Daily Lift - Baird vs. Reynolds

Going into the weekend of the quarterfinal round of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament, #1 Mark Reynolds is neck and neck with #2 Ed Baird.  A few weeks ago, one matchup was decided by a single vote.  Get your votes in before midnight on Sunday for the Greatest American Sailor Tournament, because every vote counts!

Daily Lift - Lowell North vs. Paul Cayard

Two National Sailing Hall of Famers clash in the quarterfinals of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament.  #1 Lowell North takes his work in the Star and Dragon Classes, up against #2 Paul Cayard, his allotment of keelboat World Championships, and a victory at the America's Cup. Pick who moves on to the semi-final matchups by casting your vote for the Greatest American Sailor Tournament today!

Daily Lift - Conner vs. Foerster

National Sailing Hall of Famer #1 Dennis Conner takes on #2 Paul Foerster for a birth into the final four of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament.  Conner and Foerster have two distinct sailing careers, which cover many different types of sailing.  Check out these sailors' resumes, and cast your votes for the Greatest American Sailor Tournament today!

"Greatest American Sailor" Weekly Podcast with Adam Cort

Greatest American Sailor Weekly Podcast with Adam Cort by US SAILING

Daily Lift - Melges vs. Tunnicliffe

#6 Anna Tunnicliffe is the only sailor to make the final eight in the Greatest American Sailor Tournament outside of the top two seeds in each area of the bracket.  This week she goes for a third straight upset against #1 "Buddy" Melges, the most dominating performer in the tournament thus far.  You decide who moves on.  Cast your votes for the Greatest American Sailor Tournament today!

Daily Lift - Mark Reynolds vs. Ed Baird

Two ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year go up against against each other to reach the final four of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament.  #1 Mark Reynolds, best known for his accomplishments in the Star Class, won ISAF Rolex World Sailor Honors in 2000.  He puts his career to the test against #2 Ed Baird, ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year in 2007.  Baird has won major championships everything from dingies, match racing events, sloops, keelboats, and the America's Cup.  Check out each sailor's complete resume, and cast your votes for who you want in the final four of the America's Greatest Sailor Tournament!

Daily Lift

In the final days of the Round of 16 in the Greatest American Sailor Tournament, National Sailing Hall of Famer, #2 Paul Cayard, is in a close contest with seven time World Champion, #3 Ken Read.  Cayard has had a magnificent career in sailing, ranging from America's Cup Racing to various World Championships in a variety of classes.  However, few sailors have dominated a class like Read, who has won six World Championships in the J-24 Class, including four in a row from 1991-1994. Decide who moves on to the next round of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament by voting today!

Daily Lift

Today's featured matchup in the Greatest American Sailor Tournament are both coming down to the wire.  #6 Anna Tunnicliffe, the deepest seed to make it this far in the tournament, is challenging #2 John Kostecki for her second consecutive upset.  Decide who moves on by casting your Round of 16 votes for the Greatest American Sailor Tournament today!

Preparing for shifts in the breeze: Building confidence and character through sailing

by Jessica M. Mohler, Psy.D., CC-AASP
Clinical and Sport Psychologist
United States Naval Academy

The summer is about to begin. You may have signed up for summer camps back in January or maybe just last week! But soon, school will break for summer, and we will all make the shift to a different schedule. Some of you may have your children in a sailing program all summer while others may choose one evening a week. In many parts of the country, there are several choices for sailing programs, whether it’s an intense racing program or part of a more diverse day camp. I was recently talking to other parents about summer plans for their children. A number of the parents had decided that sailing was an important skill to teach their children as we live in a boating community. The variety of plans for learning how to sail reminded me of the differences in sailing programs, and also how a parent’s own experiences influence those of their children.

Daily Lift

On the bottom left section of the bracket of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament, National Sailing Hall of Famer, #1 Lowell North, goes up against #5 Jonathan McKee.  McKee is among the two deepest seeds to make it this far in the tournament, and has a wealth of World Championships and Olympic Medals across a variety of classes.  Will it be enough to earn his second upset in a row and knock North out of the tournament?
On the top right section of the bracket, #2 Paul Foerster puts a legendary dinghy career to the test against #3 Terry Hutchinson, and his tremendous career in keelboats.  Check out these featured matchups and more, and cast your vote for the Round of 16 in the Greatest American Sailor Tournament!

Daily Lift

Since the start of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament, both #1 Buddy Melges (National Sailing Hall of Famer) and #1 Mark Reynolds both won their matchups with at least 77% of the vote.  Now they go up against National Sailing Hall of Famer, #4 Ted Turner, and #4 Jud Smith in the Round of 16.  Take a look at the diversity and prestige of the resumes of these tremendous athletes, and cast your votes today for the Round of 16 of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament.

Daily Lift

Two sailors with careers built on sailing keel boats are in a dead even matchup in the Greatest American Sailor Tournament.  #3 Terry Hutchinson squares off against #6 Peter Isler, and one of these keelboat masters will move on to the third round of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament.  The best part is that you get to be the deciding factor in who moves on!  Cast your second round votes today for the Greatest American Sailing Tournament before it’s too late!

Greatest American Sailor Podcast with Craig Leweck

Greatest American Sailor Weekly Podcast with Craig Leweck by US SAILING

Daily Lift

We’re almost at the end of Round 2 of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament, and #4 Jud Smith and #5 Tom Whidden have been locked in a stalemate this entire week.  Smith’s four World Championships in three different classes are put to the test against Whidden’s mix America’s Cup experience and World Championship victories in the Maxi Class.  This is your chance to decide who moves on to the third round.  Cast your second round votes for the Greatest American Sailor Tournament today!

Daily Lift

Multiple time Match Racing World Champions face off this week, in Round 2 of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament.  Both #2 Ed Baird and #10 Bill Hardesty bring extraordinarily diverse sailing career resumes to the table encompassing multiple World Championships across a variety of classes, Collegiate Awards, and America’s Cup Victories.  Take a closer look at the achievements of these world class athletes, and cast your second round votes for the Greatest American Sailor Tournament today.

Daily Lift

Gold Medalists #3 Bill Buchan and #6 Anna Tunnicliffe gear up for a weeklong nail-biter in the Greatest American Sailor Tournament.  Tunnicliffe has accomplished a considerable amount in a short period of time, but is it enough to overthrow Buchan and his accomplishments in the Star and the Soling?  Decide the outcome by casting your second round votes today for the Greatest American Sailor Tournament!

Daily Lift

In Round 2 of the Greatest American Sailor Tournament, National Sailing Hall of Famer, #11 Gary Jobson, takes on a seven time World Champion and two-time U.S.  Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, #3 Ken Read, fresh off of a victory over his brother in Round 1.  Check out how Jobson’s Hall of Fame career stacks up against a Ken Read’s slew of World Championships, and cast your second round votes for the Greatest American Sailor Tournament today.

Daily Lift

This week in the Greatest American Sailor Tournament, an America’s Cup winning skipper and National Sailing Hall of Famer, #5 Ted Hood, goes up against a 10 time World Champion spanning four different classes, #4 Dave Curtis.  This matchup brings together two very different sailing careers with sailors from the same time period.  Take a closer look at this matchup and others, and cast your second round votes for the Greatest American Sailor Tournament today!

Chalk Talk Nationals Edition - Final Episode

A sad farewell to the 2011-2012 College Sailing season as Chris and Jane publish their final episode of Chalk Talk, recapping the ICSA / Gill Coed Dinghy Championships and this year's All Americans and College Sailor of the Year.

From Chris and Jane: thanks for watching all season long and thanks to US Sailing for making this season possible!

"Greatest American Sailor" Weekly with Dave Reed

Greatest American Sailor Weekly Podcast Round 1 by US SAILING

Vote for the Greatest American Sailor at http://bit.ly/ussgreatest

Daily Lift

 What has four America’s Cup victories, five World Championships, four US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Awards, and an Olympic Bronze medal?  The #1 seed Dennis Conner vs.  #16 seed Bora Gulari matchup in The Greatest American Sailor Tournament of course!  Decide who moves on by casting your vote for the first round of The Greatest American Sailor Tournament today.  Don’t forget that first round voting ends on Sunday at midnight!

Chalk Talk Nationals Edition - Team Race Recap and Coed Nationals

Chris and Jane report from the dock where College of Charleston just won the 2012 ICSA / APS Team Race National Championship. They recap the three-day regatta, complete with highlights and look ahead to the ICSA / Gill Coed Dinghy Championship, sailing June 6-8.

Congratulations to Tufts for having the most sailors sign up for US Sailing College Memberships. The entire team will be rewarded with sailing shoes from Sperry Top-Sider. The contest is over, but the benefits of a US Sailing College Membership are still available! http://ussailing.org/college for details and signup form.

Daily Lift

When siblings compete against one another at a regatta, it often leads to an awkward dinner after racing.  We’ve raised the stakes by putting two brother’s entire sailing careers and accomplishments up against one another.  Check out the first round matchup between #3 Ken Read and #14 Brad Read, and decide which sibling moves on to round two.  Cast your first round vote for The Greatest American Sailor today!

Daily Lift

What do Mark Reynolds and George Szabo have in common?  Each is a World Champion in the Star Class, and they are going up against one another this week in The Greatest American Sailor Tournament.  Which Star sailor has what it takes to move on to round two of the tournament bracket?  The best part is you get to decide who wins this #1 vs. #16 matchup by casting your first round votes for the first round of The Greatest American Sailor today!

Daily Lift

 An intriguing matchup headlines the Greatest American Sailor Tournament, featuring a classic superstar in # 1 seeded “Buddy” Melges against a young, up and coming kite boarder in #16 seeded Johnny Heineken.  Heineken has made quite a name for himself, winning a Kite Coarse Racing World Championship in 2011, but is it enough to upset the overwhelming force that is “Buddy” Melges?  Cast your first round votes for The Greatest American Sailor Tournament!

Chalk Talk Nationals Edition - Women's Wrapup and Team Racing Preview

Chris and Jane report from the 2012 ICSA Spring Nationals in Austin, TX. In this special presentation of Chalk Talk, the hosts look back at the Sperry Top-Sider / ICSA Women's National Semifinals and Finals regattas and interview this year's Quantum Female Sailor of the Year. They also take a peak ahead to the ICSA / APS Team Race National Championship, which sails Sunday through Tuesday.

College Sailors, you have until June 6 to get in the running for team-wide Sperry Top-Siders! Sign up for a US Sailing College Membership at http://ussailing.org/college and the team with most wins shoes for everyone!

Daily Lift

Today’s featured matchup of the first round of The Greatest American Sailor Tournament pits # 6 seed, Anna Tunnicliffe, against #11 seed, Steve Benjamin.  Benjamin has an impressive and diverse resume featuring Olympic medals and multiple World Championship titles.  Tunnicliffe is on pace in her career to possibly be the greatest female sailor of all time, and just might have the star power to win the whole tournament.  Cast your first round votes today for The Greatest American Sailor Tournament today!