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Short of an Olympic Berth by One Boat Length

Newport, RI
October 14, 2007

I stumbled badly at the US Sailing Olympic Selection Trials for the Laser Class yesterday and gave away the series lead. Today I fought back and pulled even on points with Andrew Campbell, only to finish second in a tie-breaker where he had one more first place than I. Andrew’s going to represent the USA in Lasers in 2008 at the Summer Olympic Games in Qingdao. I have the opportunity to go as the alternate.

Fast, but not quite enough! - - - Photo: Amory Ross, http://www.amoryross.com/

Today was clearly make or break day. The weather was similar to yesterday, with a light, puffy and shifty westerly around 8-12 knots at the start of racing which built to 17-knot gusts by the end of the day. Remembering the randomness of yesterday’s shifts I felt a little shaky but I knew bold measures were called for. With his five-point lead, Andrew only had to follow me closely around the track to win the week.

Changed Conditions, Changed Leaderboard

Newport, RI
October 13, 2007

Fortunes changed as radically as the weather today at the US Sailing Olympic Selection Trials for the Laser Class. It finally feels like the late arrival of Fall, with clear cool temperatures in the 30's this morning and chilly westerly winds on the water, instead of the typical late summer weather that's been hanging on since the beginning of the trials.

Crossing Andrew Campbell on port tack. - - - Photo: Amory Ross

Hanging on is just what I'm doing after my 9-5-6 results today over three races in the changeable westerly breeze. The first two races were run in a light 6-8 knot wind that displayed radical shifts and major fluctuations in strength. And the last was a more typical south-westerly 17-knot breeze but with large random shifts.

Brad Funk Sailing Campaign For The 2008 Olympics

By age 13, Bradley Allen Funk had already represented the USA in four world championships in the International Optimist Dinghy class. International competition and hard training at a young age opened his eyes to the larger world of sailing and. he realized that Olympic dreams were within his grasp.

Brad has been a member of the US Sailing Team for the past four years. He is currently the team's top-ranked Laser sailor, a position he also enjoyed in 2005. Funk won the 2005 Laser National Championships and the 2005 Rolex-sponsored Olympic Classes Regatta. He had a distinguished sailing record at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, achieving First Team All American honors in 2001 and 2002.

Brad is currently campaigning internationally with the goal of sailing for the USA in the Laser Class dinghy at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Qingdao, China. He was recently named as the sole USA Laser sailor to represent his country next August in the 2007 Pre-Olympic Regatta in China.