Teaching skills for military mission

Nancy Haberland, head coach of the Navy offshore sailing team, discusses her start in the sport and how her professional sailing career is helping the midshipmen prepare for the Fleet:

How did you get into sailing and coaching?

I grew up in a suburb of Chicago and my father was looking for a sport that our entire family could enjoy together. He bought a sailboat and we spent most weekends sailing, racing against other families, and often sleeping aboard the boat. We were fortunate to have a lot of success on the race course and sailing quickly became a passion of mine.

After college, I had two job offers, one to become a dietitian and another to teach sailing in Key West, Fla. I chose the sailing path and have been involved in the sport ever since.

As a former Olympian, 18-time national champion, and 7-time world champion, what makes coaching at Navy so rewarding?

The most rewarding part is knowing that we are teaching skills that our midshipmen will carry into their military careers and throughout their lives. Sailing develops leadership, decision-making, teamwork, and resilience; qualities that are essential for future officers.

Another great reward is seeing alumni return years later and tell us how much sailing impacted their careers. Many have developed a lifelong love of the sport, purchased boats of their own, and introduced sailing to their families. Watching that legacy continue from one generation to the next is incredibly gratifying.

What makes sailing the ultimate sport for developing our future officers?

At Navy, winning is important, but it is only part of the mission. These young men and women will go on to lead sailors and Marines in challenging environments, and the lessons they learn on the water prepare them for those responsibilities.

Whether they are navigating a storm, solving a problem at sea, or leading a crew through adversity, those experiences translate directly to leadership in the Fleet.

Is the Offshore Sailing team more recruits or walk-ons?

We have a few plebes who arrive with sailing experience and occasionally sailors transition from the small-boat team, but most of our development happens within our own program. There is a well-established progression and every sailor has to earn their way onto the top boats. Success comes from putting in the time, learning the system, and continually developing as a sailor and leader.

What are the differences between the fall and spring portions of the offshore sailing season?

The fall season is mostly intercollegiate racing where the team will go out for a series of shorts races on a given weekend. The Kennedy Cup is the big intercollegiate championship at the end of the fall season, in which we finished second last year.

The spring season is all about preparing for open ocean racing, which are usually multi-day regattas that need quite a bit of safety, navigation, and survival training. The major ocean racing events, during the summer professional training months, are Annapolis-to-Bermuda, Newport-to-Bermuda, and Newport-to-Annapolis.

What were the major factors that helped Navy win the recent Annapolis-to-Bermuda race?

Navigation was the biggest factor. There was one day of light winds and one of our Navy crews found a small sliver of wind on the far shore of the Chesapeake Bay, which helped give them a strong lead. Once they got out front, they did a very good job in maintaining the margin.

What do the Navy Alumni mean to the sailing program?

They mean everything! Our alumni are involved with everything we do, to include volunteer coaching, procuring boats for the team, and financial support. We have a great Friends of Navy Sailing (FONS) group that keeps in touch with alumni throughout the world and hosts annual events on the Yard. Our alumni keep the program ticking. They are a huge part of our success!

Source: Letterwinners Assn.