Issue date
Interview with Sam Bacon
Sam Bacon was the winner of the 2015 Optimist National Championships, Sam had already finished 2nd in the same regatta last year, he has competed in the Optimist Worlds in 2014 and will be travelling to Poland for the Worlds in 2015. Sam sails out of Worser Bay Boating Club in Wellington.
Sam well done on winning the Optimist Nationals, can you tell us a bit about the regatta?
I was pretty happy, it has been a long time coming, two days were blown up because it was too windy. I only had one race sitting where I was sitting inside my boat, the rest were hiking.
I was pretty happy in all conditions, but definitely favoured the strong wind.
It was close with the Aussie sailor in 2nd but had a bit of a jump on the rest of the fleet.
What was your training programme leading up to the event? Who were your coaches?
I did a lot of fitness, every night 30mins hiking and strength training, also three nights a week running. I was on the water training every night during the week.
We had 5 guys that trained together; Sam Mackey and Ben Caundle were our coaches.
Sam was an amazing coach, really strict and got the most out of the session but still kept it fun, he was really good at knowing what drills to do and adapt them to suit what we needed to work on.
What helped you the most at this regatta?
Mental toughness, I have had a lot of experiences and some tough losses in the past, this regatta really came down to experience.
What would you recommend to Optimist sailors who want to improve?
Keep having fun, winning is a bonus, you will get there if you stick at it.
Put in the time and sail with good sailors
