PAUL TODD/OUTSIDE
Update
of his sunny assessment that ‘a lot of the athletes notice a shift in how we’re already operating’. Since even the best-funded athletes usually focus on ‘lack-ofs’
(money, support, direction), the positive responses were a pleasant surprise. ‘It has the feel of a small America’s Cup campaign,’ two- time Moth world champion and Rio 2016 Olympian Bora Gulari says. Although he didn’t start sailing the Nacra 17 until only a year ahead of the 2016 Games, Gulari has already committed to Tokyo 2020. ‘We are working every day with one of the best coaches in the world, David Howlett. There is a technical team behind us working on ways to maximise our performance: methodically attacking the problem and doing the right thing to move forward.’ Louisa Chafee, who sailed with Gulari in Rio and is now teamed
up with Riley Gibbs, identified another shift. ‘The biggest change I’ve seen is the emphasis on the country as a team,’ she says. ‘International teams aren’t individual teams competing for an Olympic medal, they’re a country competing for a medal. They train together and share what they learn so that their country will regularly have multiple teams in the top 10 and thereby increase their odds of winning a medal when the Olympics roll around.’ In other words, loyalty to Team USA is now valued more than rugged individualism. Older athletes may not have that same trust in the new approach,
but Page says that is completely understandable. ‘Trust doesn’t come from just saying it, it comes from earning it. And that’ll take time.’ And of course, no significant culture change would be complete
without what the chief calls ‘the people who like to criticise’. ‘It’s very easy to say, Oh, look at the big hierarchy that they’re building,’ he points out. ‘But to me it all depends what that hierarchy is doing. If it’s about removing obstacles, about providing resources and knowledge and guidance to the athlete, well, then it’s going directly to the athlete. And doing it in that [national] structure is where you’ll get the efficiencies. Both cost and performance.’ Certainly Gulari is drinking the Kool-Aid. ‘I have been involved with
enough campaigns that I have a decent feel of what it takes to be successful,’ he says. ‘With this team I feel like all the pieces are being put in place to maximise the performance of the athletes.’
Building the base One major reason Page has been able to make progress so quickly is a critical pipeline improvement that began two years before he arrived. ‘Full credit to the ODP [Olympic Development Program],’ he says. ‘The first graduates are coming through now, and they have that team view already.’ The ODP was set up as an umbrella over the existing structure
of US youth sailing (which is dominated by very strong, but also quite independent, high school and college circuits). The goal, according to Page, is to build a sustainable programme: ‘That’s a huge part of the responsibility. When I think of the quantity of these talented
young athletes who are coming through, it would be irresponsible not to set up a system. Because the ones who want to, they need to know that there’s a pathway for them to jump onto – and just maybe realise their dreams.’ Two recent ODP graduates, Wiley Rogers and Jack Parkin, have
jumped on that road map, translating their success in 420s (with a gold medal at the 2016 Youth Worlds) into a 470 campaign for Tokyo. The transition hasn’t been seamless; Rogers admits the logistics and management of an Olympic campaign have been a challenge, and Parkin says they need to raise their game to match the higher expectations. ‘My biggest challenge of moving into the 470 fleet is getting used
to the professional standards – even small mistakes now have huge consequences,’ Parkin explains. ‘In the 420 we could make mistakes and easily make up for them, but now not only are we trying to minimise these mistakes but also we’re discovering ones we didn’t even know we were making…’ Rogers says the support network of the US Sailing Team has
been a big help. ‘There are so many people now just waiting to help and give you advice,’ he says. ‘Not only in sailing, but also about life and work. The relationships you make with the team’s staff, coaches and co-ordinators are priceless.’ Parkin agrees. ‘We have people who care a huge amount about
our sailing, and we have assets that I could not have previously imagined. This makes some of the aspects of our sport more easily managed and allows us to be perfectly prepared for race time.’ Still, everyone is aware that there aren’t yet enough athletes at
the base of the US Olympic pyramid. Parkin says, ‘In the past I would go to good [youth] regattas and I would have 20 people my age from my own country. I am realising that there are not many people our age at the level we are sailing at now.’ Page knows the ODP needs to do a lot more outreach. He’d like
to expand the talent search beyond the Youth Worlds classes, ‘but at the same time, what we are focusing on is to do the best for this group. If we try to dilute ourselves too much we won’t do anything.’
Scoring changes With both team culture and pipeline moving US medal chances in the right direction, the question had to be asked: have proposed Olympic format changes toward a ‘winner takes all’ last race changed his thinking? Page just shrugs. ‘If you ask me to put my athlete hat on you just try not to think
about it. You’ve just gotta go play within the rules, and do the best you can. And in my current role I’d probably say the same thing: the right principles, building up the right skill set and the right knowledge will still put these athletes in the best situation to perform. ‘At the same time US Sailing obviously get a say in what that
format will be going forward. To me these new scoring structures leave more to chance. I understand the reasons behind them, to try to make the winner of the last race the winner. But it doesn’t always allow the best sailor to win. And really that is what the Olympic Games is: for the best of the best to be there, and the best of the best to win the gold. I think our existing balance of a medal race [double points non-discardable] is probably a good solution. ‘One thing I’d love for our sport to figure out is how we represent
the numbers. We sailors understand that the person with the lowest score, the best average, wins. It’s the general public that’s not understanding that. So how can we represent our numbers in a different way, to make it understood? I think golf’s the simplest: the person with the least-under is the champion. Formula One is pretty successful too. To become a world champion you can still do it before the last race, but the scoring is understood.’
Hanuman doesn’t waste the overlap at the J Class Worlds. Note the carbon pyramid pole that’s the J Class norm – thankfully there is no longer much of a need for big ‘trad’ poles elsewhere. Did the men of 1930 wear helmets… maybe the poles were lighter
12 SEAHORSE
Progress from focus Perhaps the reason US Sailing’s Olympic boss made so much more progress toward his goals than the US Commander in Chief did in those first six months was because Page didn’t waste any time on Twitter… but, more likely, it’s thanks to his obviously tight focus. ‘Everything we do every day, how is it going to affect the athlete? Are we helping them in those different ways? I say I’m overwhelmed,
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