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(Fast) men at work. The new head of US Olympic sailing, Australian Malcolm Page, on the way to another big 470 win with helmsman Mathew Belcher at Hyères during the final run-up to London 2012 – where the pair would take gold, Belcher’s first and Page’s second
place. ‘The foundation laid in the last four years is in the right direction,’ he says. ‘I know you could probably say the results haven’t shown that, but that journey’s begun. I don’t even know if we’re halfway along – I would doubt it, actually. But the initial steps are always the hardest, most painful. I really feel like this is phase two.’
Like the Australians, the US used their medal-less 2012 Games as a wake-up call to revamp their Olympic programme. Led by Josh Adams, US Sailing launched Project Pipeline in 2015 to better prepare young athletes for Olympic sailing. With seed funding from the AmericaOne Foundation, coach-led clinics around the country introduce sailors to Olympic boats and then funnel the best of the best into the Olympic development programme – ideally before kids have started college sailing.
Historically, US Olympic hopefuls have been rewarded for their independence, partly because there wasn’t enough money to support everyone and partly because that’s how the game used to be played. Page says, ‘Traditionally, I see the [US] programmes being driven by each individual boat – by the athlete. ‘That is not the most efficient – and more importantly, it’s not the best way to do it. Because how does that athlete know what to do? They spend four years learning. And if they learn, they might get it right.’ Getting American teenagers on an earlier path to the Olympics will help create the culture Page believes is paramount to winning medals. ‘It’s all anchored around that team approach.’ A team approach was already in place for the 2016 quadrennium, but Page knows ‘it will take time. You need to build a foundation, sometimes you have to build generations of it to achieve it.’ He also knows it’s worth the effort, because ‘It still sends tingles down my spine, that we got to that level. I would like to see this next generation feel what I felt as an athlete.’
And with a much more solid youth development programme now in place, Page sees huge potential for growth in US Olympic sailing, which translates into huge potential for him as well. ‘The biggest opportunity for me is in the US. The talent pool here hasn’t changed – you’re still the most medalled country.’ (The Americans maintain a slim lead in all-time medals won – though in 2016 GBR took over the top spot in golds.)
Of course the challenge remains: ‘How do we pull that all together? One effort. That’s the key.’
22 SEAHORSE
Sustainability The final piece of the Page plan requires a reliable longterm funding stream. While Australian sports are government- funded and Team GB has its Lottery, Olympic sailors in the US are supported by a combination of private donation and corporate sponsorship. But Page sees huge growth opportunities in the US model, since ‘this is the world’s biggest economy! The funding potential is through the roof here.’
He also plans to take advantage of US technological innovation. ‘When it comes to the Olympic Games, to win is 80 per cent athlete and 20 per cent equipment. So we have to be leading the world in technology.’ Then he pauses, and laughs. ‘Actually in every area, my plan is to be the best.’
While athletes are rightly focused on Tokyo 2020, Page under-
stands that he needs to look further into the future. ‘You’ve got to keep producing. We do one cycle, then we learn from it, then we can do better the next and the next and the next. Stepping up the ladder – not being sporadic in our results and how we’re going.’ And then, with a smile, he regresses for just a moment: ‘Of course that is a little bit boring, from an athlete’s perspective.’ Page brings a lot of ‘street cred’ to his new role, because he’s seen the Games from every possible athletic perspective: he lost selection, he went but didn’t medal, and then he won gold twice – with two different skippers. ‘I do feel like I’ve lived the whole Olympic experience from a few different angles,’ he admits. ‘I’ve got the scars as well as the stripes on the shoulder.’ Seeking out the best in the world led US Sailing to hire an Aussie – perhaps in spite of his strong accent. And if he can achieve his stated goals of two medals in Tokyo and a return to the top of the medals table, nobody in the US will care where he came from or what he sounds like. For Page it’s a chance to channel his Olympic fire into what would be a very visible comeback. ‘I want to work in sport, and I want to spend time with my family. This role for me is the perfect connection of both.’
Putting the US back on top will require hard work from the entire team: athletes, staff, coaches, supporters, and of course the new chief of Olympic sailing. It will also take a little luck, because ‘sport is still sport, and there’s always that battle on the course that you can’t always control’ But as Malcolm Page adds, ‘If we’re the best at each of our jobs the sum of it should bring the right result.’ Carol Cronin
q
JEAN-MARIE LIOT/DPPI
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