Nov. 5, 2009

John Vandemoer is in his second year at the helm of Stanford Sailing after coaching the U.S. Naval Academy, where he led the Midshipmen to three national titles in 2007 and a final top-10 national ranking. Coach Vandemoer's squads are currently ranked No. 15 nationally in both the coed and women's divisions. This year's squad features 17 underclassmen. The 2000 graduate from Hobart College in upper state New York consistently sailed his club to top-three rankings including a fourth place finish at the team racing nationals and a second at the dinghy nationals. Gostanford caught up with the Sailing head coach recently to talk sailing and talk about the upcoming Big Sail, Big Game Week, on November 17 at St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco.

Q: Now in your second year, how has the transition been from coaching at the U.S. Naval Academy to Stanford? Are their similarities? Differences?

The transition has been easy.  the support Stanford Athletics gives  their coaches and players is amazing and it really helps me focus on  making my team better.  Both schools have incredible athletes who are  top notch students.  I think there is a lot of similarities between  the two as leaders scholars and athletes.

Q: For the novices out there, interested in boats, but who don't  know much about competitive sailing, how do you explain the sport to  them?

Our events or regattas are all day long and usually two days.  We  race around a race track and do multiple races each weekend, up to 18 to 20 a weekend.  We have two boats representing us, one that sails in  A division and one that sails in B division, their combined score  declares the winner.  We use a low point scoring system so first gives you one point and second gives you second, etc.  The team with the lowest score between A and B divisions wins.  The team with the best average score wins.  We sail two seasons a fall and a spring season their are championships in each season but the true Sailing National championship is at the end of the spring, thats what all the schools  work towards.

Q: Having experienced the gusts from the Pacific Ocean and the  different wind patterns that develop on the Bay, how is your "home  course" a unique challenge to competitors and an advantage for Stanford?

Our home waters is an advantage to us as we usually have stronger winds and currents then in most other parts of the country.  So when teams come to sail us either on the city front or in Redwood creek they really have to be prepared for our extreme conditions.  Just like any other sailing venue we have our own log of conditions and patterns we know is going to happen due to the forecast our current strength so  we know the possible conditions and directions we might get for either wind or current.  All this information helps us on our strategy for  our home race course.

Q: Before the "Big Game", you have the "Big Sail" between Cal and  Stanford... Tell us about your experiences last year at the meet, and what to expect this year?

The Big Sail is truly a special event with what seems to be the city  of San Francisco behind you.  It was great to meet the heros of  
Stanford's past as they cheered on the CARD to victory.  The Bands are  going nuts the commentators are biased to their respective schools it  is just a ton of fun.  St. Francis does a great job of hosting the  event.  I'm predicting a close event, I am confident that we have a  strong team ready to sail!

Q: Talking about your team, what makes a good sailor, and which  athletes best exhibit that on your team, and why?

Being a good sailor takes a lot of different skill sets.  The best  sailors have great athleticism, quick thinking abilities and emotional  
maturity.  There is a lot out there that can happen completely out of  your control and you need to be able to make the best of it and move on.

Q: You have a diverse group of former athletes on your squad, from a  former figure skater, to a few track athletes, soccer players,   swimmers and water polo players, to the traditional men and women  that grew up on the docks, What does it take to sail for Stanford?

We do have a great group of walk-on sailors who act as crews on our   team.  The common trait between all of them is their athleticism,  their smarts and their drive to be part of a great team.  New players  always add a fresh look to our team and sport and it makes us better  to keep our eyes open and learn to be great teachers.  Teaching your sport always makes you better at your skill sets and helps you work on  your emotional maturity as well, otherwise known as patients.  We take  walk ons every year through a tryout, we do look for athletes from  other sports who can add to our teams professionalism and drive.