Committed to the team


Laura (Butterfield) Cutler ‘82


was Team Manager for TeamBDA, Bermuda’s entry into the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. Her role was equal parts manager and mom for the team of 18-23 year-old Bermudians. Laura’s role was all-encompassing over the two-year period from conception through the Finals, including opening up her home as the team’s on-land base. Just some of her endless to-do list included overseeing and/or assisting with: team apparel design and boat branding, sponsor relations, team preparation for media and public engagements, media relations, special events and travel, plus cooking countless meals for a team of young athletes and, as part of the management team, helping to facilitate the personal and collective growth of the team. Of course, TeamBDA excelled, capturing the Island’s imagination with their run through the Qualifiers and into the Finals. Torchbearer spoke with Laura about her experience with TeamBDA


What was the genesis of TeamBDA? The idea, itself the brainchild of Sir Russell Coutts, was to field a local team, sponsored by ORACLE TEAM USA, as their home team, that would participate in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, with the regatta taking place in the middle of the 35th America’s Cup in our home waters. This was a very special opportunity for us. As such, an initial group was formed locally in April/May 2015, to scrutinise the potentiality for such an endeavour. We determined that, though the project was of epic proportion, it had viability. Fortunately, our incredible sponsors, namely Arch Capital Group


24 Torchbearer Fall 2017


All in: Laura (Butterfield) Cutler ‘82 spent nearly two years in helping to build and manage TeamBDA, Bermuda’s entry in last Summer’s Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.


Ltd., Ascendant Group, BELCO, KPMG, Hamilton Insurance Group, and the OIL Group of Companies, believed in our ability to deliver.


Do you feel that the team met expectations? There were no expectations of


TeamBDA, or, if any, the expectations were low versus other teams, which had already established a presence in other regattas, classes and campaigns. We made a standing start, with open-call trials, and built a tremendous team from over 120 sailors and non-sailing athletes over a period of 24 months, including the viability study. That we were able to effectively compete, reaching the finals, and winning the first race of that round, is an amazing accomplishment.


By that time, although TeamBDA had developed incredible physical stamina, we lacked the mental stamina required to win/ do well in multiple races on the same day, which comes from a level of seasoning you cannot teach. That only comes with the experience gained through competing in multiple regattas, and over time.


Describe how you feel about the team’s accomplishments?


My answer to this question could go on for days…. what this team accomplished


goes far, far beyond learning to race a sailboat. Frankly, I am still processing it so I can only offer the nutshell version: I am in awe of what this team took on individually, and in aggregate, on so many levels. We asked for the moon from each other, really….and I would say everyone delivered, to the best of their ability. It’s not often you can actually say that and mean it.


How did you feel when they won the first race of the Finals? When TeamBDA crossed the finish line in first place, I felt an explosion of pride and delight and was thrilled for the team and the spectators. I also felt a bit of relief, but not surprise; I knew they could do it. It represented the manifestation of all the effort; the realisation of our (and by ‘our’ I mean everyone who supported us, across the board) collective vision, which was to produce a team that could compete for a spot on the podium in this regatta. The only thing missing from the Qualifiers and the Finals of the RedBull Youth America’s Cup 2017 was wind, ironically - it was a real shame that the wind was so light that there was no foiling at all for the AC45fs.


What do you miss the most? Easy question. The people. The family that was born of this enterprise, from the


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