2014 is no longer a number or the future, 2014 is only one day away and there is so much opportunity and so much to accomplish.  2014 is going to be the year of proof!

Looking into my campaign and what I expect to achieve in 2014 I am filled with excitement as I look towards the tremendous opportunity ahead in the new year! Starting the year I will have a new skipper. With her on board, we will have a lot to work on, a ton to perfect in our teamwork, boathandling and racing tactics as we move through 2014.  Sailing with a highly experienced and accomplished skipper will be a huge asset to the campaign and will give us a tremendous advantage as we enter the ISAF Sailing World Cup series of regattas.

NACRA 17 US Nationals

Spending the past year on the Olympic NACRA 17 and sailing with a diverse group of skippers in a variety of conditions around the USA, I have learned a lot about myself, my attitude on the boat and the huge amount of learning and growth potential that I have in all areas of my campaign.  I have learned that continuity with a partner makes a huge difference in every aspect of racing, and having someone where you have a level of synchronicity and excellent communication moves our potential for greatness even further ahead.  It also gave me the opportunity to see my personal weaknesses and highlighted how making small advancements in just one area of boathandling and teamwork can dramatically improve results while racing.

2014 is a year of proof for the campaign. We will not have a lot of time to prepare for the Sailing World Cup Miami regatta, but know that we are well positioned to perform above expectations in the regatta at the end of the month.  Following this regatta, which is the qualifying event for the 2014 US Sailing Team we will see the introduction of our private coach and training partners that will give us the best opportunity for growth and to prepare for the Sailing World Cup events throughout the remainder of the year. It is going to be somewhat of a grueling year of racing as the schedule of events is fairly densely packed and has us travelling extensively.  Our schedule includes the events below and a few others that are in our sights as long as we can maximize our training schedule around them.

2014 will be like Flying Downwind in Long Beach

January 2014                    Sailing World Cup Miami                  Miami, USA
March 2014                      Sailing World Cup Mallorca               Mallorca, ESP
April 2014                         Sailing World Cup Hyeres                Hyeres, FRA
May 2014                        EUROSAF Championships               Lake Garda, ITA
May 2014                        EUROSAF Championships               Medemblik, NED
June 2014                       EUROSAF Championships               Weymuth, GBR
June 2014                       F16 World Championships                Newport, USA
June 2014                       EUROSAF Championships               Kiel, GER
August 2014                   Olympic Test Event                          Rio, BRA
September 2014              ISAF World Championships              Santander, ESP
October 2014                  EUROSAF Championships               la Rochelle, FRA
November 2014               Sailing World Cup Melbourne            Melbourne, AUS
December 2014              Sailing World Cup Qingdao               Qigdao, JPN

This is an aggressive schedule that will put the campaign through a huge variety of conditions at the top sailing venues around the globe. We will be sailing against the top athletes in the world and will be pushed to the limits of our abilities throughout the year. Between our top-level coaching, training in each of these venues with the best training partners and competing against the strongest teams in the world, we will see tremendous improvement, and will make gains far above anything expected throughout the year.  We will be sailing a campaign that is more focused, more aggressive and more driven than any other team in America and our results will prove that dedication, hard work and clarity of vision for our campaign will be a formula that will thrust us to the top of the American Fleet and put us in contention for top rankings in the world standings moving into 2015 and towards the games in Rio2016.

You will see throughout the year that our fitness program will be defined by our performance on the water and the conditions we are sailing in.  We will continually work with the staff at Jaguar PT, the US Sailing Team Fitness Center in Coconut Grove, Florida and will maximize our flexibility, strength and performance at each stage of our program this year. We will be constantly evaluated by the top coaches on the globe and will maximize our performance threshold at each event, measuring our growth and defining areas we need to focus our training time on perfecting. In our limited time off, we will focus our efforts on fundraising so that we meet our $45k per month requirement to keep the campaign running efficiently and our results improving at a pace to put us at the top of the US Fleet!

This year is going to be amazing. The amount of learning, the number of events, the coordination of teamwork and efforts and the increase in results throughout the year will demonstrate our drive, ambition and sheer dogmatic approach to winning Gold in Rio 2016!

If you are a corporation that can benefit from helping our campaign to maximize our training while utilizing the exposure of uniquely dedicated, focused and driven athletes on their way to Olympic glory, or are an individual that has the ability to support our efforts at any level from $100 and up, please call David today at 216-210-3598. Every individual and corporate donation makes a huge impact on our overall progress towards Gold in Rio2016! You can also give online at http://tackk.com/hysaxt