FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2015
Portsmouth, R.I. – US Sailing’s Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) today announced that the nomination period has opened for the 2015 US Sailing Coach of the Year Awards. The OSC will honor American coaches in five categories who have done outstanding work at the youth, national and international levels. The awards are a part of the United States Olympic Committee’s (USOC) Coach Recognition Program, which highlights the accomplishments and contributions of U.S. coaches who train athletes at all levels of Olympic and Paralympic sports. In 2014, the US Sailing National Coach of the Year Award was given to Morgan Reeser (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) for his work with US Sailing Team Sperry 470 athletes Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.). Todd Fedyszyn (St. Petersburg, Fla.) was honored as US Sailing Development Coach of the Year for his leadership in high school sailing.
“High-level coaching is a cornerstone of success in sailing and has important trickle-down effects at all levels of our sport,” said Benjamin Richardson, Chairman of the US Olympic Sailing Committee. “In 2015, US coaches did excellent work around the country and overseas, and we look forward to honoring their efforts.”
Each nomination should include the following information:
- Which of the five coaching awards (see below) the individual is being nominated for
- The nominee’s 2015 coaching record
- Honors or recognitions received by the nominee in 2015
- A description of the nominee’s service and support to the sport in 2015
- Contact information, including a phone number and email address, for both the nominator and the nominee
All accomplishments eligible for review by the panel are required to have taken place in 2015. Please note that multiple nominations have no bearing on the selection process unless they provide additional information about the candidate.
National Coach of the Year nominations fall into five categories:
1. National Coach of the Year
A National Coach of the Year nominee is a coach of an Elite Level Club, Collegiate, Pan-Am Championship or Olympic Games coach or the coach of an elite athlete who competes at the highest level in sailing. Nominations should include details about the performance of the nominee’s athletes, including national and world championship medals, the caliber of the wins and/or the extraordinary measure of the wins. Previous winners of US Sailing’s National Coach of the Year Award include Morgan Reeser (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), Greg Wilkinson (Rockport, Mass.), Mark Ivey (Tiburon, Calif.), Michael Callahan (Washington, D.C.), Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.), Bill Ward (Newport Beach, Calif.), Zachary Leonard (Branford, CT), Rollin “Skip” Whyte (Wickford, R.I.), Roger “Scott” Ikle (Geneva, N.Y.), Serge Jorgensen (Sarasota, Fla.), Jay Glaser (Long Beach, Calif.), and Luther Carpenter (New Orleans, La.).
2. Volunteer Coach of the Year
A Volunteer Coach of the Year Nominee is a coach who does not receive payment in any form for their involvement in coaching at any level. Previous winners of sailing’s Volunteer Coach of the Year Award include Greg Koman (Burlington, Vt.), Carrie Rohde (Richmond Hill, Ga.), Matt Dubois (Grosse Ile, Mich.), Ryan Hamm (Charleston, S.C.), Susan Kaseler (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) and T. Park McRitchie (Port Clinton, Ohio).
3. Development Coach of the Year
A Development Coach of the Year nominee is a coach of youth club, high school or junior-level coach, or a coach directly responsible for coaching athletes to the junior and/ or elite level. Previous winners of sailing’s Developmental Coach of the Year Award include Todd Fedyszyn (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Steve Keen (Stamford, Conn.), Jay Kehoe (Annapolis, Md.) Ryan Minth (New York, N.Y.), Brett Davis (Naples, Fla.), Ben Glass (Seattle, Wash.), Duffy Markham (Wellesley, Mass.), Tom Coleman (Hixson, Tenn.), Rob Hallawell (Marblehead, Mass./Coronado, Calif.), Brian Doyle (Darien, Conn./Hanover, N.H.), Amy Gross-Kehoe (Bayville, N.Y.), Adam Werblow (St. Mary’s, Md.) and Mike Zani (Bristol, R.I.).
4. Paralympic Coach of the Year
A Paralympic Coach of the Year nominee is a coach of a disabled sailing team or the coach of a Paralympic class athlete who competes at the highest level of sailing. Nominations should include details about the performance of the nominee’s athletes, including national and world championship medals, the caliber of the wins and/or the extraordinary measure of the wins.
5. “Doc” Counsilman Science Award
The nominee for this award is a coach that utilizes scientific techniques/ equipment as an integral part of his/her coaching methods, or has created innovative ways to use sport science. The “use of science in sport” includes, but is not limited to, biomechanics, nutrition, psychology, strength and conditioning, exercise physiology, etc.
In early 2016, the OSC will announce the winners of US Sailing’s 2015 Coach of the Year Awards. The committee will then submit the list of honorees to the USOC for potential recognition as Coach of the Year Awards recipients across all Olympic and Paralympic sports. The USOC will announce the National Coach of the Year Award sometime in the late spring.
The goals of the USOC’s Coaching Recognition Program are to recognize the accomplishments and contributions coaches make to sports at all levels of athlete development and to elevate the status of coaching as a profession.
About the US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
Contact: Will Ricketson, Olympic Communications Manager, 401-683-0800 x621, willricketson@ussailing.org