Diary
August 20, 2007
Dean Brenner
Team Leader, Chairman of the US Olympic Sailing Program
Another day in Qingdao, and more light air. Starting to detect a pattern? Good, so are we.
We sat on shore for most of the day today. In a lot of ways, it was just like yesterday. But today, we actually got to race. Classes began leaving the dock around 2:30 pm and all the classes, except RS:X, were off the dock by 4 pm.
Check the regatta results page to see the latest, but the short version of the story is that we are firmly in the medal hunt in the Yngling, Laser Radial and 49er, and are having some good results in a number of other classes. Our best performance of the day came from Anna Tunnicliffe who posted her second straight day of strong results. She posted a 6-1 today, following up her 1-3 on Saturday. This puts her into 2nd place overall for the event. Nice job Anna!
We also had a strong days from Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree in the Tornado, Zach Railey in the Finn, John Dane and Austin Sperry in the Star, and Sally Barkow, Debbie Capozzi and Carrie Howe in the Yngling.
What we are realizing more than ever is that a lot of other things will impact performance next year. Yes, success at the 2008 Olympic Games will be dependent on boat speed, wind shifts and all the things that normally impact a sail boat race. But at this event, some other factors will also play a major role.
Success in 2008 will be dependent on several critical on-shore variables. Will the sailor be able to remain focused despite long delays on shore while we wait for the wind? Will the sailor be able to manage their body temperature, stay cool and not overheat? Will the sailor be able to eat well enough to avoid becoming ill and still get the fuel they need to perform? The answers to questions like these, while important at every regatta, will be disproportionately important at the 2008 Olympic Games.
In general, our athletes are dealing with all of these factors well. They seem to occupy themselves well on shore during the delays, and are doing a good job managing their heat exposure. Our team has a really professional approach to its preparation, and we’ll need it here in Qingdao. This is a tough place to compete.
That’s it for tonight from Qingdao. Please make sure to follow along with the event at www.ussailing.org/olympics/qingdao/qingdao.htm.
Sail fast,
Dean Brenner
Chairman, US Olympic Sailing Program