South Side Senior Sets Sail For Olympic Glory

Weekly trips to Florida, daily four-hour workouts in the ocean, training with the United States Olympic Team in Colorado Spring. Just an average life of a high school senior, right?

Such is the reality for senior Ryan Schmitz, who was one of 55 athletes named to the 2011 U.S. Sailing Development Team for Olympic prospects.

Schmitz, who competes in the laser radial (one person dinghy) event, will spend most of his senior year jetting between the frigid waters of Long Island and the more temperate Miami seas as he prepares to make a run at Olympic glory.

"Getting into the Olympics is a huge goal of mine, and the Development Team will no doubt help me," he said. "However, there is no way to really know since it is such a high level of competition that I am racing and training against."

The Development Team was created in 2009 to help young athletes who have been identified as future Olympic prospects, acquire the skills necessary to launch successful campaigns and compete at an Olympic level.

Sailors will be participating in several training camps throughout the year and will compete alongside the elite U.S. Sailing Team, AlphaGraphics, while also sailing and training locally, which gives the Long Island born Schmitz a heightened advantage over his competition.

"Living on Long Island is really what helped because of all the different places and opportunities to sail," he said. "Locally, I've trained at in Rockville Centre and that's helped me get into shape to keep up with the other kids on the team."

For Schmitz, his sailing acumen is a product of legacy; he's been on the water for most of his life. He began sailing lasers ten years ago, when he was only seven years old under the watchful eyes of his uncle and grandfather, who sailed until his 91st birthday before having to give up the family sport.

Schmitz's father, Chris, knows how important sailing has been to his family.

"Ryan's grandfather was a sailor, and still loves to watch video of Ryan's races and have discussions about race tactics," he said. "They have a very special bond built around sailing."

At such a young age, sailing has afforded Ryan the opportunity to see places most adults only dream about. Through his commitments to the U.S. Development team, he will travel down the coast until the harsh northern winter flickers away, and begin his international training once he graduates.

"Even before being named to the team, Ryan did a lot of traveling for training," the elder Schmitz said. "This past summer he competed all over the U.S. and traveled to Largs, Scotland to compete. He will be traveling to Florida on almost a weekly basis for training and internationally once the school year is over."

Such a hectic schedule cannot be accommodated without assistance and sacrifices, and it was the Schmitz family that helped Ryan achieve such success and opportunity.

So while his grandfather and uncle introduced him to his passion, it was his father who kept the family sport alive with his sacrifices for his son.

"I couldn't do it without my family's support, specifically my dad who has spent a lot of time and money getting me to these events and practices," he said. "He has been the most influential factor in my sailing career."