is a sailing crew of 14 athletes bankrolled by billionaire software tycoon, Larry Ellison. Every three years, these Olympians and world champions are called upon to compete for the聽America鈥檚 Cup title in a spectacle that鈥檚 been dubbed the world鈥檚 .听
Nine years ago, America鈥檚 Cup聽boats had a top speed of about 11.5 mph, . That 35 mph leap comes from a combo of intense training and a greater focus on boat design. 鈥淟eaning how to sail is maybe 10 to 20 percent of it,鈥� says Team Oracle member . 鈥淭he other 80 to 90 percent is developing the boat to make it as fast as possible.鈥澛�
For that, Oracle has an . But they can鈥檛 do their jobs without quality feedback from the sailors. And the sailors can鈥檛 do their best without understanding how the boat works, right down to every last cable, panel, and button. In other words, the key to the sailors鈥� success, which includes two consecutive America鈥檚 Cup wins, is absolute mastery of their equipment.听
In the Oracle Team鈥檚 case, that鈥檚 a multi聽million-dollar聽vessel loaded with high-tech electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical features. For you, maybe it鈥檚 a time trial or mountain bike, skimo,聽or climbing equipment. Whatever your sport, you鈥檒l be a better athlete for knowing your stuff, inside and out. That way, you can tweak it for optimal performance鈥攅nhanced aerodynamics or grip, for instance. And when something goes south, you鈥檒l have a better handle on how to deal.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e training, we have a big support team in the water,鈥� Newton says. 鈥淏ut come race day, we鈥檙e by ourselves.鈥� If a certain system breaks down, their knowledge of the boat can help the team fix it or tweak their sailing technique to bypass that issue. Without that knowledge, says Newton, 鈥渨e might not think of ways around it.鈥澛�
Same goes for any athlete racing or training. You could limp down the road with a broken bike chain hoping SAG or a stranger with a Subaru will find you. But if you knew how to fix it, the break wouldn鈥檛 totally bust your ride.听
That鈥檚 why, on any given day at the Oracle Team鈥檚 HQ in Bermuda, it鈥檚 not unusual to find the sailors wrenching on their boat in between 1.5-hour long dryland sessions and hours of training on the water. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to have sound knowledge of the boat,鈥� Newton says. Wise words for all athletes, whatever your boat may be.听