Broker peace for US Olympic Program

It was in 2008 when Anna (Tunnicliffe) Tobias won the last Sailing Gold Medal for the USA, and she has been trying to change that for the past 16 years. She felt good about the chances for Paris 2024, but then had to deal with her national federation initiating distractions. Anna details her journey in this letter to the US Sailing Board of Directors:

I want to share my thoughts and experience from the perspective of a seasoned Olympic campaigner. This last month, I finished my fifth and final campaign trying to represent the USA at the Olympics.

The final months of this campaign in the Women’s Skiff (49erFX) event have been overshadowed with the disruption of the leadership, the coaching staff, uncertainty on funding, logistics, and finally a lawsuit against what is widely regarded as the biggest supporter and sponsor of the US Sailing Team.

I will recount this last quad; I started as the ILCA 6 squad coach for the first part of this quad before committing to a sailing campaign again. At that time, I had seen what the positive benefits of having America One Racing partnering with the US Sailing team was having for the athletes involved.

I believed that the program was on the right track, both with a sound foundation, leadership, and financially viable. There were squads forming to train together to raise their level through the ranks internationally, which they have done. Successful examples are the 49ers (men’s fleet), ILCA 6, and iQFOiL.

The other classes could and should have done better in my opinion, but without consistent leadership, this didn’t happen.

One of the main reasons I rededicated myself to campaigning, and ignoring the financial consequences of giving up my coaching position, was because I believed in the process that was being put in place.

The athlete financial support was finally getting better, and we were working towards a squad that would train together so that we would be two of the top teams in the world. Whichever team represented in Paris 2024 would be a medal favorite.

I truly believed in this process and that it was the right path to get USA sailing back to the podium, having not won Gold since 2008 when I represented USA in the Beijing Olympics.

Being a seasoned athlete and campaigner, I spoke with a majority of athletes on the team and on the squad, and the consensus was that the direction of the program was good.

However, the leadership change was a shock to many athletes and the reasons for the organizational changes didn’t ring true to many of us, but as funding was a concern, many chose to walk the path without ‘rocking the boat’ as it were, and kept a low profile during the resulting fallout.

Sure, it’s cool hearing my name as being the last Sailing Gold Medal won at an Olympic Games, but LET’S GET REAL, it’s been way too long since I won that medal and that needs to change. I had truly believed that the squad this time around could, under the leadership when I rejoined, do it.

Thankfully, America One Racing continued to believe in us and gave us the amazing support that we needed through the trials. Unfortunately, a couple bad races held us back and we lost the trials, but without their support, we wouldn’t have even gotten to the start line. Not the outcome I was training or hoping for.

The change was tough and a distraction, and I know I’m not the only athlete saying this. The support America One Racing has given all of us athletes is incredible and exactly what is needed to keep us moving forward as a nation so that we can, once again, be on the podium at the Olympic Games.

I ask that you please stop the lawsuit. It is a frivolous and embarrassing side show for US Sailing and its athletes traveling around the world, for our athletes that compete domestically, and for our weekend warriors that just love being out on the water. It is a distraction from the goals.

Let’s broker peace and get the US Olympic Sailing Program back to a level where my name is in the history books but not as the last Sailing Gold Medal winner for USA.

Editor’s note: At the time of publication, the US Sailing lawsuit remains pending.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Program*:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Venue: Marseille, France
Dates: July 28-August 9

Details:
• Paris website: https://www.paris2024.org/en/the-olympic-games-paris-2024/
• World Sailing microsite: https://paris2024.sailing.org/