5/02/07

This week's Spotlight features:
-- USA's Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe and Debbie Capozzi Win Silver in France
-- Why Does Laser Sailor Brad Funk Play Video Games to Train for the Olympics?

USA's Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe and Debbie Capozzi Win Silver in France
The USA Yngling team of Sally Barkow (Chenequa, Wis.), Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) and Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) brought home yet another medal from the spring European circuit: this time a silver medal from the Semaine Olympique Fran?ise de Voile (French Sailing Week), in Hy?es, France. Barkow and her team won Friday's final, double point medal race, after another battle with Great Britain's team led by Sarah Ayton, who picked up the bronze.

"This is a great end to our month in Europe," said Barkow. "We faced some tough racing. We made some mistakes throughout the week, which caused us to learn valuable lessons for when the pressure is on."  Read the full press release
 
10 Questions for Laser Sailor Brad Funk: Playing to Win
Brad Funk, the top-ranked Laser sailor on the 2007 US Sailing Team, shakes up his approach to sailing this year, as he kicks his Olympic campaign into full drive. Fresh from his impressive ninth place result at Semaine Olympique Fran?ise in Hyeres, France last week, Funk tells the Spotlight how he?s ramping up his training ? and why playing videogames is a key component.

1. You were the top American Laser finisher in Hyeres last week. How would you describe the racing?
It wasn?t a typical Hyeres regatta because of the light air. It was just windy and consistent enough to require making the right decisions on the race course to make sure you?re up there in the race.

I could have been in the top three if I hadn?t had a cramping issue. We hadn?t hiked the whole week but on the first beat of the first day with breeze, I went around the weather mark and both of my hamstrings locked up. I was hauling downwind in 20 knots, with both my legs straight out on the deck.

2. Why was it important for you to compete in Hyeres?
All the guys that are going to be at the Olympics are there, so it?s a good fleet.

3. We?ve seen some terrific results from you this year. You have made the Medal Races in two consecutive regattas. What are you doing differently?
My coach, John Bertrand, has helped me unlock my full potential. I no longer obsess over just the results in every event. I have been focused on executing my objectives -- and then the results take care of themselves. For the past five months of training, I have focused on turning my weakness into strengths. I have even been surprised with the results, myself.

4. How are you turning your weaknesses into strengths?
If my starts at a previous regatta weren?t stellar, we focus on starts until they became a strength. Rounding weather marks was my weakness at the last regatta, so in Hyeres, I focused on that. And 90 percent of the time, I actually chose the best way to go downwind. So, after I turned starts and rounding weather marks into my strengths, I was already right there with the top guys. The rest worked out for itself.

5. Do you watch videotapes of your performances on the water? Do you watch anyone else's?
John videotapes me every day and then we do a debrief. We discuss how some of my choices could have been different and how I can eliminate mistakes in the future. Some setups wouldn?t work for other people because that?s the way they sail the boat. If you take every person in the top ten, they all sail the boat slightly different.

6. How are you training off-the-water?
I am trying to improve my mental concentration by playing a video game called Guitar Hero, made by Play Station 2, a couple times a week. You're actually playing an electric guitar for rock bands. To play this game you have to follow colored circles on the screen as they scroll by in time to the music. Different colors correspond to different buttons on a guitar. Using the corresponding buttons, you have to play the right music when the color passes by --  at the right time to match the note. You have to really focus.

7. How has this game ? and other concentrating techniques ? helped your mental game of sailing?
I have actually become more aware of my surroundings. I have become more sensitive to what's going on upwind as I race ? I look at everything around me to try to pick up clues because you can never predict the wind. If I can learn from the clues around me, I can go from there.

8. What is the toughest aspect of an Olympic campaign?
I think the toughest aspect is not knowing your ultimate potential. It?s tough to know whether you have enough time to get good enough to get a gold medal at the Olympic Games. How good you can get? It?s always a question.

9. What would it be like to go to the 2008 Olympics with your fianc? and fellow US Sailing Teammate, Anna Tunnicliffe?
That would just be a dream come true.

10. Do you have any words to live by?
Divine alignment is the ultimate goal. Everything else will follow.

Brad's web site: www.funksailing.com

2007 Upcoming Events

May 23-27: Holland Regatta, Medemblik, The Netherlands www.hollandregatta.org/2007

June 1-10 : 470 European Championship, Thessaloniki, Greece

June 1-9: Finn European Championship, Balatonfoldvar, Hungary

June 2-9: Laser European Championship and Laser Youth European Championship , Hyeres, France

June 5-15: RS:X European Championship, Limassol, Cyprus

June 14-17: Laser North American Championship, Hyannis, MA, USA

June 16-30: Kiel Week, Kiel, Germany
www.kieler-woche.de/eng/englishdefault.htm

June 28-July 13: ISAF Combined Olympic Class World Championship in Cascais, Portugal (first Olympic Qualifier for all classes) www.cascaisworlds2007.com

About the Teams
The 2007 USST consists of the top three-ranked sailors in each of the nine classes (11 events) selected for the 2008 Olympic Games: Finn (men); 470 (men and women); Laser (men); Laser Radial (women); Neil Pryde RS:X (men and women); 49er, Star, Tornado (all open); and Yngling (women). For a complete list of the 2007 USST and their hometowns, please visit:
www.ussailing.org/olympics/2007/team.asp
 
The 2007 USDST also consists of the top three ranked sailors in each of the three classes chosen for the 2008 Paralympic Games: the 2.4mR, the Sonar, and SKUD-18. For a complete list of the 2007 USDST and their hometowns, please visit:
www.ussailing.org/olympics/paralympic/2007/team.asp
 
Newly launched in 2007, the Elite Youth Development Team represents the country's top youth sailors in the Laser and Laser Radial. To help the athletes gain more sailing experience at the highest levels, members of the Team will travel to major international regattas worldwide and be supported by elite-level coaches. To meet the members of the 2007 UYDT and read their bios, please visit:
www.ussailing.org/olympics/EYDT/2007/team.asp
Sponsors of the 2007 US Sailing Teams are: Rolex Watch U.S.A., Vanguard Sailboats, Nautica, Gill, Sperry Top-Sider, RIBCRAFT, Harken, New England Ropes, Extrasport, Nikon and Team McLube.  

Contact:
Marni Lane
Press Officer, US Sailing Teams
US SAILING
617.671.8332
401.683.0800 x671
MarniLane@ussailing.org