OLD LOVE NEVER DIES

two ForMer belGiAn Finn olyMpiAns Are in trAininG. pAul Goossens investiGAtes

When two former Belgian Olympians arrived in Ostend with two Finns on a trailer and a huge smile on their faces, it did not go unnoticed. Paul Goossens grabbed them for an interview. He writes, “We were very curious what was driving them and we are very happy by this double comeback in Belgium. Not only is the class growing constantly, but the return of both these gentlemen will boost the level and the reputation locally. Their stories are very inspiring to us all.”

fiLiP WiLLems

every minute of it. When I was a teenager, we started racing in a Schakel, a nice wooden two-man boat, that my dad had built as well. Unfortunately, he prioritized strength over weight, so it was not the fastest boat on earth. But we learned a lot as there was a massive and highly competitive fleet of Schakel boats racing at that time.

One time, I was in Antwerp for a sailing event, and was invited to try out a yellow Roga Finn. It felt like coming home: the Finn was THE boat for me. As it was also for sale, I bought it without bargaining. And it turned out to be an excellent boat and mast. We started training and racing with a couple of good sailors at that time. Jacques Rogge (ex-IOC president) was my mentor, and he was highly supportive.

Q: When did you start sailing and what was the trigger?

My dad was a sailing fanatic. He built boats and yachts himself and we went sailing with the family every single weekend in Wolphaartsdijk, Holland. As a kid, I enjoyed

Q: What do you perceive as the biggest success in your sailing career?

Frankly speaking, I was a bit disappointed with my results at the games in Los Angeles 1984. In order to qualify for the Games, I sailed to a 10th position in the 1981 Gold Cup in Grömitz, Germany, a 14th position at the 1983 Europeans in Wladyslawowo, Poland, and 10th in the 1983 Kieler Woche. As these were decent results my target was a top 10. After the first races at the games, I was in seventh position but started dropping to the 17th place

Filip willeMs (15) sAilinG with esko reChArdt (Fin) And terry neilson (CAn) in the following races. Anyhow it was a fantastic experience to be able to participate in the Games, something I will never forget.

What I learned from this, is that good support is a must to compete at that level. I was very much on my own while sailors from other countries had professional teams surrounding them, even at that time. After Los Angeles I quit high-level sailing and did a lot of professional coaching and mentoring. In that capacity I trained and coached sailors at the Games in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens which was also very satisfying. I also participated in the creation of the Belgium Sailing Team, an effort to bring young talents together and grow them through competition.

Q: Why did you buy a Finn again and what are your ambitions?

The World Masters 2020 were planned in Port Zelande and my ambition was to train again and get a reasonable result compared to my old buddies (the generation of Peter Vollebregt, Mark Neeleman, Chris Frijdal, …). Because of Corona this did not happen unfortunately. I am now looking forward to the Masters in Mar Menor, Spain, and hope to see a lot of old friends again.

Q: What do you view as the differences between now and then?

From my perspective the rig is so much different now. We sailed with aluminium masts and dacron sails and the boat was hard to handle in a blow. The switch to carbon masts and less flexible plastic sails makes the boat more manageable in hard wind. The boat itself seems to have evolved less. Sailors with a smaller budget can still perform very well with a well maintained Vanguard on lakes.

Q: What advice do you have for young sailors who would like to start a Finn campaign?

It is unfortunate that the Finn is no longer an Olympic Class after Tokyo. This is a shame and hopefully something can be done about it.

In order to grow to a good level, find yourself a club or a team with guys that sail at a high level. The only way to learn the ropes is to sail a lot with a team like that. Don’t be shy to ask questions; Finn sailors are often very approachable and helpful. If you are at a good level and want to grow to the top, you’ll need (besides a lot of talent) an experienced support team. Such teams nowadays exist in most countries, and they are key to your success. And last: don’t forget to have fun.

sebbe godefroid

Q: When did you start sailing and what

was the trigger?

I was five when our family started sailing a 16M2 in Holland. I loved it instantly but became truly fascinated when I saw my sister participating in a training camp for Optimist sailors. I could not wait to reach the age limit and pushed until I was accepted in a local club. From that moment onwards my parents’ fate was to travel around the country to let me participate in regattas. As a kid I also got to know Filip Willems who was working hard to qualify for the Olympics. I was so impressed by this strong athlete with such a cool high-tech piece of equipment trying to achieve something almost impossible. At that moment, the seed was planted.

Q: What do you perceive as the biggest success in your sailing career?

Even though I also won the Gold Cup in 2001, I view the silver medal at the Olympics in Atlanta as my biggest success. It became a real turning point in my career. Belgium is a country of cyclists and football players, and sailing was (and still is) a sport that is getting little attention in the media. For my Olympic campaign I got very little funding and therefore had to take a loan. When I came back with the Silver Medal, the media were all over it and I immediately got the necessary funds that allowed me to continue to grow as a sailing professional.

Let me also tell you a secret about how to win. Stress is immense for the participants to the Olympics; there is so much visibility and you get only a chance every four years. This stress can be detrimental to performance. When I told someone that I should be able to win a medal at Atlanta, he told me that I should not make such statements. It is much better to set a realistic expectation like sailing in the top 10, and then go and fight and enjoy, and see where you get. That was very sound advice. Before the last race I noticed to my surprise that I was in second position in the ranking, and that only Hans Spitzauer (AUT) and Roy Heiner (NED) could threaten this position. I noticed that Hans was extremely nervous. The race started. Hans went immediately to the right and the pack while Roy went to the left, the side that was often favoured. I could not control both so went to the right side of the pack, so that I could eventually try to catch Hans if needed. But the left was again flavoured, Hans was far behind, and I was just before Roy, protecting the Silver. Staying calm and rational was key.

Q: Why did you buy again a Finn and what are your ambitions?

I am a sailing coach for a living and deeply missed going for a sail myself. There is no time for an intense campaign. My main ambition was to sail the World Masters in Medemblik, have fun, meet the old boys again, go for a beer, tell stories, and have fun.

What I found so attractive and unique about the Finn Class is this incredible camaraderie between sailors. On the water they are fighting hard but in the pub they are good friends. Take Josh Junior and Andy Maloney for example. They had to battle so hard and long to get that one ticket to Tokyo, the most valuable ticket for a Finn sailor. And now Andy became Josh’s coach and they are super good friends. Isn’t this beautiful?

Q: What do you view as the differences between now and then?

I did not see major developments in the equipment in the last 25 years. For sure there is a constant development leading to some small gains but at the end of the day it is still the sailor that is mostly making the difference. What I saw changing is the approach to campaign management. 25 years ago, you were very much on your own. Nowadays there are much more funds available leading to a much more professional approach with a whole team supporting the athletes.

The disadvantage is that going out, drinking beers and having fun between two sailing days at a regatta is a thing of the past. There are too many coaches who are watching you.

Q: What advice do you have for young sailors who would like to start a Finn campaign?

First of all: enjoy the Finn sailing. The boat is a challenge in heavy weather and learning to master it can be a lot of fun. If you want to start a serious campaign than make sure you have proper help from a good physiotherapist to focus on the right exercises in the gym. This person can advise on exercise to prevent injuries. I had no such help and focused a lot on developing strength. When I started to suffer from back problems it was unfortunately too late.