US Sailing Responds To Parent Letter

by John Pearce, US Sailing Youth Racing Manager.

Dear Inside The Laylines,

Thanks for the opportunity to follow up on the thoughtful “A Parent’s Perspective” article in last week’s newsletter. I’m sure the author’s concerns resonate with many parents of young racing sailors; it also points towards solutions and growth opportunities for US Sailing and the sport. As US Sailing’s Youth Racing Manager and a volunteer on the ILCA-North America Class Association executive committee, I am certainly someone who appreciates your points and is paying attention!

For context, over the last year, several important new staff hires have come on board at US Sailing, which makes this discussion all the more timely. Last fall, Phil Muller joined US Sailing as Youth Performance Manager to focus on the Under-19 age group sailing in the international “performance” youth classes (ILCA, i420, 29er, Nacra15, iQFOiL, Formula Kite), bringing a wealth of experience in skiffs, windsurfing, and all types of foiling. This spring, Rosie Chapman joined as ODP Manager to focus on Olympic class transitions and development for teenage and 20-something sailors after years of success coaching in the US, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand. It’s worth noting that Rosie and Marcus Lynch, US Sailing’s High-Performance Director, are both products of the RYA’s very successful and well-organized system, which has similarities to the USODA program. What I’m most excited about is that these leaders are aligned and focused on their areas of responsibility, and momentum is building.

The United States Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA)

As you highlight, the USODA has developed a very refined and efficient model for introducing kids to racing and providing opportunities for advancement. While it’s certainly not the only way to get started in the sport (it’s worth noting that there are myriad entry points for getting into sailing, including all sorts of boats and activities), the Optimist is core to the development of many young sailors and provides a great platform for learning to race. As your article points out, many aspects of the USODA model are worth replicating in the “next steps” of the competition pathway.

A few sections of your article stick out to me as worth reiterating and expanding upon:

“He (coach) explained the USODA development pathway, which had clear steps and even clearer incentives for the hundreds of little sailors who enter the Opti class every year.  Through trial and error, my daughter and I figured out enough to enable her to progress through the USODA milestones.”

“Clear steps and even clearer incentives” are a great recipe for parental buy-in in any youth sport. Simplifying the sport with attainable goals and rewards is something that kids and parents can focus on and get excited about. The clarity of the USODA regatta calendar and incentives for advancement, like the USODA Team Trials, USODA National/Development Teams, and International Regatta Teams, make it clear to sailors and parents what the milestones are. This framework is certainly something that US Sailing can replicate to retain more sailors as they grow out of the Opti.

One crucial piece of the puzzle is the transition from the relatively simple introductory boats like the Opti, Sabot, O’Pen Skiff, etc, into the more advanced “teenager” boats like the ILCA, 420, 29er, iQFOiL, Nacra 15, etc. We call this progression the Youth Performance Pathway. Individual class associations are focused on their participants but not necessarily on making connections between classes. Hence, US Sailing must play a big role in helping sailors find the boats they want to focus on next. We recognize that there are often disconnects in these transitions that lead to poor retention and lost talent, and our role as National Governing Body is to provide guidance and programming that fills these gaps.

For example, in a recent collaboration with the parent leaders and coaches of the USODA National/Development Team, our staff attended USODA practices and offered a series of post-Opti transition clinics. Afterward, we were happy to get this parent feedback:

“I think it's worth sharing how my son landed on the 29er as his next boat. Last December, John visited a USODA National Team Practice and presented to the sailors some of their options after Optis. During the presentation, John mentioned that US Sailing would be holding a 29er Clinic later in the winter, and when my son came out of the presentation, he exclaimed, "Dad, you need to sign me up for this clinic!" Over the next few weeks, he asked me at least once daily if registration was open. At the January Opti National Team practice, Phil gave a similar presentation to sailors and parents, further stoking his interest. The clinic was held in February at the USSC in Miami, and after each day, he came home and said, "Best day of sailing ever!"  By the end of the weekend, he had locked up his partner and they have been training almost every week since to get ready for summer.”

As an aside, I think it’s important to note that while the USODA competitive “pyramid” is very effective for advancing young racing sailors quickly and efficiently to national and international levels, we must be careful about “winning the race to the wrong finish line.” Sailing is a lifelong sport, and peak competitive potential for sailing athletes typically reaches well into their 20s and often much older than that. Legendary Argentinian sailor Santiago Lange won Olympic Gold at the Rio 2016 Games when he was well into his 50s!

Youth Sports Stakeholders

I think all youth sports stakeholders must be careful not to prioritize short-term advancement over long-term achievement and retention.  We see the trend of early specialization across all youth sports, yet the sailing community needs to recognize that sailing is a late-specialization sport. The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s “American Development Model” summarizes this concept well with a five-stage long-term athlete development model that can be applied to any sport.

So, along with practicing hard and competing with the best competition, please encourage your young sailors to try many different boats, play multiple sports, sail with their friends, sail for fun, and smell the roses. It is developmentally appropriate for them, will make them better sailors later in life, and will fuel their passion and love for the sport.

“Much ink has been spilled about the proper development pathway for a handful of older sailors who are current Olympic contenders. Still, I would urge U.S. Sailing to recognize that ILCA sailors are predominantly minors, including those kids who will be Olympic hopefuls in the future.  As minors, they can’t train, travel, or compete without the active involvement and financial support of their parents.  If U.S. Sailing and the ILCA class could provide these parents with detailed guidance, along with a structured year-round development program that offers high-level training opportunities and reduces costs, the development pipeline for competitive youth sailors might not be so constricted by geography, affluence, and the sailing knowledge of the parents themselves.”

Our New US Sailing Staff

Our new US Sailing staff are keenly aware of the need for guidance, clarity, and transparency. Phil and Rosie have proven experience working closely with parents of youth athletes, resulting in successful teams and many talented sailors. We aim to clarify the performance milestones and how to advance to sailors and parents. This is a big shift from the subjective approach of the past. 2024 is a transition year, but immediate progress is being made thanks to Phil and Rosie’s quick action. 2025 is our opportunity to complete the transition to transparency and operate an aligned youth development system from new racers to the US Sailing Team, with the right people focused on each step along the way.

US Youth Team / ODP Camp

As a sign of things to come, next week, a combined US Youth Team / ODP Camp will bring sixteen ILCA 6 athletes together for training following the ILCA North American Championships. Eleven of the athletes are under-19 and earned a spot at this camp via their results at this year’s US Youth Worlds Team Qualifier, three athletes are going to the U21 ILCA Worlds in July, and two athletes were top contenders at this year’s Olympic Trials, including 2024 ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship silver medalist Charlotte Rose. Importantly, two-thirds of the athletes and coaches are female, which is part of a deliberate shift to increase opportunities for female athletes and coaches. It will be very competitive and a great mentoring opportunity between age groups.

Youth sailors and parents interested in future training opportunities should consult US Sailing’s Youth Racing Central webpage, follow @youthracingcentral on Instagram, and subscribe to our youth sailing newsletter here.

Congruence Between College Sailing And Olympic Sailing

“Finally, as an outsider to the insular world of competitive sailing, I find the lack of congruence between college sailing and Olympic development strange.  All the 2024 contenders at the ILCA Olympic Trials who were older than eighteen either were or had been college sailors. Nearly all competitive youth ILCA sailors, including mine, will go on to college.  Many Olympic class boats may be too expensive, fragile, and thus impractical for collegiate sailing; ILCAs are anything but.  Sponsoring competitive opportunities for collegiate ILCA sailors, especially during the time between the winter and spring college seasons, seems to be one possible approach that could benefit both collegiate programs and U.S. Sailing’s Olympic development goals.”

I spent the first ten years of my career as a college coach at four top-20 programs, and I placed 5^th in the 2007 Laser Olympic Trials three years after graduating college in 2004, so I have lots of thoughts on this. Rosie and I spent a few days at the ICSA Nationals in Boston last month to connect with athletes and coaches and see the college sailing game being played up close. Afterward, Rosie observed that “there is a massive pool of talent of all our top youth sailors now in college sailing. If we show the correct pathway there are a lot of sailors keen and eager to do Olympic campaigns during and after college.”

Congruence between college sailing and Olympic sailing would be ideal but is complicated due to the reality of equipment and format differences. However, in my opinion the more important factor is communication. The pool of athletes with the skill and passion to pursue the Olympic dream is relatively small. US Sailing’s new ODP program must work hand in hand with these athletes and their college coaches to design complimentary training and competition schedules that leverage the athlete training resources of college athletic departments, match the college calendar, and recognize academic requirements and goals. The solutions must be tailored to the athletes rather than a “one size fits all.” With the LA 2028 Quad here, there is a massive opportunity for rising youth and college stars to cut their teeth against Olympic sailing’s best in Long Beach, California, from 2025 through 2027, accelerating their learning curves and propelling them toward 2032 and beyond.

Summary

In summary, your observations from the parent’s perspective are accurate and extremely valuable because no one knows their kids like a parent does! I’m excited about the progress being made towards more refined and efficient pathways in our sport, led by people with a growth mindset, who are not afraid of change, and who share a deep passion for the sport. As you shared, there are tangible ways to make the sport more accessible and appealing to youth racers and their parents, which will pay big dividends in the future.

I’d like to thank all the clubs, class associations, organizers, race officials, coaches, volunteers, parents, and US Sailing members who make youth sailing happen yearly. It’s June, and we are all approaching the peak sailing season (gulp… lots to do). We all have our role to play in getting as many sailors out on the water as possible, enjoying the sport, aspiring for goals, and developing into better people with the life skills that sailing teaches so well.

Thank you, and let’s work together to make it happen.

-John Pearce, US Sailing Youth Racing Manager.