by Jonathan Harley, Olympic Director 

"How can I make the Olympic Team?" is a question I'm frequently asked by competitive sailors across the nation. And my stock answer? "Win the Olympic Trials."

Technically, this is correct. In the Spring of 2004, US SAILING will hold Trials for each of the eleven Olympic events. The winners of each event comprise the men and women of the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team. Any sailor who is a member of US SAILING as well as his/her own class organization and who meets the eligibility requirements may compete in the Olympic Trials.

From the start of each Olympic Quadrennium sailors begin intense preparations for their Olympic campaigns -- training for international competition as well as fundraising to finance their campaign. Often, these campaigns begin 4-8 years before the target Olympiad. So, in real terms, becoming an Olympian takes years of dedication, sacrifice, commitment, strategy, frustration, and loneliness, but it is also great fun and full of excitement, challenge, opportunity, and travel, travel, travel!

The Olympic class boats are selected on the basis of their worldwide popularity, a determination made by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). For 2004, there are eleven Olympic events: Europe (women), Finn (men), 470 (men & women), 49er (open), Laser (open), Mistral (men & women), Star, Tornado (both open) and Yngling (women).

An aspiring Olympic sailor begins by selecting the boat he/she will race and then learns everything about the boat and the racing world. The next step is to join the class organization and start racing.

Class organizations are the link to what's happening with the boat, competition and the athletes. Through the class, sailors meet sailors, creating a cross-pollination of experience and ideas that greatly advances each sailor's knowledge. Also, a representative from each class serves on US SAILING's Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) which oversees training and selection for the Olympic and Pan American Games Teams. Through this involvement, each class organization participates in the critical decisions relative to the Olympic training program.

Though it is not required in order to make the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team, being an annual member of the US Sailing Team greatly enhances a sailor's chances of winning the Olympic Trials. Each year, the top five ranked skippers and crews in each Olympic class are named to the US Sailing Team. Rankings are based on attendance and performance at a series of qualifying regattas with each class having its own ranking system. The class organization specifies the regattas to be used for ranking in that class and publishes a list of the events in the class newsletter.

Benefits to some members of the US Sailing Team include U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) grants; paid shipping of boats to overseas competition; team clothing; coaching and more. The OSC coaching staff conducts training clinics and travels to national and international events. 

USOC grants are the financial foundation of our Olympic program. Annually, the top ranked sailors on the USST receive USOC funds for training. In addition, recipients who qualify may receive additional grants directly from USOC. While these funds may be used for any training expense, e.g. subsistence, travel, equipment or entry fees, the sailors are required to meet eligibility standards in order to receive funding. Another USOC program, Operation Gold, awards grants based on finish positions at Olympic class world championships.

In 2004, after the Trials, the OSC will fund intensive training camps. And, for the last three weeks before the team moves into the Olympic Village, we will have a U.S. Olympic Yachting Team pre-Olympic sailing camp located in Sydney, Australia. Based on our experiences since 1984, these programs were the catalysts in building a close-knit and focused team, two major factors in our remarkable success in recent Olympiads.

Money is critical. Past estimates indicate that, on average, an Olympic campaign costs $75,000 per sailor; that is, $75,000 for a Finn and $225,000 for a Yngling. The OSC expects this figure to increase approximately 10-15% this quadrennium, primarily because many more nations now compete at the Olympic level. The United States is the undisputed leader in Olympic sailing, having earned 23 medals over the last four Olympiads. We are the nation to beat, and our competitors worldwide are training smart and hard to do so.

Sailors wishing assistance with fundraising are encouraged to establish a "designated account" with the U.S. Sailing Foundation (USSF). These funds, raised through personal contacts, are tax-deductible for the donor and are used for training, entry fees, travel, housing, meals, equipment and whatever else is part of an Olympic campaign. To establish a designated account, a sailor may write to OSC Chairman Fred Hagedorn stating his/her intent to mount an Olympic campaign in one of the nine Olympic classes.

On the administrative and grant program side, approximately four million dollars is needed this quadrennium to run the OSC program. This is in addition to the sailors' campaigns. Besides the USOC funds, corporate sponsorship and private donations provide critical support.

Our corporate sponsors participate in a variety of OSC programs, including regattas, media events, US Sailing Team members special appearances, advertising and more. The OSC employs a public relations firm to work with our sponsors in creating effective sponsorship programs.

Becoming a member of the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team isn't easy. It takes hard work and commitment. But you can do it. And if you decide to try, you'll get as much help and encouragement as you request. We're here to help our American sailors realize their dream of becoming Olympians, and we're here to maintain our position as the number one sailing nation in the world. Join us for the race of a lifetime!

To learn more, call me at 401-683-0800, or contact me via email at olympics@ussailing.org

Click here for a 2002 schedule of major Olympic class events.