November is the one year mark for 2019 Worlds - likely the first event of the Olympic Trials - and one of the last months left for skill development before the 2019 season ramps up in Spain this March. Lots of work to do, so in the interest of getting all of our training camps organized for maximum productivity, please be sure to RSVP for events and communicate with coaches about your availability at camps through February ASAP. Also, if you haven’t yet, don’t wait to start making plans for spring and summer. Here's the current winter calendar and some thoughts beyond.
All Squad Camps
11/9-16 USST FX Coaching in Miami (Willie coaching) - E mail RSVP Required
11/23-25 - ODP Miami Thanksgiving Training - FX & 49er Reg Info
12/17-21 - Miami Winter Training (Willie coaching) - FX & 49er - E mail RSVP Required
1/3-7/19 - January ODP Camp
1/14-17/19 - USST Camp (By invitation only)
1/19-21/19 - MLK Regatta Event Site
1/27-2/3 - Sailing World Cup Miami Event Site
February training in Miami
March focus: Palma Regatta
Keep in mind that the dates above should be part of a complete training calendar this winter. Plan on getting out there by yourself to work on the things that we’re practicing in camps. Our goal at these camps is to work very hard to provide you all with a lot of data and takeaways that you should be working to master before the next camp.
One of the big differences between Olympic Classes and junior classes, is that at the higher level, someone is training every day (even if it's not listed on this calendar)! If you're a new team, it's up to you to figure out how many days you can commit to being on the water, then reach out and find out who will be sailing.
2018 Fall Focus
We are now entering year 3 of the quad, and this year will be do-or-die from a skill development standpoint. While there is still time left to get some great racing in (Summer 2019, Winter Worlds 2019-2020, summer 2020, lead up to the games in Japan, etc.), this is one of our last chances to really make a jump in boat handling that will allow us to play the game with the top teams. This fall is all about spending some quality alone time to focus on the details, while leveraging opportunities with other boats to ratchet up the boat handling intensity. In contrast to last fall, we no longer have the luxury of spending a ton of time on clean, easy maneuvers, but in contract to next fall, we still need to be focused mainly on the details of the maneuvers themselves rather than the tactical scenarios surrounding them. Those who get the most out of this training season will find a good balance of intensity and precision - high tempo, forced maneuvers, around other boats without getting sloppy. Too high of intensity will reinforce bad habits, while too low of intensity won’t push us to ratchet up the caliber. The goal is not to put these into race scenarios yet, as that will dilute the focus on the details too much, too soon - rather, to steadily get closer and closer to that tactical implementation intensity.
2019 Outlook
The 2019 calendar is firming up, with a few last minute changes to spring regatta dates (Genoa, ITA World Cup now 4/15-21 and Hyeres pushed to 4/27-5/4). The schedule changes will make it tough to get good racing in Italy, France and then GBR, so I would expect to target Italy, GBR, and Kiel for those teams doing the full circuit this Spring.
With the Worlds in New Zealand in November, and the Europeans mid May (9-13) in Weymouth, we have some big training opportunities in May, June and July. The plan is to base our training out of San Francisco, and the following training camps will be key pieces of the calendar:
June 10-21 USS ODP West Camp - San Francisco
July 5-7 49er & FX Nationals
July 8-14 USS ODP Camp, San Francisco
More details on these camps will be sent by Meredith Carroll in the next two weeks.
After the 49er Europeans in May for USST members, and after the College Nationals for part-time campaigners, plan on getting to San Francisco as early as possible. The goal is to start to logging some hours in the big breeze to improve the high end game. Those going to Kiel should try to get some days in SF before heading to Germany.
ODP sailors can plan on finishing off the summer in Kingston, CAN for the CORK regatta (US Sailing will be helping to organize boat transportation - more info in MC’s e mail mentioned above), while USST sailors will likely be competing in PanAms, or sailing in Japan.
We're currently working on more details to help support you in San Francisco and beyond, this summer, so stay tuned for many more details on housing and boat transport in the coming month.