With barely 300 days to go before the Olympic Flame relays its way from Olympia, Greece, to Beijing, China, to mark the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Southwestern Yacht Club and the San Diego Yacht Club, both in Point Loma, are holding Olympic trial races in two different sailing classes this week.
The San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) hosts the Tornados “” a two-hulled, Olympic-class catamaran, while the Southwestern Yacht Club (SWYC) hosts the 49ers “” a newer, one-design, sailing skiff.
The SWYC also has the distinction of watching one of their own ” Tim Wadlow, who placed fifth at the Athens games in 2004, and his sailing partner Chris Rast ” compete for a second chance to “go for the gold.” Wadlow and Rast are among the three top contenders in a 13-team trial currently under way.
“It’s probably a three-horse race,” Wadlow said. “[That is] the three teams that have been training a lot and have really good international results.
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “But, any one of the three teams could easily win. We have a lot of respect for our competition.”
The other two teams in contention are Dalton Bergan and another San Diegan, Zack Maxam (based at the Coronado Yacht Club); and Morgan Larson and Pete Spaulding. Spaulding was Wadlow’s partner in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Wadlow, who said, “I’ve been sailing my whole life,” has been a member at Southwestern since moving to San Diego from New Jersey when he was 11 years old. He credits much of his success to the club and its members.
“I was a product of a great junior program here at Southwestern,” he said. “I got really involved with racing right away,” he added, praising the efforts and dedication of Jana Odou, Southwestern’s Junior Program director.
“Jana’s always doing a lot for us,” Wadlow said. “The juniors have all been helping out.”
Odou, in turn, was complimentary of Wadlow.
“Tim won all the junior events,” Odou said. “He was basically born on the water, racing with his parents from the time he was about 3.”
Commending the network of junior programs in Southern California, Wadlow considers himself lucky to have “grown up with a bunch of kids here at Southwestern “” and other clubs “” who really pushed each other hard.”
Odou credits Wadlow’s humble nature.
“He doesn’t talk about it,” said Odou, “but he was also chosen ‘College Athlete of the Year.'”
Wadlow, who attended Boston University, was chosen for the honor by college sailing coaches from all over the country.
“He’s also a very giving person,” Odou said. “He understands his responsibility to give back. He and Chris both have been very generous.”
Wadlow has coached juniors at SWYC, and continues to offer his assistance to the next generation through e-mails and hands-on tips when he is in San Diego.
Luther Carpenter, a U.S. Sailing Team coach since 1989, has been coaching top Olympic contenders like Wadlow for the past three years. He said the 49er scoring is based on 24 races over eight days (three races each day). But teams don’t have to count their two worst scores, meaning final results are based on 22 total races.
“It’s a bit like golf scoring,” said Wadlow. “You want to get the least number of points. If you win a race you get one point, second place is two points, third is three. You don’t want to be shooting bogies.”
The competition began on Saturday, Oct. 6 after a few days of official weighing and measuring. Trials continue through Sunday, Oct. 14.
“Tim’s off to an excellent start,” said Carpenter, “and he probably couldn’t be happier with the way he’s sailing at this point.”
Wadlow always had the Olympic dream, but was unable to find the right boat until the 49er became an Olympic event in the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia.
“They’re just really cool to sail, because they’re so hard to sail well,” Wadlow said. “They’re very unstable, with so much sail area “” they’re really different than a traditional boat.
“It’s a really fun challenge to sail the boat well. The weight of the boat is very light. It’s a cutting edge, high-performance boat.”
So, exactly what is a 49er? Its name is derived primarily from its meaurement ” 4.9 meters. The craft is a light, high-tech, high-performance skiff with retractable wings, trapezes and a huge sail area that can literally sail faster than wind.
The boat also deploys a spinnaker, often called a chute, which acts as a giant glove for air allowing the skiff to plane. The boat’s hull skims across the water, creating extra high speed.
Carpenter said that 49ers are difficult to sail but are meant to be that way.
“The 49er came to the Olympics because they wanted sailor against sailor and the level of difficulty to be extremely high,” said Carpenter. “It’s so hard to balance the 49er, and the course is relatively short “” a 35-minute race.”
He said the goal is to have a lot of action going around the anchored buoys.
“So when you take a boat that’s hard to balance and make them maneuver it a lot, there’s chances for capsizing and really ups the required skill level.”
Another skill needed for the 49er is constant maintenance. Odou said that because of the work required to maintain the skiffs, “Regattas are often won or lost in the parking lot.”
Wadlow, who placed fifth in Athens, has taken leave from his job as an engineer in Beverly, Mass, and trained extensively for the last four months in hopes of another shot at a medal.
“A lot of people say, ‘Wow, that’s incredible, coming in fifth in the Olympic Games, just winning the Olympic trials and qualifying is awesome,'” Wadlow said. “But to be that close to a medal is also pretty tough. It’s bittersweet.”
Traveling the globe to train and sail regattas may sound pretty appealing, but for serious athletes, it entails dedication.
“We do it because we love it, but it’s a lot of hard work,” Wadlow said. “People hear we’re flying off to Europe, and they envision it’s like a vacation. It’s our passion, and we love it, but it’s not like we’re hanging out on the beach. We’re working on the boat three, four, five hours a day, sailing five hours a day, studying video. It’s pretty intense.”
Carpenter, for fairness’ sake, has stepped back from coaching the top-tier sailors for the trials. He said they have each hired their own coaches, while he now focuses on the teams that have affectionately become known as the junior varsity.
“To have continued success at the Olympics, we, of course, have up-and-coming young sailors. In this class we have some very talented sailors, and I’ve agreed to focus on those guys,” Carpenter said. “They’re getting some extra help and giving the big dogs a run for their money.”
Carpenter has the distinction of being voted the U.S. Sailing Team’s first “Coach of the Year.”
“There’re a lot of people out there in the world who are really good at something, but they never quite challenge themselves and ask, ‘Could I be the best?’ I think that’s the unique thing about the Olympics. It’s people giving themselves that chance to really go for it and see how good they are.”
He added, “It’s incredibly special to be a part of that.”
Regardless of the outcome of the trials, Wadlow said he is grateful for the opportunity and for the support of SWYC.
“Tim and Chris take this very seriously “” that they’re being sponsored. It’s a job,” said Odou.
“The club and the members “” people I’ve known for a long time who have shared in the dream “” have really helped us out,” Wadlow said.
“A big part of the campaign was raising money, and Chris and I were really fortunate to have a lot of people who supported us,” he said. “The generosity has been really, really awesome.”