So I have been dealing with a lot of stress these past few weeks, dealing with a new partner on the boat and trying to figure out what my campaign is going to shape up like over the summer. Sailing with someone new is difficult and adding the pressure of needing to win the countries top regatta at the end of the summer makes it even more so. But I am excited at the opportunity and looking forward to training hard for the next few months to achieve my goal of being the US Youth Multihull Champion!
Many of you already know that I am sailing Youth Champs with Max Hudson. Max is my age and has limited sailing experience, but has done some Hobie16 sailing though last summer and is both eager and willing to learn and sail well. Over the past two weeks, Max and I got on the boat together for the first time at Sarasota Sailfest. We definitely were lacking continuity on the boat and both Max and I made many mistakes as we were sailing over the weekend, but we ended up third overall in some challenging conditions.
After Sarasota, we went up to Clearwater and practiced for the week with Robbie. The main goal of the week was to spend time on the boat together and to start working on being consistent with our teamwork and improve our movements and actions on the boat. I can tell you that we are at the beginning of our journey but I had a good feeling about everything when we got to Gulfport for their multihull regatta last weekend.
At Gulfport, we showed a marked improvement over the previous weekend, finishing all races except for one in second place behind Matt and Gina. We had some great moments on the boat and had some major difficulties while racing, but we were able to pull it together and overall sailed well. The one obvious take away from the regatta is that Max and I need a lot of time on the boat together before getting to the youth champs in August.
This summer, Max and I will sail together at the Daytona regatta at the end of this month. It is the day after Max gets out of school, so it is the perfect place to begin our summer. After the regatta, I am heading up to Cleveland for a fundraiser at CYC and a little bit of time at home (the only time I will be home all year). While I am in Rocky River, I am planning on going sailing on My F16 and N17 with some people from CYC before packing up to head up to Newport for the Brooke Gonzalez and the Bristol YC clinics and the Bristol Multihull regatta. These clinics are pivotal training opportunities for Max and I as we will have a large number of boats to train with and the sailing conditions that Newport is famous for over the summer months!
After the Bristol regatta, Max and I are going to drive my Serpentini Chevy Silverado down to Panama City for a week of sailing with Taylor Reiss before he heads off to F18 worlds in Italy. Then I am working on a unique training opportunity for Max and I in Galveston, Tx. before heading up to Wisconsin for F16 Nationals and then down to Youth Champs. Being on the US Sailing Development Team adds a bit of stress as I need to win the youth champs to both keep my spot on the team and to demonstrate to my sponsors and supporters that I am making progress and developing in my pursuit of Rio in 2016. I will achieve my goal!
David trains with Jaguar PT.
I am continuing my training in the gym with Chris Herrera at Jaguar PT, the US Sailing Team trainer and physical therapist and am making huge gains in both my strength and flexibility but it is a never ending process of needing more…Being in Miami is great because I have unlimited to the trainers, staff, coaches and resources of the US Sailing Team available to me virtually 24/7. It is great to be in the gym while other team members and Olympians are there to help provide motivation, suggestions and that extra push I need to keep me going. I would not have access to these resources anywhere else in the country, so Miami is the place for me until I achieve my Olympic aspirations!
If you are interested in sailing a fast, exciting boat the F16 is amazing. You should plan on going to the Bristol YC clinic that starts on the 17th of June because it is the most amazing experience you will ever have on a boat! I will be there and would love to share my knowledge and experience to help you get started sailing in this amazing class!