As the journey continues toward the Olympic Games in London 2012 we want to help you brush up on the every day words that get thrown around US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. These bullet points are the common language, terms and phrases that might make you wonder what is being talked about, but don’t fret, just follow along as we give a brief explanation:
London 2012 – pretty self explanatory, this is he short hand for the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London, England July 27-August 12. But why be so long winded? Short and sweet. http://www.london2012.com/
Weymouth – The beautiful southern England town of Weymouth is the host city for Sailing disciplines. Located near southern cliffs, the town rests on the western crest of the English Channel. It has the charm of a small destination city and while it doesn’t have fastest internet in the world, it does have its own Starbucks.
Satellite Venue – There are many satellite venues for the Games in London 2012. Great Britain has a long tradition of sailing prowess, and well, you can’t quite race on the Thames. So the best location outside of the Olympic Zone of London is the coastal areas of Weymouth & Portland. It will still have all of the excitement of the Games, but we are hoping for less traffic and congestion. Beach seating is another plus.
Portland – The small town that rests on an isle south of Weymouth. This is where we spend most of our time as a team because of its close proximity to the Academy and our Compound (see below). It has many quarries that date back to 1539. Not quite the Jersey Shore night life, so enjoy the views and your present company.
Dorset – The county where the towns of Weymouth and Portland are located. While the name is thrown around here, we don”t use it very much, except when referencing the excellent local newspaper the Dorset Echo.
Academy (WPNSA) – Built specifically to host this and other massive sailing competitions, the Weymouth Portland National Sailing Academy is where all the athletes, organizers, staff and media will be for hours every day. Want to see it for yourself? Take a look through the web cam.
Compound/Shed – Thanks to many generous donations, gifts, and other contributions, the US Sailing Team has acquired a facility very close to the WPNSA where USA athletes and support staff can operate in a “home away from home.” Boat work, meetings, storage and internet access are just a few of the many great amenities that are used on a daily basis during training and events in Weymouth. We like to call it the USA compound.
Trials – The trials have taken an international flavor to decide the athletes who will represent the USA at the Olympic Games in London 2012. But trials isn’t quite the proper terminology. Read more about the Olympic and Paralympic Teams selection procedures.
Classes – You may ask, what are the boats that are used in the Olympics? It’s simple, sort of. Let’s explain. There are certain sailing disciplines (which we normally call fleets/divisions) that incorporate the equipment (class/type of boats) used in each. There are 10 Olympic Classes and 3 Paralympic listed below (also reference trials tracker):
Olympic:
| Discipline |
Class/Type of Boat |
Number of Person |
| Men”s Two Person Dinghy |
470 |
2 |
| Women”s Two Person Dinghy |
470 |
2 |
| Men”s Two Person Dinghy High Performance |
49er |
2 |
| Women”s Match Racing |
Elliott 6m |
3 |
| Men”s One Person Dinghy – Heavy |
Finn |
1 |
| Men’2012-01-30 17:43:15′s One Person Dinghy |
Laser |
1 |
| Women”s One Person Dinghy |
Laser Radial |
1 |
| Men”s Windsurfing |
RS:X |
1 |
| Women”s Windsurfing |
RS:X |
1 |
| Men”s Keelboat |
Star |
2 |
| Total |
10 |
16 |
Paralympic:
| Discipline |
Class/Type of Boat |
Number of Person |
| Open One Person Keelboat |
2.4mR |
1 |
| Mixed Two Person Keelboat |
SKUD |
2 |
| Open Three Person Keelboat |
Sonar |
3 |
| Total |
3 |
6 |
Test Event – One year to go to the Olympic Games, there has to be a dry run of how to host and run such a massive and important event. That event is the Weymouth & Portland International Regatta 2011. With all of the logistics of a modern day Olympics, it is good to practice and the Olympic Test Event is where most of the qualified country teams will be August 2-13, 2011.
ISAF Combined Worlds - Nothing like being on the other side of the world, the second and final event in the USA Team Selection, the ISAF World Championships, will be hosted in Perth, Australia from December 2nd – 18th, 2011. They will run the World Championship regattas for all of the Olympic Classes out of one venue. Get ready for some action from down under because all of the USA hopefuls will be vying for the top qualifying spot to go to London 2012.
