2021 Summer International Teams

There will be some changes this year to how sailors will indicate the summer teams they want to be considered following 2021 Team Trials.  Please read this email in its entirety!

As of now, IODA is planning to move forward with its 2021 World, European and North American Championships and USODA will select sailors for those teams based on results from our 2021 Team Trials.  We are also still making plans to send teams to non-IODA international events, such as the Topsports Vlaanderen Nieuwpoortweek Regatta in Belgium, Irish Nationals and French Nationals (girls only).  

Due to the uncertainty surrounding travel restrictions now and in the future, USODA is asking sailors who are interested in attending an international event to register and pay a deposit indicating their commitment to taking a place on a team.

Indicating Interest in Summer International Teams

Sailors who have been approved for Team Trials will receive an invitation to the 2021 Summer International Teams registration site.  Sailors will have until Monday, February 22 at 12 noon EST (or 48 hours after the invitation is extended, whichever is later) to accept the invitation, indicate the team(s) you would like to be selected for, and pay a $250 deposit. This is not an invitation to an actual team, but your commitment to accept an invitation to a team if your sailor qualifies. Sailors should only select teams they are certain they will accept an invitation to join; otherwise, they may forfeit their deposit.

Sailors are not required to accept the invitation to the 2021 Summer International Teams registration.  We understand not everyone is interested in attending an international event.  Please be aware, however, that sailors who do not accept their invitation to the 2021 Summer International Teams and do not pay the $250 deposit, forfeit their right to be invited to a summer International Team based on their results at the 2021 Team Trials. They will still be eligible to receive and accept an invitation to the USNT and ODP2 Program.

Selecting International Teams

Following Team Trials, sailors who are on the Entry List for the 2021 Summer International Teams may be invited to join a team based on their results at the 2021 Team Trials. 

Sailors who decline an invitation for a team they selected may forfeit their deposit, since filling that spot with the next sailor could have a cascading effect on our ability to fully seed other teams.
Sailors who accept the invitation and register for that international event will have their deposit credited towards the registration fee.
Sailors who do not qualify to be invited to any of the team(s) they selected will have their deposit fully refunded.

USODA reserves the right to issue invitations to sailors who may not have completed the 2021 Summer International Teams registration in order to fill any remaining spots or to comply with IODA opposite gender requirements.

There will be NO REFUNDS of registration fees once a sailor has accepted an invitation to a team and paid the registration fee, unless that spot can be filled by another sailor, in which case we will refund the registration fee, less $500.

Why are we doing this?

USODA is required to pay registration and charter fees to the Organizing Authority (OA) many months in advance.  We need to know that sailors and their families are committed to attending these events, and willing to bear the financial risk if the event is postponed or cancelled, or if travel is not feasible.  

If an event is cancelled by the OA, or the team is unable to travel due to State Department travel restrictions, USODA will only be able to provide refunds to sailors based on what is available in that team’s account.  It is important that families understand the financial risk should their sailor not be able to attend the event.  Also, it may not be possible for parents to travel to international events with their sailors, depending on travel restrictions at the time of the event.  We strongly recommend you only make travel arrangements that are cancellable and refundable.

Preliminary budgets as well as the team selection process for the 2021 Summer International Teams are available at https://usoda.org/international-team.

Link to FAQs

International Committee Presentation via Zoom

The USODA International Committee will host a Zoom call on Friday, February 19 at 4:30 pm EST to outline the process for selecting international teams and answer any questions.

Please submit a Registration Request Form and we will circulate a link to the meeting on Friday morning.

There are multiple events a year at which class members can qualify to represent the USODA at international regattas:

• Team Trials (Summer Team Selection)
• Team Race National Championship
• National Championship
• Midwinters (or other Spring Team Selection event)
• Team Race Midwinter Championship. 

These events are spread throughout the year with Team Trials typically in May, Team Race National Championship in July, Spring Team Qualifier in Oct-Nov, and TR MWs in January.

USODA International Committee is proud to announce a brand new paperless process for the seeding of the INT teams. We will be utilizing the new website and invites will sent to the email address on file for the Sailor. Parents will have 24 hours to register the sailor. After the 24 period expires, the next sailor qualified from the list will be invited.

The budget for each USODA international team is calculated based on the following travel schedule:  arrival day, early arrival practice days, lay day (may include measurement, practice race and/or opening ceremony), race days, and departure day.  This schedule may be modified with approval of the Class.

Fleet Racing

Based on the results from Team Trials, USODA typically sends teams to the following regattas:

• IODA Worlds
• IODA European Championship
• IODA North American Championship
• Flanders Youth Regatta
• Irish Nationals
• French Nationals (Girls Only)

Based on the results at the USODA National Championship, USODA typically sends teams to:

• IODA South American Championship
• IODA Asian Championship

Based on the results at the Spring Team Selection Event, USODA typically sends teams to:

• The Lake Garda Meeting
• Orange Valencia Regatta
• International Easter Regatta in Holland
   

Team Racing

Based on the results from Team Racing Nationals, USODA typically sends 1-2 teams to:

• Opti Team Cup in Berlin

Based on the results at the TR Midwinters, USODA usually sends two teams to:

• 'Marco Rizzotti' Team Race in Venice

Coaches are typically selected from among those coaches who have worked with our top US Optimist sailors on the USNT and OPD2. Participation in the USNT and OPD2 is not mandatory, but is a good way for sailors to get to know the coaches they will likely have at USODA international events for which they qualify. The committee tries to balance between these coaches, new coaches to the class and selected Internationally recognized top optimist coaches.

In most cases housing and charter boats have been prearranged by USODA, either because the event is organized by IODA and includes the housing and charter arrangements, or because the event is held in the same lcoation each year and USODA has a standing reservation which has worked well in past years. Elizabeth Kratzig has worked with USODA families for prior international spring and summer events and can assist with air tickets, rental cars, etc.  Note that there is a modest per family charge to work with Elizabeth.

You can expect to be contacted shortly after the team is finished being selected. Sailors do cancel and move between teams, and it takes longer than expected to finalize the teams. Once finalized, USODA selects a team leader, who will use the contact information on the web site to communicate with the team. Note that emails will go to the email address listed for the skipper.

Team Leaders are selected by USODA in consultation with Team Coaches.  The goal is to select a parent who has a good working relationship with the coach(es), and has experience with other USODA international teams with first choice to be a USODA Board member.   This is a difficult job and all parents of international sailors are expected to take on some responsibility to ensure success of the event.

USODA prepares a draft budget and collects the budgeted amount from sailors via event registration page at usoda.org. Net proceeds from the process are forwarded to the team leader who is thereafter responsible for the funds, the budget, and a final accounting for the event.  Net proceeds include credit card charges, monies actually paid out in advance by USODA on behalf of the team including (registrations and charters if applicable for IODA events), patches and burgees for the team, and $100 per sailor for the International Travel Fund.