Forespar's Point of View
Blogging About Life on the WaterPaul Caynard on Project Pipeline
In February, 2015, US Sailing and AmericaOne announced a very exciting initiative, called Project Pipeline. I want to give you a little personal perspective on the initiative and pass along the link to the press release.
AmericaOne is a long time supporter of the US Olympic Sailing Team. Bob “Buddah” Billingham was a passionate Olympian, a Silver medalist, and A1’s representative who initiated this support and oversaw it. He served on the US Olympic Sailing Committee Board for many years.
Bob was excellent at identifying a need and then recruiting the support to make it happen. We all know that not only did Bob have great ideas, he would get them done!
Bob’s last target for improving US Olympic sailing was identifying our deficiency in the development of young sailors. As Bob’s cancer worsened, he asked me to take his place in working with the US Olympic Sailing Team on this important project. Sadly, Bob passed away last March.
In the last year, we have developed a plan to increase training, support and opportunity for the youth of America. Project Pipeline is about getting America back on the Olympic podium but also about raising the level of sailing talent in the US across the board.
US Sailing and AmericaOne are proud to launch this Project. The AmericaOne grant of $5M means Project Pipeline will be initiated immediately. It is our expectation that over the next 10 years, Project Pipeline will grow in breadth and depth, and that others will join in and support this worthy cause.
“The top winning nations in sailing share the common trait of a well-formed talent development system,” said Josh Adams, Managing Director of US Olympic Sailing. “This is critical to sustainable success in Olympic sailing. With the extraordinary commitment of $5 million from the AmericaOne Foundation, we are in a position to launch a long-term initiative that will transform the way top young sailors train in the US.”
Targeting the best American youth talent, Project Pipeline is the strategy behind a new-look Olympic Development Program, which aims to better serve young sailors, lead them into high-performance boats earlier in their development, and build well-rounded sailors with complete skill sets. Providing training/racing opportunities with world-class coaching and the highest level of technical standards are the core principles of the initiative.
– Paul Cayard, Director, AmericaOne Foundation
Pat Dwight ~ Forespar POV
