U.S. SAILING was founded as the North American

Yacht Racing Union, in October 1897, to promote

yacht racing and unify the racing and rating

rules in the United States and Canada and

throughout the yachting world.

In January 1975, along with a name change to

the United States Yacht Racing Union, the

organization was restructured in order to

fulfill its new role as National Governing Body

(NGB) for the sport. (Canada had formed their

own sailing federation in 1931.) A second name

change to the United States Sailing

Association, to be known as U.S. SAILING, took

place in October, 1991. This new name more

accurately describes the broader activity of

the non-profit organization and clarifies the

administration's intention to fulfill all the

responsibilities of an NGB under the auspices

of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978.

U.S. SAILING's mission is to govern, promote

and represent sailboat racing and to promote

the sport of sailing through the efforts of

volunteers and member organizations at all

levels of the sport in the United States.

The geographic jurisdiction of U.S. SAILING is

divided into 10 "Areas" composed of Sailing

Associations and Yacht Racing Associations. A

primary function of this system is

representative, with each area having an "Area

Director" on the Board of Directors. The

delineations serve many functions such as the

administration of educational programs and

national championships, certification of

officials, and much more. Divisional

Committees, composed of volunteers, direct

these activities, programs and services. The

Olympic Yachting Committee is charged with

recruiting and developing athletes for Olympic

competition.

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The Olympic Sailing Committee

The Olympic Sailing Committee is one of the

standing committees of U.S. SAILING, and is

responsible for the selection and training of

the U.S. Sailing Team. The members of the OSC

include the chairman, representatives from each

of the Olympic class organizations, former

Olympians, coaches and others appointed for

their specific expertise (e.g., public

relations, sports medicine, technology).

Although the U.S. first competed in the

Yachting Olympics in 1900, medal success in the

sailing events was not achieved until 1932.

Prior to 1960, there was no formal Olympic

program. Every four years, the U.S.

organizations representing the Olympic classes

-- designated for Olympic competition by the

International Sailing Federation (ISAF --

formerly the International Yacht Racing Union)

-- held trials, with the winners going to the

Games. Established to organize and supervise

the Olympic effort, the OYC's ability to create

an effective program initially was encumbered

by a meager $25,000/year budget, inexperience

and few role models.

In 1977, Sam Merrick, a life-long racing sailor

nearing the end of a 40-year career in public

service, was asked to consider active

involvement in the OYC. Told that his

participation would involve a time commitment

of perhaps one afternoon each week, Merrick

soon found it necessary to retire and devote

himself full-time as OYC Director. In 1980,

after the boycotted Olympic Games in the Soviet

Union, Merrick added the OYC Chairmanship to

his job as OYC Director. In the aftermath of

the boycott, U.S. Olympic sailing was in

disarray. Sailors were disillusioned and

disappointed, and many had either left, or were

considering leaving, Olympic competition.

It was Merrick, along with several other

prominent sailors, who toured the nation giving

clinics and speeches to promote Olympic

sailing. At the same time, the OYC established

its organizational structure, developed a

coaching program and began a grants program for

competition abroad.

In essence, Merrick's direction guided the

Olympic Yachting Committee to become what had

been intended from the start. The budget

increased to more than $200,000 in 1980 and

exceeded $750,000 in 1984, all under Merrick's

firm administration.

In 1984, for the first time in U.S. Olympic

sailing, a required post-Trials/pre-Games

training camp was run in Long Beach,

California, venue of both the Trials and the

Games. Tuning partners for each competitor;

daily team meetings; on-the-water coaching with

photographic analysis; and other training

techniques were instituted. Through the

four-week camp, a group of top-notch

individuals became a cohesive team, all

learning, training and sharing their expertise.

The efforts paid off with a U.S. sweep of the

Yachting event-seven medals in seven events

(three gold and four silver) -- the best record

of any U.S. team competing at the '84 Games.

In writing proposals for critical USOC funding,

it became apparent that sailing did not have a

focused and marketable program. The U.S.

Sailing Team was created as an umbrella for the

Olympic and Pan American teams, plus those

sailors named annually to the Team who were

ranked top five in each Olympic discipline.

USOC and corporate funding increased, as did

awareness of the Team within the sailing

community. Being named to the Team has become

an important goal for sailors with Olympic

campaigns. Today team members receive clothing,

a membership card and certificate, fundraising

assistance, and travel grants for overseas

competition.

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