Formerly known as The Olympic Yachting Committee, the Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) is one of the standing committees of US SAILING, and is responsible for the selection and training of the US Sailing Team. The members of the OSC include the chairman, representatives from each of the Olympic class organizations, Olympians, coaches and others appointed for their specific expertise (e.g., public relations, sports medicine and technology).
 Olympic Sailing Committee Chairman Robert H. Hobbs accepts the flag of the Olympic Yachting Committee. The presentation of the flag, which has been signed and passed from each chairman to his successor, took place during the US SAILING Centennial Meetings in Newport, R.I., in October 1997. The late Julian K. 'Dooley' Roosevelt started the tradition when he presented the flag to Samuel V. Merrick who was chair of the committee from l979 to 1984. Left to right: |
Though the U.S. first competed in the Yachting Olympics in 1900, medal success in the sailing events did not begin until 1932. Prior to 1960, there was no formal Olympic program. Every four years, the U.S. organizations representing the Olympic classes -- designated for Olympic competition by the International Yacht Racing Union (now the International Sailing Federation) -- held trials, with the winners going to the Games. Established to organize and supervise the Olympic effort, the OSC's ability to create an effective program initially was encumbered by a meager $25,000/year budget, inexperience and few role models.
In 1977, Sam Merrick, a life-long racing sailor nearing the end of a 40-year career in public service, was asked to consider active involvement in the OSC. Told that his participation would involve a time commitment of perhaps one afternoon each week, Merrick soon found it necessary to retire and devote himself full-time as OSC Director.
In 1980, after the boycotted Olympic Games in the Soviet Union, Merrick added the OSC Chairmanship to his job as OSC Director. In the aftermath of the boycott, U.S. Olympic sailing was in disarray. Sailors were disillusioned and disappointed, and many had either left, or were considering leaving, Olympic competition.
It was Merrick, along with several other prominent sailors, who toured the nation giving clinics and speeches to promote Olympic sailing. At the same time, the OSC established its organizational structure, developed a coaching program and began a grants program for competition abroad.
In essence, Merrick's direction guided the committee to become what had been intended from the start. The budget increased to more than $200,000 in 1980 and exceeded $750,000 in 1984, all under Merrick's firm administration.
In 1984, for the first time in U.S. Olympic sailing, a required post-Trials/pre-Games training camp was run in Long Beach, California, venue of both the Trials and the Games. Tuning partners for each competitor; daily team meetings; on-the-water coaching with photographic analysis; and other training techniques were instituted. Through the four-week camp, a group of top-notch individuals became a cohesive team, all learning, training and sharing their expertise.
The efforts paid off with a U.S. sweep of the Yachting event -- seven medals in seven events (three gold and four silver) -- the best record of any U.S. team competing at the '84 Games.
Andy Kostanecki took over the committee in late 1984, looking for areas where the program could ensure continued achievement. "The strength of the Olympic Team is dependent on the strength of the classes," Kostanecki would say.
Understanding that a long-term approach to competition and training plus a realistic commitment to Olympic campaigning and funding were vital, Kostanecki increased active participation by the class organizations. Also, he created a dialogue and effective communication between US SAILING and the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC).
In writing proposals for critical USOC funding, Kostanecki soon realized that sailing did not have a focused and marketable program. Thus, the US Sailing Team was created as an umbrella for the Olympic, Pan American and Goodwill Games teams, plus the sailors named annually to the Team who were ranked top five in each Olympic sailing event.
USOC and corporate funding increased, as did awareness of the Team within the sailing community. Being named to the Team became an important goal for sailors with active Olympic campaigns and was a great benefit in the sailors' fund-raising efforts.
Under Kostanecki's leadership, the 1988 post-Trials training camp, again held in Long Beach, was expanded to include a daily schedule of clinics, racing, nutrition and strenuous physical training.
The 1988 Olympic Yachting event was held in Pusan, Korea. The U.S. again dominated the competition garnering the most medals of any sailing nation -- five medals in eight events (one gold, two silver and two bronze).
Thanks to the City of Miami and the tremendous energy of a group of dedicated sailors, the U.S. Sailing Center opened in 1988 and soon became the preferred site for winter training and racing of world class sailors. Complementing the Miami facility, sailing centers in Long Beach, California, and Stuart, Florida, have opened to make excellent training sites available year-round on both coasts.
Perhaps Kostanecki's greatest achievement lay in the current relationship which US SAILING now enjoys with USOC. The OSC receives USOC funds for travel grants, coaching, boat loan programs and other specialized training. Additionaly, US SAILING and the OSC often participate in USOC decisions on items of importance to sailing and Olympic competition.
Mike Schoettle became the committe chairman in 1988, and broadened the OSC's emphasis to include advances in technology, increased competition stateside and additional coaching dedicated to those classes with the greatest need. Three U.S. and one Canadian Olympic Classes Regattas (OCR), Miami, Alamitos Bay, Marblehead and CORK respectively, were linked to create the Can-Am Series aimed at increasing international competition in North America.
Schoettle instituted a sophisticated corporate sponsorship program to include a broad range of fulfillment opportunities for sponsors to associate with the Team, promote their products and contribute to the Olympic movement.
The Team concept continues to develop. Team members receive clothing, a membership card and certificate, fundraising assistance, publicity support, the right to participate in the USOC Job Opportunities Program, and travel grants for competition abroad.