The European Dream Cup is simultaneously an international regatta and a major non-profit sporting event, where 10 different European countries send their best U18 sailors to Gargnano on Lake Garda for 69F racing. I was asked to coach the sailors and umpire the racing for the whole two-week event.
I was super excited to stay involved with the 69F fleet. Having just finished racing at Foiling Week, I saw the European Dream Cup as a great opportunity to consolidate my knowledge of the racing rules, put them into practice, and teach others how to sail the boat (there’s no better way to learn than to teach).
With more than 60 U18s involved, the coaches had quite a lot on. Keeping our methods systematic, balanced, and organised allowed all the sailors to make some great progress. Most of the sailors' experience was in Optimists or 29ers, and they were all still in their youth classes with a lot to learn. Most of them had never tried foiling, let alone foiled a 69F. Our aim was to break down the learning and keep things fun. The attitude from the young teams was very professional and made our lives as coaches easy.
We spent the first week training, letting me spend time figuring out ways to break down and simply explain complex situations. This was a challenge in multiple ways, notably because of language barriers; I felt very lucky that most people speak English! Most of the teams had supplied their own coaches, so I spent more time with the teams without coaches, and any teams that wanted the extra help.
Throughout the event there were a variety of different inspirational talks put on for all the sailors and coaches. Three of these that really stood out to me were talks by Giordana Tomasoni, a talk by the One Ocean Foundation and one by Team 11 EU. Giordana had a powerful story to share, one of battling depression, recovering thanks to a loving and supportive family, and going on to compete in the Paralympics alongside developing his love for the outdoors. His story had the room in tears and was such an inspiration.
The One Ocean Foundation shared their mission to accelerate solutions to ocean issues. They're working to inspire international leaders, institutions, companies, and people by promoting a sustainable economy and enhancing ocean knowledge through teaching and providing resources. It was great to hear their passion and drive for the cause.
TEAM11 Europe brings together and connects experts for the purpose of education, training and health in the field of sports, recreation, management, and leadership. This was a really valuable talk as it was about the support the athletes need and how we as coaches can support that mentally, as well as the skills we need to teach them!
For the second week of the European Dream Cup I had the role of race umpire. The umpire is essentially the sailing referee, there on the water to follow the racing and apply the racing rules of sailing. It was a bit of a change from being everyone’s coach to now ensuring they respect the rules or gain penalties. This was an awesome opportunity for my own learning, especially doing it alongside Oceana Vivo's lead coach Cas Van Dongen, allowing for a lot of in-depth discussion about each scenario, possible play-outs, and ideal positioning in each case.
Seeing so many teenagers from different nations come together, form new friendships, work hard, and push each other was really refreshing. I hope they all keep progressing - their journey is just beginning!
Big thank you to 69F for inviting me to get involved, it really was a great experience.
Check out the European Dream Cup:
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