Team Brickhouse Interview with Dave Ullman
December 3, 2009
I like what Kristen Lane is up to. And it is not just a name thing. She’s been showing the Melges fleet a thing or two, and I think she took the right approach when she got Dave Ullman involved to help with some coaching. Below is an excerpt from her fabulous blog.
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Dave Ullman is somewhat of a national treasure. He has 4 “World Champion” titles to his name – all in high performance boats (the 470 and the Melges 24). He achieved his latest title at 61 years of age. To say he’s a great sailor is an understatement to be sure. But sailing is just part of Dave’s story. Beneath his many titles and accomplishments is a man who knew at the age of 16 that he would pursue sailing as a career. He struggled with dyslexia and only learned to read in his late 20’s. He worked hard through two Olympic campaigns that culminated in winning 3 World Championship titles in the 470 class leading up the trials. His Olympic aspirations crushed by the US Boycott, Dave took another path. Here’s a little insight into why this guy is so good and why, people who crave competition
should listen to this story of hard work, determination, and guts.
K.Lane: Dave, thank you for joining us. It’s an honor to have you here with us.
DU: “It’s my pleasure. Thanks for having me.”
K.Lane: You and I just finished working together and I want to bring our audience up to speed. You coached our Team Brick House Melges 24 team in Annapolis in preparation for the 2009 World Championship. In addition to Team Brick House, our training group included Alan Field and his team aboard “WTF” and the Swiss team of Blue Moon. For Team Brick House, I can say your coaching made a huge impact on our performance. Peter and I finished in the top 20 and were thrilled with our progress over the training period. So, let’s start by discussing your approach to coaching sailing teams, and amateur drivers.
DU: “Coaching requires looking at the program and deciding what is the area that you can make the greatest improvement over the least amount of time. Another way to think about it is what are the greatest weaknesses of the team? What can you do to improve those weaknesses as quickly as possible? Unless you have an ongoing program for say 1 year where you could develop skills over a long period of time, you have to take a shorter approach. We don’t spend that kind of time on this sport. For the 2009 Worlds, I had to ask myself what would bring this group the furthest along in the shortest time. We had 4 teams with a wide range of experience levels so I had to strategize a plan that would help everyone.”
K.Lane: I have already noted how helpful the coaching was for Team BH. How did the other teams feel?
DU: “WTF felt it was a huge benefit. I have been working with Alan and his team for some time so I have a good relationship there and I know that team well. They learned a lot but didn’t quite get the regatta results they wanted. Blu Moon, it was not much time to implement change before the regatta in Annapolis, but I had spent 2 weeks in Europe with them. In the days before the regatta, we didn’t have enough time before the event to really make an impact.”
K.Lane: You won the Melges 24 World Championship in 2007 at the age of 61. Where does that victory rank in your career?
DU: “It’s quite high, obviously, because of my age it’s extra special. But without a doubt, winning the 470 worlds three times was the highlight of my career. It was the highest moment of that class so that would certainly be the pinnacle. Winning the Melges 24 worlds proved to me that at an older age, I could still compete on a high level with the world. And it was really nice that it was a heavy air venue on top of that. It was a personal triumph.”
K.Lane: That’s funny because the 2007 worlds had a similar impact on me. It proved to me that I could sail this boat against men in any condition.
DU: “Yes, you can!”
K.Lane: Let’s talk about Olympic pursuits – Tell us about how you pursued the Olympic dream:
DU: “I was in my mid-20s and I was a pretty good sailor. Going for the Olympics was a natural pursuit. And by that I mean, you have some success and then you have to ask yourself, now what? Today, sailors may head toward the AC but back then it was Olympic sailing. The 470 fit my size and mentality – it was small and the highest performance boat at the time. It was not that expensive and had the best competition in the world. In the ‘72 – ‘76 campaign, I won the nationals and Pre-Olympics two times and I finished 4th at one of the world championships. Then, when it was time for the trials – it was light air and I choked. I finished 3rd. I didn’t sail very well in a regatta that I should have won. So, I took the next 4 years to execute a plan and started practicing quite a lot. I won three out of the next four worlds, won a lot of the regattas in the US. At that time, I had to be looked upon as the top US hope for a medal.”
“Then the boycott. The US went ahead and had trials but we stopped practicing 3 months before that regatta. In fact we weren’t going to go to the trials at all, but the Olympic committee told us we had to show up to get our promised funding. They also created an incentive for sailors to participate by offering the winning team a free trip to Kiel Week. So, not winning the trials that time around was not a disappointment.”
K.Lane: How did the US government inform the athletes about the boycott? What did you think about the decision to boycott the games as a protest to the Russian invasion of Afghanistan?
DU: “We read about it in the news – that it was being considered. I actually was naïve to think it was a good thing and was supportive of it at the time. I personally first found out about it at the 470 worlds in Brazil.”
K.Lane: Tell me why you initially thought the boycott was a good idea and how your view now has changed?
DU: “I bit on the line that it ‘was the way to stop Russia.’ It was about the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. 20 years later, I wouldn’t support it now but my political views have changed significantly since then.”
K.Lane: I was a child when the boycott was happening. Though I was just a kid, I loved the Olympics and at the time I couldn’t understand why the athletes needed to give up their dreams to make a political point. How did you perceive the justification by the US government that Olympic athletes were the correct body to make this point on the world stage?
DU: “It turns out the boycott had no effect on the political situation. It lead to further boycotts and didn’t solve any of the problems it meant to address. It seemed reasonable to me at the time because it was such a small sacrifice compared to what a soldier would face. But it turns out it had no effect. From the political side it comes from a policy that had not long term planning. It was a not just a waste for the athletes; it was simply just a waste all-together. At the time we didn’t understand the history of Afghanistan. We didn’t understand that no one can really control Afghanistan”
K.Lane: OK, let’s take a quick jump back and discuss when you committed your life to sailing. At what point in your sailing development did you decide this sport would be your lively hood for the rest of your life?
DU: “16 or 17 years old. I was surfing and sailing a lot. My dad, who was a big influence, sat me down and said ‘Dave you are a pretty good sailor and an OK surfer. You need to commit your time to what you can be the best at.’ I knew then that I was going to commit my life to sailing. I wasn’t a good student, and was dyslexic. I wasn’t really going to go to college and was lucky to even graduate from high school. Luckily my dad was smart enough to sort this out and give me some guidance. My mom taught me how to read when I was in my late 20s. She figured out I was dyslexic so she went back to school herself and learned more about it, and then taught me how to read. When I was a teenager, we fought tooth and nail – I didn’t do my homework because I couldn’t read. She was a saint enough to figure out the situation and take care of it. It changed my whole feelings about my mom. She’s a saint. I didn’t look at her that way before. She educated herself and then educated me. It also brought us closer.”
K.Lane: Tell us, how did you decide to start Ullman Sails?
DU: “I started Ullman Sails in 1967 – In a garage for a short period and then in an office suite that was probably 20’ X 15’. It was just big enough to lay out a small sail. I was just married and had a child on the way. It was time to settle down and make some money. I had been working with sail makers and by the time the whole Olympic program came along, Ullman Sails was well established with a strength in one design sails.”
K.Lane: Since your Olympic experience, what has been your roll with the US team?
DU: “I was the official 470 coach for the ‘88 Olympics for men and women. I dealt with US Sailing for about 2 years in that mode. US sailing was not well organized at that point – we had great results though. My understanding is that US Sailing has changed into a much better organization to work with.”
K.Lane: What are your thoughts on how the US team is preparing for the Olympics? Where do you see that effort going for US Sailors? Is it on the right path?
DU: “The history is that until ‘96 we were the total dominant sailing country in the world on an Olympic level. In ‘96 we started to crumble. In 2000 we hugely deteriorated. Athens was worse. Clearly the last Olympics were the low point.”
K.Lane: What’s the lesson for US Sailing?
DU: “Funding. It’s all funding. Look at Australia and England. Their sailors are fulltime-funded and sailing full time as well. They are not funded on an occasional regatta basis. They sail full time and are on their country’s payroll. There’s been a belief in the US that under systems like Australia’s, sailors don’t do as well because they don’t have to fight as hard. But the reality is sailors spend more time sailing and end up being better than their competition. It’s why I have been successful in my own career – because I practice as much or more then the guys I compete against. If there’s something that’s important to you like sailing, you simply have to work harder than the next guy.”
“US Sailing is starting to see the light. They are starting to change the path. It’s not easy. It’s hard to raise enough money. There is no longer a debate as to what the best path is. The results tell the story. On an Olympic level, funding is the proper path irrespective of how you select team members, which almost doesn’t matter unless you have the funds to support them.”
K.Lane: Let’s talk about stuff people don’t know about you. For example, I recently learned that you have a passion for golf. How long have you had this interest and how good are you?
DU: “You always need an activity outside of your mainstream activity. The key is to make that secondary thing more fun, less challenging and less intense. I’m not the best at that. I’m still intense. I golf 2 to 3 times per week. I’m lucky to have a wife that keeps me on track – she tells me to go golfing or to golf less. She’s much brighter then I am and she keeps me balanced.”
K.Lane: I hear you are a pretty good. How good of a golfer are you?
DU: “I’m a 9 handicap. No tournaments. There’s not room for two things like that in my life. If I’d done tournaments, I would not have sailed. I knew that was not good. It doesn’t mean that when I slow down from sailing I won’t do more of that, but not right now.”
K.Lane: Are you planning on slowing down your own sailing at any point?
DU: “Not as long as I can be competitive. That day will come, but I don think it has come yet… Although that day may have come and I am just realizing it now because I had a very bad Etchells regatta last weekend…! It’s a great sport when a guy at my age can do it and still love it.”
K.Lane: Not everyone knows you are technically “retired”. What’s your status with Ullman Sails?
DU: “I’ve sold the loft that I owned. But I still own, and with the help of Kelly Buchan, run the international franchise business. I own the contracts. The last 2 years have been quite severe. But it’s starting to show signs of coming back. Surprisingly the problem is much greater here in the US then anywhere else in the world. Some places, like Australia, are showing no signs at all. Italy is showing some signs, but not bad. The industry is showing a come back. The Annapolis boat show actually sold boats. Some pockets of sailing are going strong – IRC in Hong Kong – new boats, new sails, and big financial commitments to programs. I really like it there. Hong Kong is just incredible. Getting to go to great places and meeting great people is the best part of my job. Seeing the places I get to see – it’s pretty rare to sail in a bad place, and I’ve met some really great owners.”
K.Lane: Let’s talk about the sport of sailing itself, what are your thoughts on its health and future prospects?
boats, and some fun small boats. But in general, the boats are not much fun. Also, the expense has gotten quite high, which has always been true for this sport but the difference now is the landscape of the families who own boats. It used to be that single income households dominated our society where money spent on sailing never ran into any roadblocks. Now-a-days with most families being a 2-income household there are more people involved in the decision-making. The result is a detrimental effect on money spent on sailing. Additionally, sailing is generally not a shared sport within families. Plus there are more activities for children that take time away from sailing.”
K.Lane: What’s going on with your own Melges 24 program?
K.Lane: Simple question here. Melges 24 Worlds 2011 – Corpus Christi. Are you doing it?
DU: “Definitely doing it. And doing it right. That’s a great venue. It’s not such a great place to visit, but the sailing is spectacular. The biggest Melges 24 regatta in the US was Key Largo – good sailing plus a great place to vacation with your family. I think the Melges 24 class is starting to remember that important equation when selecting venues for big regattas.”
K.Lane: So Dave, let’s wrap up with a look ahead for you. What’s your future look like?
DU: “I am working on the Melges 24 and Etchells projects as personal endeavors. I’m doing a Mills 41 in Hong Kong – That’s a great boat with good guys. And then I sail with Brack Duker in his Santa Cruz 70 and Jeff Janoff on his Farr 40. I’m as busy right now as I have ever been on the pro sailing side. I am very lucky.”
K.Lane: Dave, you are one of my sailing heroes. Thank you for sharing a little about your story. We wish you all the best.
Thank you for checking in with TeamBrickHouse.com. My next sailing adventure takes me to the Bahamas in January where I will compete in the 29er World Championship. It will be my first big event in that class and I’m certain I’ll be faced with many opportunities to push my edges. 6 Years ago I started driving in a 35’ keel boat. Then I moved to a 24’ keel boat. Now I’m making the jump to dinghies and saying goodbye to keels all together- along with stability and dryness. In fact, the 29er is shaped more like a dinner plate then boat and has plenty of sail area for its size. Somehow I have convinced Charlie McKee to sail the 29er Worlds with me… Suffice to say I couldn’t ask for a better skiff teacher. I’m looking forward to the challenge and can’t wait to get out on the water.
Stay tuned for more news about Team Brick House.
Sail Fast!
K.Lane
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