TAMPA (FOX 13) - The summer Olympics are over, and now the mass exodus from London has begun.  More than 100,000 travelers flooded Heathrow airport Monday.

The airport even had to build a temporary games terminal with 31 check-in desks, just for the Olympics. Among those athletes who left late Sunday and returned to Tampa Bay were a pair of Olympic sailors from Clearwater.

Siblings Paige and Zach Railey told us they were wiped-out from the long trip back.

They got on a bus minutes after the closing ceremonies wrapped-up in London on Sunday night. They were up all night essentially before they touched-down at TIA.

"Thank you for being here everybody," said a humble Zach Railey to the crowd who'd gathered to greet them at TIA.

It was a hero's welcome, with flags and cheering.  The pair is weary from a long journey home.

"Alright! Smile," said Paige Railey with a big smile as she took a picture of the crowd, but they were not so tired they'd lost their sense of humor.

"It was a great time representing my country over there, but there's nothing like coming home," she said.

"There you go! Welcome home," a member in the crowd yelled, as they were both handed rose bouquets.

There was also a hug and a kiss for Zach from girlfriend Heidi Sedlmayr, who told us they'd been apart for a month.

There's a five-hour time difference she said, which also made it tough on the athletes.

"There's a lot of passing out really early and waking up really early," Sedlmayr said. "Go to sleep at 7, wake up at 3 in the morning; it definitely takes a few days of adjustment."

There was a huge contingent from the Clearwater Yacht Club, where Zach and Paige trained as youth sailors, starting at 8-years-old.  Folks waved flags and welcome signs, they couldn't have been more proud.

"Crazy, cheering the whole time, it's hard, hard work, they train left and right," he said. "They're great young kids. They really are."

Paige missed Bejing, but was first alternate, so she was hungry for a medal this time.  But it didn't happen.

"Having all the support back home was definitely a big motivator for me over there," she said.

"I'm incredibly proud of my sister," said Zach. "It's always been a lifelong dream to go to an Olympic games together."

Zach did have one win in London. He was named captain of the team.

"I got selected by my teammates as captain of the team," he said. "I was very humbled by that, and that was a huge honor for me."

This was Zach's second go at gold.  He brought silver back last time.

"I felt like I was a strong medal contender going into this, and unfortunately, the results weren't there," said Zach, who explained they had a plan and they stuck to it.

"Obviously disappointed with the result for sure, but the Olympic experience was absolutely amazing," he said.

"Honestly, I'm disappointed, I'm not happy," said Paige. "But you know, having all the support and seeing everyone cheer me on and being proud, has really made everything a lot better for me. So it's definitely given me the motivation to go back and try harder and make sure I bring that medal back home next time."

"We're going to spend some time with friends and family and obviously all the supporters and everyone who's helped us get there," Zach said.

They are looking forward to some down time with family and friends, but then it's right back to training hard.

After all, they've only got four years to get ready for Rio de Janeiro.


(myfoxtampabay.com)

Clearwater's Olympic sailing siblings, Paige and Zach Railey, have wrapped up their Olympic Games. Zach, right, 27, who had previously won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, didn't make the 2012 medal race in sailing a Finn, a men's single-handed heavyweight dinghy. Paige, 24, finished sixth in the medal race in the lighter-weight Laser Radial class. "I saw an improvement on things, and I'm happy," Paige told USA Sailing. "This week hasn't gone the way we planned," Zach told USA Sailing. The siblings learned to sail at the Clearwater Yacht Club and the Clearwater Community Sailing Center.


(tampabay.com)

proCane Zach Railey of the United States on the downwind leg in the Finn Class race at Weymouth & Portland. Notice Zach is wearing his Miami Hurricanes cap as always.

Zach Railey was back on form today in the men’s one person dinghy heavy event (Finn). The first two days of racing, July 29-30, did not produce the results he wanted. Today’s races 5 and 6 produced a second and eighth. This brings Railey up to 12th overall. 'The decisions I made in the first couple of races in this regatta, I still feel like they were good decisions based on our training,' said Railey. 'The wind didn’t go my way and that’s part of sailboat racing.'

For today’s racing, held in similar conditions but on Weymouth Bay, Railey explained he stuck with the plan he and his coach Kenneth Andreasen put together. 'I was very confident the left hand was going to pay on the upwind in the first race,' he said. 'I had a great start at the pin, went out left with Jonas and rounded in third at the top mark. I was able to pass a boat and get a second. I feel very good about that race.'

The Finn takes a reserve day on Aug. 1 and resumes on Aug. 2 with two scheduled races. The series continues through Aug. 3 with the medal race scheduled for Aug. 5.


(sail-world.com)

Going into the 2008 Olympics Zach Railey was a relative unknown. He was one of the newest sailors in the class and was not really expected to win a medal. However his consistency in the early days left him leading the regatta and he was suddenly the centre of attention. As the event closed out he held his cool despite being match raced out of the first attempt to get the medal race away by the eventual Gold medalist Ben Ainslie. Zach eventually took Silver a day later when it was re-sailed in strong winds and big seas. It was a day that changed his life, and the realisation of an ambition that started when he was 12.

Now, four years later he is the US Team Captain and a role model for a generation of young sailors. He started sailing at age eight, following a suggestion from his family dentist to try summer sailing classes. Sailing Optimists until he was almost 13 he switched to the Radial and then the Laser, but outgrew each boat in turn. Then Chris Cook (CAN) asked Zach to sail with him one day in a Finn and he has been hooked ever since.

Last time around the US Olympic trials was a single winner-takes-all regatta. Like many elements of the new US approach to Olympic sailing, the trials system has radically changed, and this time around major regattas were used as indicators. 'I like the new format as it measures you against the international competition you will race against at the Olympics. It also allows you to continue on the Olympic circuit without having to come home and concentrate on a trials event in the middle of the season. Overall, I think this was a huge success and I think it should be the way forward for our qualifications for 2016 and beyond. There may have to be some different regattas used next time but the general idea is a huge success.'

While winning the Silver in China was a massive achievement by any standards, bettering that colour in Weymouth is an even bigger ask, yet Zach is never negative about his chances and always focusses on what he is able to control.

'It is a big ask to qualify for the Olympics let alone then medal or win. This is hard and you are competing against the best in the world. That being said I am confident in my abilities and confident in the training and planning that has gone into the last four years. These are the best Finn sailors in the world going head to head at their best and that is the exact situation I want to put myself into and see where I come out in the end. It is the ultimate test and I can't wait for it to begin.'

'I race every race from a clean slate. I do not worry about the end result until the regatta takes me there. My job is to go out and post the best results that I can in each race and see how the regatta unfolds. Every event is different and there is no way to predict what will happen so I worry about me and let the results speak for themselves. If I am beaten by someone because they were better than I was, I can accept that, but I cannot accept beating myself.'

'The athletes always get better and better and smarter and smarter. It is amazing the progress you see over just a four year period. You have to constantly keep making improvements or you get left behind. I think physically this four years has been a huge difference as I am now almost 40 pounds heavier than when I was in China. That has taken a lot of work and I am very proud of getting my body ready for the conditions in Weymouth.. I also think the addition of the free pumping rule to 10 knots has made the boat much more physically gruelling and has really pushed the class forward in terms of a true athletic test.'

Over the last four years Zach has matured as a Finn sailor and has achieved a resonable level of success on the circuit. A year after the Olympic medal he took another silver, this time at the Finn God Cup in Copenhagen, and very nearly won the world title. Over the last two years he has picked up several medals including a silver at Hyeres in 2011 and a silver at Palma earlier this year. He also took gold, albeit in a smaller fleet at Miami this year. Top 10 places at the last four world championships is evidence enough that he is a force to be reckoned with, as well as being a record that not many other Finn sailors in Weymouth can match.

'I like to challenge myself. For me that means sailing against the best and trying to beat the best. For sailing that means the Olympics, Volvo Ocean Race or the America's Cup. I fell in love with the Olympics in 1996 when Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games. I was 12 years old and remember watching Michael Johnson win the 200 meters on TV and thought one day I could be there. I'm living the dream right now.'

'You have to be very dedicated to do an Olympic campaign, so dedicated that most people see it as being selfish. I don't think of myself as selfish but as a person who has a dream and knows that there are people out there who will help me achieve my dream. I know that I have given up so much to get to this point but I am perfectly content with the decision to do so because I am doing exactly what I have always wanted to do with my life.'

'I know that most people will not understand why you would sacrifice so much but I have a great support system and they sometimes don't understand it themselves, but they will always stand by me no matter what sacrifices have to be made. One of my favourite quotes is: 'Talent is common. Disciplined talent is rare'I believe that I am a very disciplined person.'

What about the sacrifices? 'My personal life has taken the biggest toll. I have an amazing family who are incredibly supportive of what I do, and also what my sister Paige does, and we have both made it to the Olympics in 2012 because of our family support system. The number of relationships lost over the years because of being gone, doing so much training and travelling are too many to count but I would change nothing, it's all worth it, and those who have been there for the long haul are truly special to me.'

Did winning an Olympic medal in 2008 change his life? 'It certainly brought a lot more attention to me after 2008. That took some time for me to adjust to afterwards. I think the greatest thing about it was the opportunities I was given to achieve some none sailing goals like the OliviaLives Charity (OliviaLives.com) which is a huge accomplishment for Paige, myself, our entire family and all of the supporters who help make it a success.'

'Also, becoming a role model for younger sailors to show them that they can do exactly what I have done. Expectations, of course, have gone up and you accept that as part of the territory.'

In 2008 Zach was famously sailed out of the first attempt at the medal race in very light winds by a ruthless Ben Ainslie. They were both way behind the fleet when it was finally abandoned. When it was re-sailed in strong winds, it was easier for Zach to sail his own race and secure the Silver. Did he learn anything that will help in 2012? 'I think the biggest lesson from the experience is to always to be prepared for any situation.'

Getting the gear right is a crucial part of winning in the Finn as the rig can be tailored around particular body weights and sailing styles.'This is an area where I really learned a lot over the past four years. With my big weight change and the difference in my strength and techniques we changed my gear, but they are small changes like having a little bit stiffer mast in some areas. It is nothing that the other competitors have not done themselves.'

'Most of it had to do with my weight gain and getting the correct bend in the mast to support the weight and strength I had added and then matching the sail to that mast. My gear in 2008 was for when I weighed 185 pounds and was for a light air venue. Now I am much larger and Weymouth is a very different venue so we needed to add some more strength to my equipment and power in the rig.'

The last four years has also seen the introduction of free pumping on offwind legs in winds over 10 knots and this has changed the game a bit, favouring the tall, athletic sailors. Has there been a change in rig design or sail shape brought on by the free pumping rule? 'I do not think there has been a change because of the pumping rule with equipment, but physically it's been a huge development of maintaining power while increasing your cardiovascular capacity. It's very hard to maintain both correctly and we have worked hard to get where I am at today.'

At a venue like Weymouth with many different conditions, how do you select the right gear? 'Great question and I wish I knew 100% the answer. I think you need to develop your gear for what conditions are most likely to be present but not totally specialise them in case there are a few days that are different. So you go with an all around set-up. Weymouth could be anything – we have seen it all there – but compared to China in 2008 it is a much windier and colder venue.'

Does he have any rituals or superstitions when racing? 'I do have a few that mostly go back a long way. I always wear a University of Miami hat, I listen to the same song before going on the water, which no one knows not even my family and lastly I will not shave during a regatta except for the night before the medal race. So I guess I am superstitious but they are fun.'

What's planned after the Olympics? 'I am really interested in the Volvo Ocean Race and want to do some more offshore sailing after the Olympics. Of course, the America's Cup has always been a dream and we will see if an opportunity presents itself there in the future. My big three in sailing have always been Olympics, Volvo Ocean Race and the America's Cup. After 2012, we will see which one of those three I put my efforts toward but for now its all about the Olympics.'

And Finn sailing? 'I love the Finn and I will always have one for sure and compete at events. As for doing another campaign in the Finn...'

When asked to pick three favourites for a medal? 'This one is hard. I really think that there are about 10 guys who can make it happen and be on the podium. To narrow it down to three is what the Olympics will tell us. Ask me again on August 6th.'

And finally, what are you looking forward to the most over the next few weeks? 'Walking into the Opening Ceremony with my sister Paige. We have been dreaming of that moment since we were little kids. It's going to be a very special moment for both of us.'


(sail-world.com)

In this edition of the Meet the Team series, we introduce readers to 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Zach Railey. This Clearwater, Florida native is about to compete in his second Olympic Games in the Finn class.  Zach, who is the 2012 Team Captain, explains what it means to compete for Team USA and why the 2012 Games will be a family affair.
How and when did you first get involved in sailing?
When I was eight years old our family dentist suggested it to us. Our parents don’t sail and they thought it was a good idea.

What motivates you to pursue an Olympic sailing campaign?
Representing your country on the world’s biggest athletic stage and knowing you are there to represent your country and bring home a medal is a lot of pressure, but something I dream about everyday!  Each day I wake up and work toward that goal. I have that visual in my head of standing on the podium again knowing that I had done what we had set out to do for the USA. 

What would winning an Olympic medal mean to you?
It would mean that all the hard work, dedication and sacrifice of not just me, but so many others, had paid off!  I sail an individual boat, but it is far from an individual effort and we could collectively celebrate in the achievement.  There is so much meaning wrapped up inside a medal when I look at an Olympic medal. I don't see the medal itself but look back on the sacrifice it took to win it not only from myself but of others who helped me get there. It is a special achievement and to do it again would be incredible. 

How have you filled your time since Sail for Gold?
We’ve had a plan laid out for four years. We are at the end of that plan now. I’ve taken a little bit of time off (since Sail for Gold), but spent two weeks training in Weymouth. We are in the home stretch and feel really good about where we’re at. The things we have worked on and the corrections we’ve made, we’re going to be a serious contender.

Is it more meaningful to have your sister Paige at the Games this time?
With Paige and me qualifying it’s a huge moment for both of us. It’s hard to put it into words. It’s a lifelong dream to go to the Olympic Games again and to do it with my sister is very exciting. Last time was incredibly disappointing for both of us. It was exhilarating for me and incredibly heartbreaking for her. It would mean a lot if we can be successful in 2012.

What are you known for on and off the water?
I am hard headed and very determined toward reaching my goals, but know when to have fun and when to turn it on to reach those goals. 

What other non-sailing interests or hobbies do you have?
Anything to do with the water:  Fishing, scuba diving, water skiing, going to the beach, days on the boat.


(bymnews.com)

When it's time to line up to march into the stadium for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, Zach Railey will make sure little sister Paige is at his side.

It's the moment the sailing siblings from Clearwater, Fla., have been waiting years for.

"It will sink in for us when we walk in together at the opening ceremony," Zach Railey said. "That's what we've always dreamed about, a brother and sister standing next to each other walking in. It's a dream come true."

Zach Railey, 28, knows the drill. He made his Olympic debut at Beijing, winning the silver medal in the Finn class.

Paige didn't make those Olympics. She flipped her boat in the trials and lost to Anna Tunnicliffe, who went on to win the gold medal in the Laser Radial class.

"It was incredibly exciting for me to go in 2008, but it was also incredibly disappointing for Paige." Zach Railey said. "We think of ourselves as a team. So we were successful in me going, but we were unsuccessful in Paige going. That's always been what it's about, the two of us going together and the two us being successful at the Olympics. We learned from that experience in 2008 and we came back and didn't let it beat us, and now we're going in 2012 and we can't wait."

Both are strong medals contenders, although Zach Railey has the difficult task of being in the same class with British star Ben Ainslie, who will be trying for his fourth straight Olympic gold medal and fifth medal overall.

"We've always been a key support system for one another, so to go to the Olympics together is one of the best things in the world," said Paige Railey, 25. "We're going to do everything we can to be there for one another and bring home those medals for the country."

The Raileys grew up as self-described water rats. Sailing just happened to be the sport they excelled at.

"We were pretty much those tan little hippie babies with bleach-blond hair running around with their mom down at the beach," Paige Railey said. "It just seemed like a natural thing for us to go into a sport that was associated with the water. Our whole life was based around the water."

When Zach was 8, their family dentist suggested that his mother, Ann, enroll him in a summer sailing program. Three years later, it was Paige's turn. They both fell in love with the sport and began winning regattas.

"You look back to when we were 14, 15, 16 years old, we were traveling around together, we were going to the gym together, we were going through the same experiences," Zach Railey said. "We experienced the ups and downs together. You form a relationship outside of just being a brother and sister. That is what has brought us together, closer than just having a family relationship, is that we also have an athletic relationship.
"When you understand the time and the commitment that goes into it, you want each other to do well," he said.

That's what made it so difficult when, on the same day in October 2007, Zach Railey qualified for the Beijing Olympics and Paige didn't. While Zach won his trials -- only one boat per class per country qualifies for the Olympics -- Paige's chances ended in a split second when she caught her life jacket in the boom and flipped her boat.

"Not only was that a race for the Olympic berth, but it was very widely known around the world that whoever won that event was going to be a medal contender at the Olympics," Zach Railey said.

Sure enough, Tunnicliffe won the gold medal. Tunnicliffe then moved into the women's match racing class and will be seeking her second gold medal at Weymouth on the English Channel.

"It was so gut-wrenchingly disappointing," Zach Railey said. "It was an emotional, emotional, emotional time for our family. But I think that our family is so close and we're incredibly strong and we support each other, that we got through it. But it was tough, it was really, really tough. It was tough on all of us. I can tell you it's much better this time around with both of us going."

While disappointed that she didn't go to Beijing, Paige Railey said she was ecstatic for Zach.

"Just because I couldn't go, my brother was there representing both of us," she said. "He went there and he won a silver medal and we got to celebrate. The most respectful thing my brother did is he received a lot of publicity and he never left me behind. When he reached his goal and got his silver medal, when he was meeting his sponsors or talking to the press, he was always saying, `My sister Paige.' He took me along for the ride. I have a lot of respect for my brother. I'll always be grateful for that. It means so much more that I get to go the games with him because when I was sad over not making the games, my brother was there for me. He never left me behind."

After losing in the trials, Paige Railey finished college before starting her campaign for London.

"It was out of my control and there was nothing I could do, so instead of taking it as a negative, I turned it around and made that trials a positive and I learned from it," Paige Railey said. "I wasn't going to let that setback ruin my career."

The Raileys achieved their goal of going to the Olympics together when they clinched berths for London during the world championships in Australia in December.

`'It's certainly one of those things where we understood that the chances of one of us not being successful again were high," Zach Railey said. "Our goal is to go to the Olympic games and win medals. We were relieved, we were excited and then we got refocused on the next goal, which is getting on the podium in London."

Zach Railey has told his sister about the pressures of competing at the Olympics, the attention it brings and the responsibility that comes with it.
As a 12-year-old, Zach Railey became smitten with the Olympics while watching on TV as Michael Johnson won the 200 meters in his gold shoes at the Atlanta Games. At Beijing, after winning his silver, he watched in person as Usain Bolt, also wearing gold shoes, broke Johnson's world record in winning the gold medal.

Railey's next big Olympic moment will be marching into the Olympic Stadium with his sister.

"We're going to be side by side, having fun," he said.


(espn.com)

Zach Railey earned silver in the Finn four years ago in China.  Railey has qualified for the 2012 Olympic team, as has his sister Paige, and he is gunning for gold but three-time Olympic Finn champion Ben Ainslie will stand in his way.

How would you compare qualifying for your second Olympic team to campaigning for the 2008 Games? I agree that the second time back is harder. If I compare it to the first time around in 2008, there wasn’t as much attention on me personally. There’s a lot of attention that’s come from my success at the Games in 2008. I think I’ve had to learn to deal with that and that’s been a development for me over the last few years. But I also think it is exciting to know that I have the ability to perform at the Olympics. I’ve already been there and done that so I think it is a bit of a competitive advantage to know that I’ve been there, I’ve done it before, I know what it takes. I’m very confident in what we are doing this time around.

How do you ensure you rise to your medal-winning standards from four years ago this time? I’m a very big believer in myself and Kenneth, my coach, in changing things because if you don’t change stuff you don’t get better. If you just stay with what you know and what you know is working at the time, other people will figure things out that you haven’t figured out or gotten better at. And then they pass you and then you start getting beat. So one of the big things that I do and work with our coaches, our nutritionists, our trainers, is we try different things and we purposely negatively affect our results by doing that. And we know that. But we know that in the process of trying to find a way to go faster downwind or have a better start or have a better technique upwind, we will make ourselves better in the future. So I’m okay with taking a step or two back if I can take three or four steps forward at an event like a World Championships or at an Olympic Games.

What have you learned from racing against Ben Ainslie, three-time Olympic Finn champion? I think the biggest thing I’ve learned from Ben and racing against him is just his deep down desire to want to win and to want to reach his goals. He will set his mind to something and he won’t let anything get in the way. I know that he is an incredibly fierce competitor. Someone who, on the racecourse, is someone that you have to be at your very best to beat. I love racing against guys like that and I love the challenge of going up against somebody like Ben. A lot of people will be scared and intimidated by it but I’m actually very motivated by it.

You were neck-and-neck with Ainslie for several races in China. Yes, I was neck and neck with him when we were in China for the first three or four days of that event. I think realistically when I look back on it, I wasn’t ready to beat Ben in China. I knew that going in. I knew what my goals were. I was ranked outside the top 10 in the world, was new in the class, had set a goal to be on the podium. I achieved that goal. But this time around our goals are a little bit different.

Have you spent time helping some of the younger U.S. Finn sailors? Yes, that’s one of the great things with the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics is that we have been able to start the Development Team. That’s been something that all of us have worked very hard on because we know that I’m not going to be able to sail the Finn forever. Paige isn’t going to be able to sail the Radial forever. We want to know that in 2016, 2020, 2024, that the U.S. Sailing Team Alphagraphics still has     sailors and athletes that can go in and win medals at the Olympic Games. I don’t want to walk away from this and say our 2008 and 2012 team was the best we ever had. I want to say that the 2008 and 2012 team was when the U.S. Sailing Team Alphagraphics changed and when they started basically breeding excellence and making sure that we’re contenders in all the Olympic classes when we go to the Olympic Games.

Have you talked to previous great Finn sailors? I have talked to a lot of past Finn sailors, past Olympians. I think that was one of the things that helped me a lot at the 2008 Olympics. The biggest piece of advice that they all gave me was to enjoy the experience. Going to the Olympic Games is something that you work your entire life for, not only as an individual but everyone that has been there to help you get to that point. I think a lot of people forget to kind of celebrate the fact that you’ve been to the Olympics and enjoy the experience. I think in getting that advice from people that have been there before really helped me take in the moment of being at the Olympic Games and not allowing the nervousness and not allowing the attention and everything that comes with being at the Olympics affect my ability to go out and perform.

The U.S. has won several silver medals in the Finn.  Are you going to be the one who gets the gold? That’s the goal. The goal is to make sure that if I’m prepared enough and I understand the competition that I’m up against and I know that I have to sail at my very best at the Olympic Games this year. I have to go in with the mindset that if I don’t sail to the best of my ability, then my results are going to be a silver because that’s how good I’m going to have to be to be able to beat Ben.

You never won a single race in China but you had a great average.  Is that the key to earning a medal? Our goal was to go in 2008 and win a medal. If you think about it, if you go into the Olympic Games and say if I just finish seventh in every race I’m going to have a chance to achieve that goal. That’s what we went into the Olympics thinking. We weren’t worried about the color. Would I have loved for it to have been a Gold medal? Absolutely. I’d be kidding myself if I didn’t say that. But I was realistic with the goals that we had but also knew that I was trying to achieve a very lofty goal at the same time in being on the podium. So that’s what we went in with the mindset. It’s going to be the same mindset this time around. If there’s a boat in front of me, I’m going to figure out how to pass it because every point on the racecourse is going to count.

How do you feel about your sister, Paige, also being on the Olympic team this time? That’s the most exciting part about this whole process and this whole experience is that the two of us get to go together. I don’t think people realize how disappointing last time around was for the two of us. We’ve had a dream of wanting to go to the Olympic Games together since we were 12 or 13 years old. That dream was crushed last time around. So I had to regroup. She had to regroup and refocus on 2012 but I had to refocus on 2008. She helped me in that process. I know how hard it was for her to support me through that. It’s very sweet that we’re together on this team and we’ve come back really strong both as individuals but we look at each other as a team.  I think we’ve come back stronger this time around.

At the Olympics there is only one boat per country, whereas the World Championships can have several sailors per country.  Will the Olympics be easier for that reason? A lot of people say it is harder to win a world championship than it is to win a gold medal. I kind of disagree with that a little bit because I think maybe if you look at it competitive wise, there may be more higher level competitors from one country at the world championships but at the Olympic Games, whoever is there for that country is an incredibly good athlete and an incredibly good sailor. But then the pressures of having to perform at the Olympic Games with all the attention that comes from the Olympic Games, representing your country.  Four years of your life, or eight years of your life coming down to one week and having to make it happen that week.  That’s a very, very unique situation. So for me I think performing at the Olympic Games would be much harder than performing at the world championships. That’s why it’s the Olympics. That’s why it is so special is just because of that.


(nbcolympics.com)

CLEARWATER, Fla. - When Zach Railey won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in China, his elation was tempered because his sister Paige, also a world-class sailor, had narrowly missed making the U.S. team.

But this time around, the seafaring siblings from Clearwater, Fla., have both scored a berth at the 2012 Olympic Games in England. They qualified in December during the International Sailing Federation's Sailing World Championships in Perth, Australia.

"We both understand how fortunate we are to have this opportunity -- and this responsibility," said Zach, 27.

He'll be sailing a Finn, a men's single-handed heavyweight dinghy, and she'll be competing in the lighter-weight Laser Radial class during the games, which will run from July 27 to Aug. 12. The 10 Olympic sailing events -- six for men, four for women -- feature a variety of craft from windsurfing boards to keelboats.

Although the event is billed as the London Olympics, the sailing races will take place in Weymouth and Portland, where the conditions could be blustery, rainy and cold.

"There are huge weather systems that come through there," Zach said.

Whatever challenges come, the pair say they're prepared, mentally and physically.

A typical day may include morning and afternoon workouts in a gym, several more hours of training on the water, sponsor obligations, interviews, fundraising activities and, often, travel.

It will cost Zach about $170,000 to get to the Olympics. Paige will require just more than $100,000 -- less because her boat and equipment aren't as expensive. The U.S. Sailing Team AlphaGraphics contributes about a third of their costs, and the sailors have to raise the balance on their own.
It's all not quite as glamorous as some might imagine, they say.

"This is a job with little time for anything else," said Paige, 24. "It consumes your entire life. People think we travel all over, but in reality, no matter what country you're in, you see the same scenery all the time: the gym and the yacht club."

"I've been to France 15 times, but I've never toured the Eiffel Tower," Zach said. "Wherever we go, we're there to race and compete."

At age 8, Zach learned to sail on tiny Optimist Prams at the Clearwater Yacht Club and the Clearwater Community Sailing Center. He loved horsing around out there, picking up crab pots and feeling free out on the sparkling Florida waters.

Paige and her twin sister, Brooke, soon followed suit.

By age 10, Zach had qualified for the Optimist World Championships in Finland. At 16, he made the U.S. Sailing Team.

Brooke opted for other sports, but Paige experienced a meteoric rise to the top and joined the U.S. team at 17. She's been a formidable competitor in the ISAF Sailing World Cup Series and was ranked No. 1 when she graduated from high school in 2005.

One might assume the duo grew up in a family of salts. But parents Ann and Dan Railey never learned how to sail.

During Zach's and Paige's years at Clearwater High School, there was no time for proms and parties. Competitive schedules meant hitting the gym before the crack of dawn, sailing in the afternoon, and doing homework late at night.

Then there were choices about which college trajectory to take.

"There comes a time when every serious sailor has to decide whether they want to take the collegiate track or the Olympic track," Paige said, "and we chose the Olympics, which meant lots and lots of training and picking a college that will work with you."

Paige selected the University of South Florida and Zach went to the University of Miami, where the U.S. Sailing Center Miami has an official Olympic training center.

Paige lost her Olympic bid in 2007 when her life jacket caught the boom, capsizing her boat during the qualifying medal race. Now Paige says she's older, wiser, more experienced and up for the challenge.

"When I was younger, I couldn't handle the pressure. Now I really enjoy it," she said.

And should they win the gold and be invited to appear on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," as some previous Olympians have, they're always up for new challenges.

"It would be awesome," said Zach.


(shns.com)

CLEARWATER When Zach Railey won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in China, his elation was tempered because his sister Paige, also a world class sailor, had narrowly missed making the U.S. Olympic team.

But this time around, the seafaring siblings from Clearwater have both scored a berth at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in England. They qualified in December during the International Sailing Federation's (ISAF) Sailing World Championships in Perth, Australia.

"We both understand how fortunate we are to have this opportunity — and this responsibility," said Zach, 27.

He'll be sailing a Finn, a men's single-handed heavyweight dinghy, and she'll be competing in the lighter-weight Laser Radial class during the games, which will run from July 27 to Aug. 12. The 10 Olympic sailing events — six for men, four for women — feature a variety of craft from windsurfing boards to keelboats.

Although this is billed as the London Olympics, the sailing races will take place in Weymouth and Portland, England, a venue where the conditions could be blustery, rainy and cold.

"There are huge weather systems that come through there," Zach said.

Whatever challenges the elements and the competition invoke, the pair say they're well prepared, both mentally and physically.

A typical day may include a morning and afternoon workout in a gym, several more hours of training on the water, sponsor obligations, interviews, fundraising activities and, often, travel.

It will cost Zach about $170,000 to get to the Olympics. Paige will require just over $100,000 — less because her boat and equipment aren't as expensive. The U.S. Sailing Team AlphaGraphics contributes about a third of their costs, and the sailors have to raise the balance on their own.
It's all not quite as glamorous as some might imagine, they say.

"This is a job with little time for anything else," said Paige, 24. "It consumes your entire life. People think we travel all over, but in reality, no matter what country you're in, you see the same scenery all the time: the gym and the yacht club."

"I've been to France 15 times, but I've never toured the Eiffel Tower," said Zach. "Wherever we go, we're there to race and compete."

At age 8, Zach learned to sail on tiny Optimist Prams at the Clearwater Yacht Club and the Clearwater Community Sailing Center. He loved horsing around out there, picking up crab pots and feeling free out on the sparkling Florida waters.

Paige and her twin sister, Brooke, soon followed suit.

By age 10, Zach had qualified for the Optimist World Championships in Finland. At 16, he made the U.S. Sailing Team.

Likewise, Paige experienced a meteoric rise to the top and joined the U.S. team at 17. She's been a formidable competitor in the ISAF Sailing World Cup Series and was ranked No. 1 when she graduated from high school in 2005.

One of her biggest motivations for racing success?

"I didn't want to be known as 'Zach's little sister,' " she said. "And, I wanted to beat the boys."

Considering their accomplishments, one might assume the duo grew up in a family of salts. But parents Ann and Dan Railey never learned how to sail.

During Zach and Paige's years at Clearwater High School, there was no time for proms and parties. Competitive schedules meant hitting the gym before the crack of dawn, sailing in the afternoon, and homework late at night.

Paige's sister, Brooke, on the other hand, followed the more traditional path, branching out with softball, cheerleading and sorority life.
Then there were choices about which college trajectory to take.

"There comes a time when every serious sailor has to decide whether they want to take the collegiate track or the Olympic track," Paige said, "and we chose the Olympics, which meant lots and lots of training and picking a college that will work with you."

Paige selected the University of South Florida and Zach went to the University of Miami, where the U.S. Sailing Center Miami has an official Olympic training center.

Paige lost her Olympic bid in 2007 when her life jacket caught the boom, capsizing her boat during the qualifying medal race. It was sailor Anna Tunnicliffe who would go on to win the gold medal for the UnitedStates in the Laser Radial class. Now Paige says she's older, wiser, more experienced and up for the challenge.

"When I was younger, I couldn't handle the pressure. Now I really enjoy it," she said. To de-stress, she says she takes three deep meditative breaths and tells herself to get on with the win.

Then there's the other trick.

"It's motivating, too, to think that your competitors are more nervous than you," Paige said.

Zach has his own rituals.

"I always wear my University of Miami hat. I have a secret song I listen to. I don't shave during the regatta until the night before the medal race."

And should they win the gold and be invited to appear on ABC's Dancing with the Stars like some previous Olympians, they're always up for new challenges.

"It would be awesome," said Zach.


(tampabay.com)

Scroll to the 5-minute mark.

A number of sailors had outstanding results and breakout performances at last week’s US Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR. However, no sailor was as dominant as Finn sailor Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), a member of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. Railey cruised through 11 races in the 25-boat Finn class and won by an 18-point margin. He won six races and finished the regatta with nothing worse than a third-place result in any race. US Sailing caught up with the 2008 Olympic silver medalist following last week’s ISAF Sailing World Cup event to discuss the win and his training leading up to the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in Weymouth, England. 

US Sailing: How did it feel to win your first ever gold medal in an ISAF Sailing World Cup event?
Railey: It was great to get the first one, and to do it in the U.S. and in Miami where I spent a considerable amount of time training and racing was extra special. I sailed at the University of Miami, so it’s always nice to get a win here. It means a lot to me because I was able to have my family here to share the moment with. Of course my sister Paige is here competing, and my parents were able to come down for the final day of racing.

US Sailing: Are you satisfied with how you are competing now as we approach the Olympics this summer?
Railey: I think we’ve put together a solid overall plan to get me prepared for Weymouth. We are on schedule, if not ahead of schedule with six months to go. We also understand that there is a long list of things that need to get done. That’s one of the important things about knowing that this is a four year process. You have to continually get better all the time. One of the hardest things to do is to take a few steps back before you can take steps forward. For us, we are not afraid to change things and experiment to see if we can get better. Hopefully everything comes together for the Olympics. We feel confident about what we are doing.

US Sailing: What type of experimenting are you doing with your preparation?
Railey: We are experimenting with everything, including on the technical side, with different sails, cloth materials, sail shapes, panel layouts, mast characteristics, how we sail the boat, our technique, decisions on the race course. It really never ends. We also experiment with our physical fitness by making sure we are at the correct weight, with a focus on weight distribution, body fat percentages, nutritional combinations of what I am eating on the water versus off the water, what I am eating before a race, post race, during a race. The list is exhausting. We are constantly working on things and checking them off the list. The goal is to have everything covered in six months for the Olympics.

US Sailing: Discuss your training regimen and what goes into the decisions you make to be at your best physically?
Railey: We’ve been working hard with our performance enhancement team. Chris Herrera from Bow Down Training has put together a great program. Right now we do cardio sessions in the morning. During the regatta, cardio is very light if we do any. It depends on how heavy the wind is forecasted that day. If we expect heavy wind, we won’t have a morning cardio session. After I sail, we debrief, get something to eat, and go to gym for a couple hours. There is one more big event this year and that’s the Olympics, so we understand that if we have a six or seven day event, we know that it is six or seven days we could have been lifting at the gym and getting stronger to get ready for ultimate goal at the Olympics. When I am not at the event, I am at the gym twice a day with cardio in the morning and weights at night, Monday through Saturday. I take Sunday off or I’ll do some light jogging or stretching.

I can’t give enough credit to the performance enhancement team and the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. From our physical therapists to sports psychology, I believe we have competitive advantage because of their work. The time and effort we put in off the water is starting to show on the water. We push ourselves physically more than we ever have.

The program is specifically tailored to what I need in the Finn. It factors in things like my body type and what my metabolism is like. Stu McNay in the 470, for example, is doing a program completely different than what I am doing. Our bodies are different. Our weight is different. The needs in the boat for what our bodies and muscles need to do are different. What’s amazing about the program is that they are so specific and detailed for what we need as an individual athlete. I don’t think there is another program in the world that can do what Bow Down has done. The science that goes into it is incredible.

US Sailing: What is it like to have discussions with your family about actually having the opportunity to sail with your sister Paige in the Olympics?
Railey: It’s very interesting that we have this opportunity and obviously our family is excited. We don’t know how we are going to handle it yet. We want it to be a competitive advantage for us. There are lots of different pressures at the Olympics. Having my family there to relieve some of those pressures is really going to help us. It will be an incredible experience and a lifelong dream for our entire family. I can’t wait for it to happen. It has been a dream since we were little kids. To miss out on it in 2008 and for Paige to come back as strong as she has is impressive. To realize that goal will add to the experience of the Olympics. It will be a massive competitive advantage for us.


(ussailing.org)

Racing summary:  US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics won one gold, two silver and one bronze medals on the concluding day of US Sailing’s 2012 Rolex Miami OCR in the Finn, Women’s RS:X, 49er and Women’s Match Racing, respectively. The regatta was capped off today with the final medal race, a double-points race to determine overall medalists where USSTAG won four of the medal races.

Performance highlights include: Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) could do no wrong this week, winning the medal race and securing his first ISAF Sailing World Cup gold medal. “Yesterday I was able to put myself into a good situation before the medal race,” said Railey. “I definitely knew there would be some pressure from the Danish sailor. We were locked into a really tight match race right before the start, I was able to break away before the start and sail my own race.”

After a somewhat disappointing World Championship last month in Australia, Railey refocused and came back stronger. “That was the goal going in; I wanted to capitalize on the week, and go out in a dominating fashion for the week. Getting that goal accomplished is definitely a huge plus for us. It’s been a great week. I’ll be very honest. I was disappointed with the World Championships. I had a black flag in the third race. I really had to change the way I approach my regattas. I wanted to come here and show that all of the training we’ve putting in is paying off. We worked a lot on boat speed and technical set up. We really want to try and start putting it together and performing at events. At the Worlds, getting a black flag was my fault. I had to switch my focus and match the other USA boat.” (photo Mick Anderson/SailingPIX.dk)

USSTAG’s Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) finished 5th in the medal race for 5th overall.

The 2008 Olympic Silver medalist Zach Railey (USA) has started 2012 in the best possible way by dominating and winning the Rolex Miami OCR, the second event in the 2012 ISAF Sailing World Cup series.

Though numbers were down following the recent Perth 2011 ISAF World Sailing Championships, the front of the fleet was still very competitive with an Olympic medalist and a double world champion slugging it out for most of the week. At 26 boats it was also the same size fleet that will be at the Olympics this coming August, so it was good small fleet practice for many.

With a week of near perfect sailing conditions, Railey opened his series with three race wins. Afer that he never slipped below third in any of the next seven races and went into the medal race with a commanding 12 point lead. He won that as well to take the tally to seven and become the clear winner with a 18 point margin over the runner up.

Double world champion Jonas Hogh-Christensen (DEN) only managed to win one race all week, but a long string of second and third place finishes ensured he took home the silver medal, while third placed Greg Douglas (CAN) started the week badly with a black flag but was soon moving up the rankings with some good results, including a win in race eight.

Fourth placed Brendan Casey (AUS) – who had filled third place for most of the week – also won two races, but five races outside the top three, as well as a poor medal race cost him dearly. He only lost the bronze on countback to Douglas.

Douglas said, 'I am very happy with my event, having started with a black flag to end up third overall. It is only my second medal race - my first was at Delta Lloyd last year. The medal race is very tough because people are always changing positions in the race which effects their overall score.'

'The main thing I took away from this event is that every place counts. No matter what happens you have to push hard in every race to gain places because the points at the end will be close.'

Railey summed up his week. 'The regatta was great for training and racing with good wind and long courses. We sailed mostly in 8 to 16 knots so it was very hard work physically with free pumping and up to 1.5 mile legs. The top boats were always close so it was great racing and very hard physically pushing against each other.'

And going forward, 'We will just keep working on our goals and taking steps forward toward Weymouth. This event was a good measure for us in a number of areas we wanted to focus on and it gives me a lot of confidence we are moving in the correct direction.'

The Finn class has a very busy early part of the season. The European season will start early with the Semaine Internationale de Cannes from the 14-17 February, followed by the Athens Eurolymp from 4-8 March and then the increasingly popular Split Olympic Week from 7-11 March. The fleet then moves to Scarlino in Italy for the Senior and Junior European Championships from 19-24 March. Then it is off to Palma and Hyeres, before the Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, UK, the second and final country qualification regatta for Olympics.

Results (medal race in brackets)
1 USA 4 Zach Railey 15 (1)
2 DEN 2 Jonas Hogh Christensen 33 (4)
3 CAN 5 Greg Douglas 45 (3)
4 AUS 1 Brendan Casey 45 (8)
5 USA 11 Caleb Paine 48 (5)
6 CAN 902 Brendan Wilton 58 (2)
7 CAN 110 Martin Robitaille 71 (9)
8 EST 11 Lauri Vainsalu 92 (DNF)
9 NOR 1 Anders Pedersen 100 (7)
10 USA 21 Gordon Lamphere 101 (6)


(sail-world.com)

US Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR 2012, the second stop on the International Sailing Federation’s Sailing World Cup circuit, fourth day of racing kicked off today on the waters of Biscayne Bay.

The fourth day of racing saw consolidation in all of the classes, and for US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics athletes it was a day of solid performance in SKUD-18, Finn, Laser Radial, 49er, and Women’s RS:X. In Women’s Match Racing, Sally Barkow’s Team 7 Match Race of Alana O’Reilly (Charleston, S.C.) and Elizabeth Kratzig (Miami, Fla.) defeated Tamara Echegoyen (ESP) in three straight matches to advance to the Semi-Final Round on Friday.

Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) Zach Railey continued his dominance in the Finn, winning a race and finishing third in the other. He now has a comfortable lead on the fleet with second-place Jonas Hogh Christensen (DEN) a full 10 points back in second.


(sail-world.com)

It was another strong day of performance for US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics at US Sailing’s 2012 Rolex Miami OCR.

Sailed in Miami on Biscayne Bay, USA sailors hold top-10 spots in 11 of the 12 fleet racing classes spread across Olympic and Paralympic events. This event serves as the selection event for the US Paralympic Team as well as the US Sailing Development Team.

In the 26-boat Finn Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) continues to lead, picking up 2-1-2 today. With six races scored the fleet now has a throwout race and Railey discards a second leaving him with 6 points overall, a full 5 points ahead of the second-place Jonas Hogh Christensen (DEN). Another 6 points back is Brendan Casey (AUS) in third with USSTAG’s Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) in fourth.


(sail-world.com)

The RMOCR is the second stage of the ISAF Sailing World Cup.

Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) said 'It was way better than yesterday, and the Finns got the best of it because the wind was building all day,' adding that his class started racing an hour earlier (12:30) than scheduled to add three races to yesterday’s single race.

The leader going into today, Railey could do nothing wrong as he methodically picked off his competition—most notably Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif., USA) and Jonas Hogh Christensen (DEN)--to quadruple the victories in his score line today.

'In the first race, I was in a great battle with Caleb,' said Railey. 'We were two boat lengths apart from each other and on the last leg back and forth the whole time. In the second race, it was a battle up the second windward leg with Jonas, but he got separated by two boats that were on his heels--he had to concentrate on them.'

Railey said that even if he keeps doing well over five days of fleet racing, it will come down to the ten-boat medal race on Saturday to determine who takes home gold here, since only the top ten boats on the scoreboard at the end of Friday move on to that race, which counts double in the scoring. 'Even going in with the lowest points, you could gain 18 points on that day,' he said, adding that it replicates the format of the Olympics, to which he will go this summer as the USA’s Finn representative. 'Everything will be very much like here, even the 26- boat fleet.'

For Railey, a bonus will be trying to win his second Olympic medal (his first was a silver in the Finn class in 2008) alongside his sister, Paige Railey, who qualified to compete for the USA in Laser Radial class.

'It has been a dream of ours to go together since I started sailing at age eight and she started shortly after me. We fell in love with the idea of walking into Opening Ceremonies together; I don’t know if it really will sink in until we look over at each other and say, ‘we did it!’'


(sail-world.com)

Comments

U.S. sailors took the top spots in four classes in Monday’s opener of the Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta on Biscayne Bay.

Americans took the top two spots in the 27-boat Finn class, which held one race Monday. Olympic medalist Zach Railey of Clearwater finished first, followed by Caleb Paine of San Diego.

Fleet racing continues Tuesday through Friday, with medal races among the top 10 finishers in the Olympic classes on Saturday. Regatta headquarters is the U.S. Sailing Center in Coconut Grove.

Comments

FREMANTLE, Australia -- Paige Railey of Clearwater, Fla., and her brother, Zach, are among four sailors selected to the U.S. Olympic team based on their performances at the ISAF Sailing World Championships.

Also selected are Stuart McNay of Boston and Graham Biehl of San Diego.

Farrah Hall of Annapolis, Md., earned a nomination in the women's RS:X windsurfer category pending the United States earning a country spot at the RS:X World Championships in Spain in March. The United States did not qualify a country spot at the ISAF Worlds.

This is the first Olympic berth for Paige Railey, who won a bronze medal in the Laser Radial in a 102-boat fleet. Zach Railey, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist, finished ninth in the 72-boat Finn class.

McNay and Biehl finished 13th in the 80-boat men's 470 class. They competed in the 2008 Olympics but did not medal.



(ap.com)

Long Beach, CA (September 11, 2011) - The 2011 Finn U.S. Nationals saw 30 boats compete in the three day event hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. 2008 Olympic silver medalist Zach Railey conducted a clinic through the nine race event, completing a perfect score of all first place finishes to take the title. Also dominating the field was Caleb Paine, finishing second and clear by 21 points of third place finisher Henry Sprague. -- Full results: http://www.abyc.org/upload/2011_Finn_Nationals6.htm

Another great performance from the Olympic Champion Ben Ainslie (GBR) on the fourth day of racing for the Finns at the Weymouth and Portland International Regatta moves him into a narrow, but significant, seven point lead at the top of the fleet after posting a first and second on Wednesday. Pieter Jan Postma (NED) moves up to second place after winning the second race of the day while Jonathan Lobert (FRA) drops one to third, with just two more races to sail before the medal race split.

What was initially supposed to be a lighter day on the waters of Weymouth Bay turned into a tough day's sailing as the wind once again treated the Finn fleet to physically challenging upwind sailing and sleigh ride sailing downwind. For the first race of the day the Finns were racing on the Nothe course, the proposed course area for all the medal races. In an offshore wind, with the high land at the top of the course it can be a shifty, fickle nightmare for the sailors.

Zach Railey (USA) didn't have the best day with a 16, 11. He said, “Not a good day results wise. My lack of body weight was really exposed today. But I am becoming more comfortable with te wind shifts.”

Result after eight races (one discard) 1 GBR Ben Ainslie 15 2 NED Pieter Jan Postma 22 3 FRA Jonathan Lobert 26 4 ESP Rafa Trujillo 38 5 CRO Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 39 6 EST Deniss Karpak 41 7 DEN Jonas Hoegh Christensen 46 8 NZL Dan Slater 56 9 USA Zach Railey 62 10 SLO Gasper Vincec 70


(yachte.com)

Zach Railey won the Bronze medal Kieler-Woche. Ed Wright (GBR), Jonathan Lobert (FRA) and Zach Railey (USA) all ended on 30 points after the Finn Medal Race. But Wright took the gold after he finished ahead of his rivals in third place in the Medal Race. Lobert came fifth to take the silver medal and Railey was sixth and goes home with bronze.




(sailing.org)

Zach Railey (USA), the 2008 Olympic silver medallist, dominated day three for Finns at Kiel Week with two bullets to take the overall lead, following the eight races that have now been sailed.

Jonathan Lobert (FRA) drops to second, while Ed Wright (GBR) remains in third, but extends on the rest of the fleet.

Day 3 at Kiel Week again brought moderate to strong winds with 12-17 knots, cloudy skies and more tough racing. In the first race of the day, Railey battled against the two French sailors Thomas Le Breton (FRA) and regatta leader Lobert for line honours. In the second race, Wright placed second, while Lobert got another third place finish.

“The weather was better today, with only a little bit of rain and the wind was still strong but shifty coming from the land, Railey said of his day.

“I had a great back-and-forth race with both the French sailors in the first race. I think the lead must have changed 10 times and we all finished within two boat lengths of each other. It was a great race between all of us," he said.

“In the second race, again it was both the French sailors, Ed, myself, Deniss and Björn. I was able to get a lead on the second upwind and held that to the finish. With the wind shifting so much the final results in each race always came down to the end and it's been tight racing.”

Björn Allansson SWE) is in seventh place overall after scoring 8, 4. “Today was another physical day in Kiel. In the second race I was able to take the pin end start and round just behind Le Breton at the top mark, and passed him on the downwind. I finally finished in fourth after Zach Railey, Ed Wright and Jonathan Lobert,” he commented.

“For me, this is a great week and I am learning a lot, both new things as well as being reminded of old stuff. It's close racing with many shifts so I always have to stay 100 percent alert, and try to calculate the next move. I'm having a great time so far.

"It was the right choice to hit the left on five or six of today's upwinds, but the tricky part was to find the perfect time to tack over. The wind was also today like prior days shifty and gusty, but to a lesser extent than the last few days, making the tactics of today slightly easier.”

Two more races are scheduled for Tuesday local time with the final race and the Medal Race for the top 10 on Wednesday.

Results after eight races 1 USA 4 Zach Railey 18 2 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 20 3 GBR 11 Edward Wright 24 4 EST 2 Deniss Karpak 30 5 FRA 29 Thomas Le Breton 36 6 GER 151 Matthias Miller 46 7 SWE 6 Björn Allansson 51 8 AUT 3 Florian Raudaschl 61 9 USA 1140 Caleb Paine 62 10 GER 771 Jan Kurfeld 63


(yachte.com)

Zach Railey talks about his Skandia Sail for Gold, US Trials and his new Finn: “Very excited to be here at this moment. There are three events we’re concentrating on for this quadrennium looking forward toward 2012. This is the first of those three events, and we’re excited and nervous to be here all at the same time.”

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. Zach Railey has sailed on the sport's biggest stage. His sister, Paige, has come within an eyelash of doing the same. Both know that the bar has been raised, that expectations have been enhanced, that they must bring everything they've got, with little room for error.

"Our goal is to go to the Olympics," Zach said. "And to win Olympic medals."

They're considered favorites for the 2012 London Games, rounded into shape last month during a four-day camp at the Olympic Training Center that prepared them for European races serving as qualifiers for events to determine the 16-person U.S. Olympic team.

A 2008 Olympic silver medalist, Zach, 26, of Clearwater, Fla., marked a fifth-place finish Saturday in Finn at a World Cup in Palma, Spain, and Paige, 23, also of Clearwater, took fourth in Laser Radial. World Cup stops this month in Hyeres, France, and next month in Medemblik, Netherlands, also are selections for Olympic qualifiers, a World Cup in June in Weymouth, England, and the world championships in December in Perth, Australia.

Zach is striving to become the first American to claim Olympic gold in Finn, also known as heavyweight dinghy and won by Ben Ainslie of Great Britain in 2004 and 2008. Paige wants to continue the U.S. stranglehold on Laser Radial, referred to as singlehanded and won by Anna Tunnicliffe when the discipline made its Olympic debut in 2008.

Both were put through the rigors at the OTC during a 55-person retreat U.S. Sailing high performance director Kenneth Andreasen jokingly called a "fat camp." Athletes received sailing-specific education and testing, working under Olympic coaches Luther Carpenter and Leandro Spina, along with strength and conditioning coach Chris Herrera, Colorado Springs sports nutritionist Bob Seebohar and chief medical officer Sam Murray.

In 2008, Zach competed at 190 pounds, then he ballooned into the 240s in 2009, and he's now down to 210 - exactly where he hopes to be going into London, albeit without added muscle in his upper body that should increase his leverage. Paige has gained 16 pounds in the past 1 1/2 years, and she aspires to add five more pounds to her 146-pound frame, that way she will "be able to stay with the smaller girls and keep up with the heavier ones."

"We know what it's going to take to stand on top of the podium in 2012," Zach said, "so you can't ever take that for granted. We know we're going to show up to the Games, and in both of our classes, there will be eight to 12 competitors that can take that away from us, and we've got to make sure that we're better than they are."

Paige said sailing is unique compared to other Olympic sports since athletes are "dealing with elements the wind, the water. Everything is constantly changing. You can sail like half of the race, and then the next half is completely different from the first half. ... What we try to do is try to be consistent throughout all the different types of conditions."

Andreasen dubbed Zach and Paige "in their classes, the best sailors in the world." But he conceded the international field is "extremely competitive. It's very physical. Everybody is in better shape than they've ever been." He added that the U.S. needs to be "the fittest team on the planet." If it's not, he said, "We're not going to win the medals we want."



(bellinghamherald.com)

2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) finished a strong second place in the final medal race to put him into 5th overall for the event.

With a premium put on a successful start and first upwind leg due to a smaller racecourse used in the medal race, Railey described how his pre-race strategy paid off. “Before the race, we felt the left-hand side was favored, but pin end was relative favored. I wanted to make sure I had a great start off the line and get to the left.”

He executed the plan and halfway up the first beat when the wind shifted, he had to hold onto the left side a little longer than he had hoped, but still rounded the mark in fourth place. “From there, it was between me and three other boats for 5th overall. One of them, Ed Wright, was in front of me and two were in 9th or 10th, so I know the race was on.”

Railey went on to pass Wright (GBR) downwind and took a chance on the next upwind leg to round ahead and finished the race in second. “I was up and down all week, and overall we definitely think we improved. The fleet sailing here is a lot deeper than any other events we’ve been in, so to get a top five shows that we’re doing well.”



(ussailing.com)

Zach Railey knows what it takes to win and he is constantly striving to do so at every event.  But there is an end goal in sight and for Zach its the Games in London 2012.  Just like any athlete who is working on their game, trying to improve it, it comes one step (or race) at a time.

Currently sitting in fifth place out of 82 boats at the Princess Sofia Trophy Race, Zach can see the leader board with two GBR teams tied for first.  But he isn't that far away and with all the top sailors now sailing together in Gold fleet, the stakes just got a bit higher.  So how does Zach feel about the scores on the board?  He tells us in this video interview.



(ustag.blogspot.com)