Paralympics in Plain Sight

“Our goal is to be the most complete, most fit, and most prepared Paralympic Sonar program at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.” This quote demonstrates the racing vision of Paralympic skipper Rick Doerr and his Sonar team, Hugh Freund and Brad Kendall. Team 674 will be competing in the US Selection Trials in early '12 for the chance to represent the US at the 2012 games. Follow their journey at www.teamusa674.com/ and read here for details about their campaign!

When and how did you get together as a team and what are your team highlights so far?

After the '08 Paralympics, I met Hugh who sailed for a friend in college. After having a good season with another crew where we were ranked 2nd in the World Cup Rankings after winning the Sail for Gold Regatta, and placing 3rd at Miami OCR that year, Brad joined us in '09. We've sailed the '09 and '10 World Championships, finishing 4th in '09. We were ranked 4th in the World Cup standings in '10.

Talk us through your individual roles on the boat?

Hugh is the Jib Trimmer, Brad is the Main Trimmer and Rick is the helmsman. Tactics are split equally between the three of us where different situations present opportunities for each of us to contribute to the tactical decision-making. Starting line, lay lines and boat speed is usually called by Brad, where crossings, compass, and time is called by Hugh.

Describe your schedule so far this year and for the rest of the year?

About 12 weeks a year as a team, with each of sailing a bit more on our own. This year we will sail 3 World Cup events, the World Championships, and several more open and disabled events at home, leading up to the US Nationals, and our US Selection Trials in early '12.

What do you believe are the strengths and weaknesses of your team?

Our biggest weakness is our lack of funding. Each of us work full time to fund the campaign, leaving little time for training. Our biggest strength is our ability to work together, and our mobility as well physical conditioning! Currently we rank in the top 5 in the World!

What are the biggest challenges that stand in your way?

If we are able to stick to our game plan, and train hard, we should be able to be most consistent for our selection process. We are very confident that our work ethic and dedication will get us to the games, and put us in the top 5 at the games, where consistency will pay off.