The US Youth Team represents Team USA annually at the World Sailing Youth Championships. US Sailing supports a US Youth Team composed of athletes in the following classes: ILCA 6, iQ FOiL, Formula Kite, International 420, Nacra 15 and 29er.

The 2024 World Sailing Youth Championships will be held this July in Lake Garda, Italy. 

Youth World Classes designated by World Sailing as development classes for Olympic class racing. The equipment selected for youth (under 19 years old) develops fundamental skills in both singlehanded and doublehanded racing. US Sailing promotes racing in the Youth World Classes and supports U19 sailors in their work toward competitive excellence.

We encourage sailors to participate in the absolute highest level of competitive sailing within their region. (In the Great Lakes this could be scow or keelboat sailing, in Hawaii it could be iQ FOiLing, in NorCal it could be i420 or 29er sailing, for example.) Take advantage of your local resources and become a competent and skilled racer who is competitive in your region.

Sailors who are ready to travel outside their region and graduate to competition on a national scale should compete at national championship level events 1 to 2 times per year, and consider travelling internationally to check in on where their skills stack up.

Sailors with international experience who are ready to campaign in their class and work towards professional, more specialized training can orient their goals to youth worlds selection and gold fleet racing at the class World Championships.

The three-tier Youth Performance Pathway illustrates the progression from grassroots youth racing to higher levels of the sport, as well as lifelong sailing as adults. The Racing Development, Performance, and Olympic boat classes are detailed below, and each class has it's regatta and training schedule facilitated by Class Associations.

There is no single path through the sport, and each sailor is encouraged to “tack upwind” based on their own preferences and goals. US Sailing encourages all sailors to strive for their personal best and participate as lifelong sailors, and the pathway is also for sailors who aspire to race at the national and international level, qualify for the US Sailing Team, and represent Team USA at the Pan Am and Olympic Games.

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US Sailing Girls Skiff Clinics - Introductory 29er

Targeted at female sailors ages 12-18 who weigh at least 100lbs and have experience racing in other classes such as ILCA, 420, Optimist, etc. This clinic is designed for athletes who are new to the 29er or have some 29er experience but are interested in developing their fundamental skills. Sailors need not attend with a partner.

Girls Skiff Clinic - May 4-5 - San Francisco, CA

Girls Skiff Clinic - May 18-19 - Annapolis, MD

US Youth Team Camps

US Sailing supports a US Youth Team composed of athletes selected via annual Youth World qualification events. The US Youth Team represents Team USA at the annual World Sailing Youth Championships, and receives support at training camp(s) prior to the event.

The top runners up of the Youth Worlds qualification event(s) will receive an invitation to the US Youth Team Training Camp(s) based on results in each class. The number of training camp invitation berths are unique to each class, as outlined in the document below.

For detailed information on 2024 Training Camps: Invitation Criteria - US Youth Team Training Camps (posted March 15, 2024)

Thanksgiving Invitational

This event is organized as an intense racing camp. Invited sailors must attend with their own regional program coach. Participating teams/sailors must adhere to a 1:6 coach to boat ratio in ILCA 6, N15, and i420, and a 1:5 ratio for the 29er. Invitation criteria are unique to each class, as outlined in the document below.

For detailed information on 2024 Training Camps: Invitation Criteria - US Youth Team Training Camps (posted March 15, 2024)

Don't Miss These

Brooke Gonzalez Advanced Racing Clinic - June 14-16, 2024 - Newport, RI - ILCA 6, Club 420, i420, 29er, Nacra15 classes. Known for the highest quality coaching and guest speakers, fabulous hospitality, and a range of sailing conditions and venues that only New England offers. Application deadline February 29th.

SDYC HPYS 29er Clinics - May 11-12, August 24-25, October 5-6, November 2-3, December 14-15 - San Diego, CA - These are multi-level 29er clinics: both for sailors who are interested in gaining proficiency in the 29er and for advanced sailors/teams to prepare for upcoming regattas.

SkiffPlus Intro 29er Clinic - April 20-21, May 25-27 - Annapolis, MD - Intro 29er clinic, open to any sailor who has race experience, is 13 years or older and weighs over 100lbs. World class coaching and boats provided. sign up for one or two days.

SDYC HPYS ILCA Clinics - June 14-16, September 7-8 - San Diego, CA - These are multi-level ILCA clinic: both for sailors who are interested in gaining proficiency in the ILCA and for advanced sailors/teams to prepare for upcoming regattas.

Hosting a clinic? To add major national or regional clinics to this calendar, please email youth@ussailing.org

Youth Match Racing

The US Sailing Match Racing Committee is actively working on ways to get the more advanced 16-24 year old U.S. sailors into match racing. Match racing makes sailors better… better at keelboat boat handling and making a keelboat go fast, better at making tactical and strategic decisions under pressure, better at the rules, and better at communicating on a team. And it is a great way to transition into keelboat racing where much of adult racing is done. Click here for more information on  2024 Youth Match Racing Opportunities

Dickson Junior Match Racing Invitational - June 8-9 - Long Beach, CA - for more information contact Cameron MacLaren

USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals

The USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals include JO Regattas and JO Clinics held across the country to capture the Olympic spirit and introduce youth sailors to their next steps in the sport.

USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals

Youth Championships

US Sailing hosts several annual events that award winners with historic perpetual trophies in Youth World Classes, Match Racing, Team Racing, and Girls Singlehanded and Doublehanded Racing. Go to the championships page on our website here. 

Youth Worlds Classes include for boys and girls include the ILCA 6, iQ FOiL (windsurf foil), Formula Kite (kite foil), mixed Nacra 15 (multihull), 29er (mixed/boys/girls skiff), and i420 (mixed, boys, girls dinghy).

US Sailing promotes racing in the Youth World Classes and supports U19 sailors in their work toward competitive excellence by hosting annual training camps, learn to clinics, championship events and the US Youth Team which competes annually at the World Sailing Youth Championships.

Find events and information at the Class Association Websites:

Singlehanded: ILCA 6 laser.org;  iQ FOiL iqfoilyouthjuniorclass.org; Formula Kite formulakite.org

Doublehanded: 29er us29er.org; i420 usi420.org; Nacra 15 nacra15class.com

Active Youth Worlds Class Programs

iQ FOiL (Foiling Windsurfer)

Clearwater Community Sailing Clearwater, FL contact: Justin Ahearn, opticcsc@gmail.com

WindClub Hawaii Oahu, HA contact: Jesse Andrews, andrewsjesse@gmail.com

Community Boating New Bedford, MA contact: Jim DeSilva, jimdesilva56@gmail.com

ILCA 6 (singlehanded dinghy)

Contact youth@ussailing.org for regional list of ILCA 6 programs

29er (Single Trapeze Skiff)

Skiff+ Annapolis, MD contact: Caroline Atwood, caroline@skiffplus.com

Portland Yacht Club Portland, ME contact: Tom Sitzman, tom@sail1design.com

San Diego Yacht Club HPYSF San Diego, CA contact: JJ Fetter, jj.fetter@gmail.com

Long Beach Yacht Club Long Beach, CA contact: Matt Peter, mpeter@lbyc.org

San Francisco Yacht Club Tiburon, CA contact: Dan Brandt, dansfyc@gmail.com

Nacra 15 (Mixed Multihull)

Lauderdale Yacht Club Fort Lauderdale, FL contact: John Casey john.casey@lyc1938.org

Red Gear Racing Clearwater, FL contact: Jill Nickerson funinthesunweb@gmail.com

Sarasota Yacht Club Sarasota, FL contact: Dalton Tebo dalton.tebo@sarasotayachtclub.org

420 (the international two-person dinghy for youth)

Maximus Sailing Miami, FL contact: David Bargehr

LISOT New York/ Connecticut contact: Steve Keen keenracing@hotmail.com

Balboa Yacht Club Newport, CA contact: Suz Chapman susannah@balboayachtclub.com

High Performance Center Tiburon, CA contact: Udi Gal udigal@gmail.com

The Olympic Development Program (ODP) is a long-term effort to help young sailors build a complete high-performance skill set. The ODP provides world-class training to young athletes around the country who demonstrate talent and a commitment to improve in sailboat racing at the highest level.

Training camps are designed to bring athletes together and work towards the shared goal of high performance sailing. Travel teams will be assembled to support athletes at targeted international regattas with world class coaching. 

ODP training camps and travel teams produce exceptional sailors with the ability and motivation to pursue ambitious dreams in competitive sailing and become leaders in the sport.

ODP bridges the gap between the Youth Worlds Classes and Olympic Classes. This is a crucial step that provides a clearer path to young sailors, and accelerates the speed at which they progress towards becoming Olympic contenders.  

Gaining experience in different boat classes and sailing in the most competitive arenas will prepare youth athletes for next level racing. College is about academics first and sailing skill second. College coaches are looking for attitude an ability that compliments their team: teamwork, commitment, fitness and dedication are important skills.

From the President of ICSA:

"About 185 schools in the US have college sailing teams, ranging from club to varsity sports.

Qualifications for college sailing recruitment vary among programs and schools. Typically, coaches are looking for sailors who can help their teams win at the highest level: Talented sailors with a proven [winning] track record; team players; high level athletes. Excelling in multiple sports could be important, as it shows athleticism and a winning mindset. Coaches also reach out to high school and youth coaches for their recommendations.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that a sailor must be recruited to participate in college sailing, and that is really just not true. Most college sailing programs allow for people with sailing backgrounds to try out for the team. I think that the “walk-on” success rate in sailing is higher than almost any other college sport. The chance of being a walk-on is high because most college sailing programs are not able to fill their rosters with recruited sailors. Also, typically fewer people on campus have played our sport in comparison to other sports."

More from the article.

John Pearce- Youth Competition Manager johnpearce@ussailing.org (401) 342-7930

Phil Muller- Youth Performance Manager philmuller@ussailing.org (401) 342-7900

HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS

DEFINITION OF ‘WHAT GOOD LOOKS LIKE’

• “Success” is defined and the mission is clear.
• Established expectations are known and discussed frequently.
• All members are accountable to the standards set.
• Team takes ownership and authorship of action: “This is how we do things around here.”
• Standards for operation.

WORKS ON THINGS THAT MATTER

• Operational tempo and efficacy of action are monitored and tended to.
• Time, the most valuable resource, is allocated to things that matter most, and not to those that don’t make a lasting impact.
• Each person’s effort is aligned with their role in the organization. 

DECENTRALIZED COMMAND

• Each member is encouraged to challenge and support one another to maintain the standards and improve the organization. 
• Communication is frequent and full of candor, honesty, and respect.
• Everyone is responsible for the success or failure of the team.

THE ART OF WORKING TOGETHER

• There is an awareness of the capabilities and limitations of each individual
• Know where the sticky points are and work together to get around them.
• Define where the opportunities for improvement exist. 
• Know how to help each other, or not to step on each other’s toes

LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS 

• Everyone is aligned to fulfill the needs of the team
• Less talk more action: Show don’t tell, lead by example. 
• Small group works toward self management