Spring 2018 DeBrief

Part 1The path toward excellence is narrow. And with the distractions of the modern world we walk on a tight rope over fjord through a hurricane.Excellence requires commitment, discipline, and persistence. The wheel of success is spun by consistency. We train to improve; we fail and learn, then try again. Success through failure. In Greek mythology, Sisyphus rolled a giant stone up a mountain every day. Before he reached the top, the stone rolled past him back to the bottom. The next day he set out and pushed the stone back up.Why tf are we talking about Greek mythology?Excellence is a daily pursuit. The decisions we make, the foods we eat, the people we talk to, the hours we sleep. It all adds up. Why try so hard? Why push that stone?Dedication is a double edge sword. Consistency and repetition bring a familiarity with them and in familiarity, in routine, we find comfort. Routine is our strength but it can also be our weakness especially when we forget why it is we have chosen to take this narrow path.How do we shield ourselves from the slings and arrows of outrageous mediocrity, consistency, and repetition?Motivation is the gasoline that explodes under the spark of passion. It is easy to forget.I sometimes forget.Why do we do this? Why do we choose to give up our off days and social days? Why sacrifice so much? Part 252 weeks for the earth to travel around the sun. 28 days for the moon to circle the earth. 24 hours in a day.  As we finish this spring season and look ahead to the future it is good to take pause and consider what has been accomplished.This spring we spent 27 days training and 7 days racing; nearly a 4/1 ratio which is what the US Olympic Team recommends for athletes. We logged 120 hours in the 29er since January. We qualified Berta and Bella for the 2018 Youth World Championships. We worked with forty-two (42) athletes. I’m proud of these numbers and looking forward to what’s ahead this summer. The summer months provide an excellent opportunity to improve tenfold. Training days between the regatta calendar provide ample time to develop key skills for competition. And our methods will be tested at each event. Let's take advantage of the time and training blocks we have. Here’s what 2NINER has scheduled moving forward: Saturdays: May 5, May 12, May 19 June 4 - 8 Full week training camp in Miami at USSCJune 11 - 15 Full week training camp in Miami at USSCJune 18 - 22 Full week training camp in Miami at USSCJune 22-27 US Sailing Youth Champs in Wrightsville Beach, NC July 10 - 13 Session 2 of Roger Williams 29er Camp in Bristol, Rhode IslandJuly 15 - 18 Session 3 of Roger Williams 29er Camp in Bristol, Rhode IslandJuly 20 - 23 US 29er Nationals in New Bedford, MA July 31 - Aug 2 Canadian Training Camp in Kingston, ONAug 3 - 6 Canadian 29er Nationals in Kingston, ON Part 3Back to motivation. Athletes should take time to recall the memories and lessons from this season. What lessons have you learned that will inspire future action and divine future lessons? Now, assuming you’re reading this on your phone, plug the calendar dates in for the summer events.If you commit to the events this summer you’ll log  22 Training Days, 12 Regatta Days. 119 hours of 29er sailing.Ready to Get to Work?