Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, top youth sailors from across the country converged in Miami, FL for four days of training and competition at the US Youth Team Thanksgiving Camp. This annual camp is an opportunity for top youth sailors to wrap up the year with highly competitive sailing led by world-class coaches, in a collaborative Team USA environment. This year the camp was open to 2025 US Sailing Youth National Team members as well as sailors who finished in the top half of their class at the 2025 U.S. Youth Championship.
“It’s been amazing 4 days, with 97 sailors from five of the six Youth Worlds classes (29er, 420, ILCA, iQFOiL, Nacra 15) here” said US Sailing Youth Performance Manager Phil Muller. “Fitness is a key component of the Youth National Team. We did daily fitness activations as well as a fitness test as we educate these athletes on how to improve their performance and professionalize their programs. We’ve also heard every morning from Olympian Steph Roble, who’s talked about mindfulness, intention, and all the performance factors that go into building a strong program, giving the sailors tools to take home with them and to their next regatta.”
The camp was the final training for the US Sailing Youth Worlds Team, who will represent USA at the Youth Sailing World Championship in Portugal later this month. This was an important opportunity for the Youth Worlds coaching staff and athletes to work together to prepare for the pinnacle event in youth sailing.
“My biggest takeaway from this camp has been practicing starting at a very high level, replicating how the international fleet would start” said David Coates, US Sailing Youth Worlds Team (ILCA 6).
“My biggest takeaway from this camp is the routine” said US Sailing Youth National Team member Brayden Ozarski. “Solidifying a routine before going into a race is very crucial. It’s been very fun.”
“My favorite thing about this camp has been the coaching” said US Sailing ODP Athlete Sophia Debs. “It’s been really great getting different points of view from different people. Really high level.”
On the water, days 1 and 2 of the camp were focused on drills, while days 3 and 4 were focused on racing, with PRO’s Todd Fedyszyn and Carol Ewing running races on two race circles. Throughout the camp each class had the opportunity to work with Quantum expert Grant Spanhake on sail shape and tuning analysis, thanks to the support of Quantum Racing.
US Sailing CEO Charlie Enright also attended the camp, spending time on the water with the sailors and speaking to the group over dinner on Sunday night. US Sailing thanks the Sailing Foundation of New York for sponsoring Sunday’s dinner, and supporting the US Sailing Youth Worlds Team at the upcoming Youth Worlds in Portugal.
A small but important milestone was that the left sleeve of the event shirt featured the Trevor Moore star logo, in honor of late Olympian Trevor Moore. The sailors wore that shirt during Monday’s fitness test, and Pearce shared a few stories about Trevor with them and their parents over dinner that night. Passing on some of the traits that made Trevor successful to the next generation of promising athletes was a really special moment. For more information about the Trevor Moore Fund, please visit: https://www.ussailing.org/about/ussf/trevor-moore-fund/
US Sailing would like to thank all of the athletes, parents, coaches, and supporters who made this camp possible, including Miami Yacht Club, Risk Strategies, Quantum Racing, Sailing Foundation of New York, and the Trevor Moore Fund.
Thanksgiving Camp photos are available here: https://usst.photoshelter.com/galleries/C0000aDiQAVfmvjs/2025-Thanksgiving-Racing-Camp-Miami
Qualifying for the 2026 US Sailing Youth National Team will take place at Class Midwinters East and Midwinters West regattas in early 2026. Questions about the Youth National Team or Youth Worlds Team? Visit www.ussailing.org/teams/youthteam/ or contact youth@ussailing.org