Recently in District 3, Chris won the Laser North American Championship in the Laser
Full-Rigs and we asked him to tell us the key to his victory.
- Rob Koci
I think the key to the regatta for me was not giving up. I had some bad luck early and picked up a 19th place in the qualifying series. After that, I decided to take it one race at a time and not worry about results. I guess winning it proves it was a sound strategy and that it's not over until it's over.
I had really good starts and first beats all event. I knew who my rivals were so I never started too far away from them. Once I got off the line, I basically sailed fast and waited for the race to come to me.
Something to think about in your next regatta: It was interesting to have the orange flag right at the bow of the race committee boat. I think most people started too far behind the line for this reason - it made a huge difference for me.
Chris Dold has just finished his Civil Engineering degree at Queen's. He is now sailing full-time in a bid for a berth at the 2012 Olympics. He has been a member of the Canadian Sailing Team for the past three years. Through the winter, he will be training and coaching at the International Sailing Academy, La Cruz, Mexico.
