Michelle Lahrkamp, Sailor of the Month

Seahorse magazine hosts a monthly poll to recognize recent achievement, and in August 2024 they matched the college accomplishments of Michelle Lahrkamp (USA) against the offshore achievement of Rob Craigie (GBR). As this is little more than a popularity contest, and facing a Brit in this British publication was a tall challenge, Lahrkamp overcame the odds to win.

Here was her Seahorse bio:
Stanford University sailing team’s Lahrkamp is racking them up. The first and only freshman to win Women’s Sailor of the Year, first freshman to win Open Fleet US Nationals, back-to-back Women’s Nationals, and an eight-time All American, three times in the mixed fleet and five in the women’s category. If only the US College sailing exposed these great talents to a few more modern classes… that would put USA back into those Olympic headlines.

Props to Michelle for the recognition, though don’t expect college sailing to utilize modern classes, nor should it. The institutional boats used provide a well-suited platform for that type of competition.

However, for Americans with Olympic aspirations, investing four years sailing the wrong type of boats is not the best tactic. That stopped working in the 1990s, and while this doesn’t mean forgoing education, it does likely mean that college sailing is a distraction. An earlier focus on the right type of boats, and committing to two quads, is a more efficient approach. Standing by…