USSailing Celebrates Accomplishments of Olympic Hopefuls
The first annual awards dinner marked several individual achievements, but it was really all about the TEAM.
Photos courtesy of Walter Cooper/USSailing.
Awards presentations are a big part of sport. From casual gatherings at local events to gala ceremonies that run into the wee hours, we like to reward our heroes for their achievements. So it wouldn’t seem like a radical idea for members of the USSailing Team Alphagraphics (USSTAG) to be recognized every year.
Believe it or not, it’s never actually been done before.
Team Tunnicliffe chases Team Barkow in the all-new women's match racing discipline, sailed in Elliott 6ms. After losing the first two races of the finals, Team Tunnicliffe won the next three races to take the gold.
On January 22, 2010, the entire “team” (athletes, sponsors, staff, and volunteers) gathered together for the very first USSTAG awards dinner. The public goal was to celebrate the many athletic achievements of 2009. Privately (at least for those of us who have been around the race course a few times) it was also a chance to celebrate the amazing progress USSailing’s Olympic program has made in just eight years.
The US won a total of four sailing medals at the past two Olympics; British sailors took home twelve. Yes, lottery funding has enabled the Brits to significantly outspend us, but money is not the only reason we’ve fallen behind. Several countries have done a better job creating a pipeline for young talent, exposing that talent to international competition, and then sending successful athletes to multiple Games.
US sailors are encouraged to push each other on and off the water.
The good news is, we’re catching up. Alphagraphics signed on as the Team’s title sponsor in 2008, providing financial support as well as a unifying brand visible on boats, sails, and clothing. Funding is now closely linked to international performance, rewarding those with the best chance of winning future medals. And the 2010 Development Team will provide forty-eight promising young sailors with coaching, mentoring, and exposure to international sailing.
2008 Olympian Anna Tunnicliffe, showing off her gold medal.
Even better, the team has created something priceless: a supportive atmosphere. Athletes have dinner together at most major events, push each other to complete that one extra chin-up, and actively share weather information and local knowledge from venues around the world.
There are still many improvements to be made, and most will not be as visible as this first-ever awards dinner. But a chance to get together helped solidify the concept of “team” for all of us, which just might help our athletes achieve their dreams at the next Games.
And here's one piece of evidence that we're heading in the right direction: Team USA topped the country medal count by winning ten medals at the just-finished Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta, the second stop on the international World Cup circuit. Team GBR finished second with six medals.
Boats.com Features Editor Carol Cronin is a 2004 Olympian and a member of the Olympic Sailing Committee. To find out who won the team awards for 2009, visit the USSTAG website.
