events to end. I have 9 more of these before I head home. I should have taken some "before" photos in July. I am sure I will have visibly aged in the last month.

It is inevitable that some of our athletes will meet their goals here, and others will not. And it is critical that we meet all the athletes in that moment where their emotions are. We want to celebrate with the ones who meet a goal, and we want to support the ones who don't. And often that will need to happen on the same day, some times minutes apart as they come back to the dock in rapid succession.That's tough duty for our staff, and for the friends and family who are here to support them.

Today is another big day. In addition to the Yngling and Finn medal races, the 49ers have three races today. They are way behind schedule after two days of missed races because of light winds, and tomorrow is their medal race. Tim and Chris are 12 points off the podium, and have some work to do. But I have faith in them. 3 races also today for Laser, Radial, Tornado, Star, RS:X and 470 men. 470 women only have two today.

Big day... but then again, they all are. And there are more emotional times ahead, both highs and lows.

Send along your advice. I could use it!

Sail fast,

Dean Brenner
Team Leader
US Olympic Sailing Team
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