BRISTOL, RI (19 September 2024) – Just over a month after the Paris Olympics, nine Olympians and a crowd of supporters gathered in Marblehead, MA at Eastern Yacht Club on September 12 to celebrate the summer Games. Presented by Samsonite and Sextant Wines, the evening featured a panel-style discussion full of stories and lessons learned and allowed athletes time to reconnect with each other and visit with people who’d been cheering them on while they represented the US in France.
Watch the panel recording here.
In attendance:
-
-
- Lara Dallman-Weiss, Mixed 470 (Shoreview, MN)
- Markus Edegran, Men’s Kite (Ossining, NY)
- Hans Henken, Men’s 49er & Bronze Medalist (San Francisco, CA)
- David Liebenberg, Nacra 17 (Richmond, CA)
- Noah Lyons, Men’s iQFOiL (Clearwater, FL)
- Stuart McNay, Mixed 470 (Providence, RI)
- Sarah Newberry Moore, Nacra 17 (Miami, FL)
- Stephanie Roble, 49erFX (East Troy, WI)
- Maggie Shea, 49erFX (Wilmette, IL)
-
Unable to attend: Ian Barrows, Daniela Moroz, Erika Reineke, Dominique Stater
Athletes reminisced on their favorite moments, including witnessing the first Team USA sailing medal since Rio 2016 and the first medal for USA in the 49er since Sydney 2000, achieved by Ian Barrows and Hans Henken in Marseille. “All of us in the [Team base] were screaming at the top of our lungs,” recounted Nacra 17 athlete Sarah Newberry Moore. “I don’t think I’ve ever had such a deep, guttural reaction to something in my sport, and watching Hans and Ian win that medal was an extremely special moment. We were already very bonded as a team, but that moment we were just 1000% behind them every second of that race.”
They shared advice for athletes coming up behind them, with bronze medalist Hans Henken leaning into a misconception about the path to the Olympics:
“I think one aspect that’s really easily overlooked is that you don’t necessarily have to sail an Olympic class boat to become an Olympian. Being able to sail any type of boat is a huge skill and having those skillsets at a young age and growing with that is a huge thing that translates into Olympic sailing. I mean the class that Markus (Men’s Kite) is currently campaigning in for 2028 and what he went to Paris for wasn’t even an Olympic class when he started kiting. So how does he even know that he’s campaigning? He has to take a lot of skillsets from other classes and apply those to what he’s currently doing and has to grow and learn from there.”
In addition to the conversation with athletes, attendees were treated to a selection of Sextant Wines and took home Samsonite luggage tags. Athletes were presented with 1.5L custom wine bottles by co-owners Craig and Nancy Stoller and arrived in style with their innovative Samsonite luggage that was provided ahead of travel to Marseille.
