Summary, The Making of a Champion?

It’s over. We’re home. The closing ceremonies were absolutely inspiring, and our visit post-event to Killarney in Southwest Ireland was amazing, wet, and a much needed mental respite. Thank you all for reading, supporting, sending the boys and the mom and dad well wishes throughout. Now it’s time for the cold, harsh reality of lessons learned.

All the way to the EU for just a single regatta seems a bit of a trek; however, the plan all along was based on priorities. DQ are relatively new to the fleet still only 9 months under their belts as a 29er team. In order of priority it was practice speed and boat handling like crazy at home and maximize every hour possible by skipping the tune up at Kiel Week. Then, go to Youth Worlds, soak in the experience and go fast, take copious notes and come home and plan for the next rung of improvement. All in all, it was a good plan. Interesting actually, as speed and boat handling is what solidified 4^th place at Youth Worlds and the post mortem reveals that some very simple racing techniques need perfected to move onto the podium. Simple yes?

Sure, in that competing at this level we’ve learned that it’s all about maturity and execution. The top three teams were near flawless in the latter, and observing the entirety of the event it was clear those same three teams had very few mental breakdowns that could be attributed to inexperience or stress. They were very mature competitors and it showed.

The same can be said for Team DQ to just a slight lesser degree. In the final analysis, there remain a few techniques to be added to their quiver, and their poise under pressure needing just a touch more seasoning, although much improved at event end as DQ demonstrated with their final day showdown with Germany, Great Britain and Australia to secure fourth overall. They calmly and joyfully tended to business and closed out the regatta. Now that we’re home, and with the exception of a road trip to Nationals and Youth Champs in August, the needed techniques will be the focus for the coming months.

Sailing is an interesting sport. Speed makes you look smart. Being smart can get you out of trouble, but diligence is where champions are made. Being fast and being smart makes for good story in bars among the grown ups. The reality is sailing is a vast array of scenarios and circumstances that are simply repeated at random race to race and regatta to regatta. Master each scenario and winning gets reduced to execution. The seeming impossibility of the variables is what makes it easy to explain away your failures. The reality is much of the randomness can be eliminated from a given race with the right preparation. Regattas are mostly won before they are sailed in the tediousness of practice. This event in Ireland was a great example. DQ’s strategy was to be in touch at the first mark and then pick away at the leaders one leg at a time to secure top three finishes. This strategy worked remarkably well with the exception of three races. In each of these contests the early deficit due to one flawed starting technique was then compounded by questionable decisions forced by stress. This is what stole away a podium finish.

It’s harsh, but only in retrospect. Looking forward it’s a confidence boost unparalleled. Because the post race analysis is so strikingly clear. Because time after time DQ made good choices based on clear input tactically on the racecourse; and, because their speed was equal to or better than all of the competition across nearly every wind range. And, because the Spanish team exemplified this lesson so clearly, the future is bright for Team DQ to emulate that example. The flaws in their game are easily remedied. Sailing an additional regatta in Europe was not necessary. They are primed to refine the missing technique in practice and then in the fall perfect it in International competition. The quest is to get back to Worlds and win. The Spanish team won Youth Worlds in 2011, and in 2012 won Orange Bowl, Kiel Week, Youth Worlds, and are poised to win Open Worlds. In any given race they are in the right place at the right time, and are fast 100% of the time. They’ve done their due diligence. Simple, yes.

With that said it’s time to congratulate Dane and Quinn. They’ve had many people helping them throughout and many contributors of funding and gear. They’ve had tuning partners and great coaching. They are members of a foundation that supports them at every turn, and have friends and family cheering them on from the sidelines. However the ultimate responsibility falls on their shoulders. They spent hours upon hours by themselves in the gym and on the water working on what was top of their priority list: Size, strength, speed and boat handling. They qualified in January, took a needed break, and then got to work in March and stuck with it up until the day before they stepped onto the plane to Dublin. They planned each day’s practice, invented their own drills, and measured their time on the water down to the minute. They fought and argued countless times about techniques, communication, and process. At the event they skipped much of the socializing in exchange for sleep. On the practice days they were on the water first and off the water nearly last. In the midst of the competition they sailed clean and took responsibility for their mistakes. They contended for the podium and not once offered excuses. In the end, they did their best and represented their family and country well and made their parents proud. As always trophies and medals are great keepsakes but it’s the intangibles that will stick with them for the long-term. So, good on ya boys and next year may the luck of the Irish be with you.