Sailing Articles By Blake Billman

   Well, it's getting to be the Dog Days of Summer and while I have one more chance to escape the Texas heat and do a little more big boat sailing in Newport my mind is becoming more and more preoccupied with avoiding this rediculous heat (AccuWeather says it feels like 107 here). My father has the ominous feeling that this summer is going to be like 1980, the summer before I was born and hottest year he can remember, with 40 straight days of 100+ weather. I hope he's wrong, but I'm not taking any chances.    So avoiding… more »

   In my first article for Sailgroove I mentioned that most club teams that achieve success have a short run, and that the winning ways don't normally last beyond one generation. The reason this is usually the case is that the program manages to get one or 2 really good sailors (usually just one) and they manage to build up the team around them and their skill. They have a successful college career and when they leave its over and the program falls back to earth.    What good is having a great run in college if the only person… more »

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This will be the first in a series of articles about team development and while the focus is on college teams the advice can serve just about any racing program.   The Problem: What kills club sailing teams, or at least keeps them from progressing? You could throw out a litany of things that answer this question; no coaching, no money, no equipment, lack of talent, lack of University or YC support, etc. But none of the things I just listed, or any of the others you may be throwing out there probably get to the heart of the issue.… more »