David Hein has been managing this Olympic Campaign for three years and we thought it was the right time to give you an update/refresher on who he is.
David Hein is a 17 year old athlete who believes that you get out of life exactly what you put into it. A senior in high school, David is focused on his education as the foundation of his future. He knows that hard work in school creates access to top universities which then opens the door to opportunity for success in his lifelong career in the business world. Even though his career is off in the distance, David knows that his actions today pave the road for the future.
His attitude towards school is not something that he just discovered. David Hein demonstrates the same discipline and focus in all areas of his life. When only 13 years old living in Rocky River, Ohio David decided that he wanted to become the strongest athlete he could be in the sport of sailing and since training on Lake Erie was impossible when it is frozen over the dark winter months he asked his parents if he could go south to train on the weekends over the winter. After a year of heavy weekend travel for his sport, David wanted to further his training so he left his friends and the comfort of home to attend the Florida Virtual School and live in South Florida where he could focus his energy on his passion for sailing. David Hein was already competing at the International level and had claimed numerous awards in the sport.
At 15 years old David looked at the opportunities that were open to him in sailing and he decided that he wanted to focus on an Olympic Multihull campaign. The platform that would be sailed had not been determined yet but David knew that these incredibly fast and powerful high-performance boats were going to be the challenge he was looking for. Knowing that the average age of a sailor at the London Games in 2012 was almost 36, David knew he would be fighting an uphill battle but it was one he was willing to take on. When asked by his parents about what would happen if he spent 4 years of his life focused on one single goal that he could very well fail to achieve David responded by saying “Regardless of my results at the US Trials or at the Games in Rio, if I spend the next 4 years pushing myself to be the best I can be while sailing in venues around the globe and with the elite athletes in this sport, I will have experienced so much more than I would doing anything else through high school.” He continued “Sure I want to win Olympic Gold but I am going to learn so much about myself and my life over this time that I will have already won gold in life and will have that experience forever.” Obviously his parents liked that answer and he began his Olympic Journey.
David Hein lives his life not by what others say he should do but by what he knows is the right direction for him. He sets his sights on an objective and then does whatever it takes to make that happen. Even when staying focused on his goals means giving up things in his life, David is driven to achieve.
Today David is 17 years old living and competing against a group of 30 somethings. He does not see this as a disadvantage however, he knows that his youth, energy, ambition and ability to rapidly accept change and roll with the punches gives him a huge advantage amongst this fleet. He is the next generation of Americans. His generation will be running the business and financial world of the future and he knows that the only way to be successful is to always keep your eyes open, to adapt to change and to never, never, never give up on something you believe in.
David trains 300 days a year. He is on the water, in the gym, on the roads and in conference rooms working hard to make his dreams a reality. He knows that he can sail an Olympic campaign on the cheap and just go along for the experience but he also knows that if he is going to give it a shot that he is going to put everything into making it happen. This teen knows that having the best coaching, equipment and partners behind him that he will have the best shot at both winning the US Olympic Trials and a Gold Medal in the Rio Games in 2016. Having the right team behind him costs a lot more money than just going along for the ride and David clearly understands that the more money his campaign costs, the more time he needs to spend raising funds to support his efforts. David regularly speaks to college and high school sailing teams, to groups at yacht clubs and civic organizations as a way to tell his story and to make money for his campaign. He also has taken a unique approach to 
fundraising.
David Hein doesn’t believe that there is only one way to make things happen. While everyone is going to companies asking for their limited “sponsorship” dollars, David and his partner Jessica are taking a different approach. They are offering to help companies market their products or brands. The duo can provide event marketing services at the 10+ regattas they compete in a year, offer demonstrations or samples of products to a wide range of highly influential individuals, be spokesmodels, model clothing or products in photo shoots and television commercials, and obviously promote those brands on their boat, truck, trailer, clothing and here on their blog and social media outlets used by their generation. High school and college students have a high percentage of discretionary spending power and they put a lot of value in the recommendations and support of their peers. David is a highly visible, positive influence on his generation and can help companies in a unique way that no-one else can match.Sure David Hein, Jr. has given up some of this youth to achieve a dream but the experience he has had through his life has given him the insight, knowledge and opportunity to always strive to be the best he can be in life. He is driven, focused and ambitions but he is also kind, caring, tender and giving. He knows that life is what you make of it and so he always looks for the shinning center of every situation rather than looking at the negative in the world and he knows that if you look towards the positive that life will always turn out positive as long as you don’t give up before the light shines on you. David is 17 but his attitude, his life and his outlook on life are well advanced of the years he has spent on this planet.
Help David Hein achieve his goal and win Olympic Sailing Gold in Rio 2016. A $25 contribution from you today will help to improve his training and bring opportunity to his campaign. Also, if you would please share this page on your twitter, facebook or email friends link so that more people can get involved with David’s success if would be a huge advantage to him.
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