Ian Walker has had the kind of career that many young sailors would dream about – two Olympic silver medals, a world championship winner, America’s Cup skipper and tactician. A winner of the Volvo Ocean Race as skipper of Azzam. And now CEO of the British America’s Cup team GB1.
So, when he says, “Sailing’s changed massively, it's no longer for guys like me,” it’s worth listening.
The Athena Pathway has just announced its first Youth Squad, and Walker was reflecting on the type of people that had been and would be successful. “Sailing’s changed massively and the advent of foiling has created a huge opportunity for the next generation. It's no longer for guys like me. We need people who've grown up in that world.
“We need people who have got a very technical mindset, who understand the physics of what they're doing. People who don't underestimate the influence of things like gaming, who are used to processing huge amounts of data and being able to work out which bit of data is the key bit at any given point in time. We need young, sharp minds and people who've grown up with those sorts of inputs.
“And I think that whatever you're doing, whether it's sailing a single-handed dinghy or the America’s Cup then the drive to want to get fitter, to eliminate mistakes has to be there. For me, I think the thing that separates the real greats, the Olympic gold medallists -- the Ben Ainslie’s, the Hannah Mills, the Dylan Fletchers -- it’s generally mindset. It's that fierce determination to want to be the best version of themselves.
“Whether it’s watching videos of racing, or getting access to games online that have similarities to sailing these new foiling boats, whatever you do, it's about asking; ‘how can I be the best version of myself’ and showing that determination to want to do that.”