Fall Recap: Gold at PanAm Games, Training Update, & Home Time

After the World Championships in August, I took a much needed step away from on-water training. I was feeling extremely burnt out after a tough training and racing season, to the point where sailing was not making me happy. When I accomplished my goal of qualifying for the Olympic Games, I knew I needed to make some changes to my training program, which included prioritizing time in the gym and working on my nutrition plan. I spent 6 weeks in Newport, Rhode Island, going to the gym every day and prioritizing my nutrition in order to gain weight. It was one of the most refreshing training blocks I’ve ever done. Just being in a single place without traveling for so long allowed me to relax more and recover better. The consistency of having a solid routine every day gave me a sense of stability I didn’t know I had been missing. 

I want to extend a massive thank you to the team at NPT Healthworks who welcomed me into their incredible gym space and helped me with some training and physiotherapy sessions. Overall, I was able to gain 2 kilograms of muscle mass in this time, which is a massive improvement in my training program. But the biggest improvement I experienced was within my mind - I was enjoying the hard work and the act of pushing myself to be better every day. After losing some love for kiting, it was a huge mental boost to remember that I really love working hard, and I have what it takes to do the work that will get me to accomplish my goals.

I also got to spend 10 days at home with my parents and grandma in San Francisco. It was only my second week at home this year, so it was really nice to be there with my family. During this time, I was honored to attend and speak at the St Francis Sailing Foundation annual auction dinner at the St Francis Yacht Club. It was an incredible night spent with the amazing St Francis community at my home club. In my speech, I talked about the culture of excellence that is present at the StFYC, and how grateful I am to be part of it and represent the club around the world. St Francis was the birthplace of kite racing, where it all began for me during my first race on the bay at 12 years old. For this sport to have gone all the way to the Olympics is a true full circle moment for me, and the foundation has supported me every step of the way.

After my speech, I was presented with a very generous donation to welcome me into Team DeAtley. This is a huge step forward in the fundraising process and I am so grateful to have the continued support of the St Francis Yacht Club and St Francis Sailing Foundation on my journey to the 2024 Olympics.

Next, it was time to head to Chile for the PanAm Games. The PanAm Games was an incredible experience. It was my first time kiting since the world championships, and I had so much fun being on the water again. I had missed the feeling of foiling, and going back to that indescribable thrill of flying over the water reminded me of why I started this in the first place. I still don’t feel ready to come back to consistent on-water training, but I’ve sparked the fire and know I will be kiting again soon.

Outside of the racing, the PanAm Games was also some high quality time spent with the rest of the US Sailing Team. Because everyone stays in the same village, you get to eat meals and spend down time together. It was an amazing team bonding experience.

After PanAms I returned to Miami and set up camp there for the winter. But before I fully settled in, I had one last quick trip to LA to do. A couple months ago, I got invited to Universal Studios Hollywood by Team USA and NBC to join an Olympic athlete media day. It was one of the coolest experiences ever, and it was so nice to share it with my mom, Allison Chenard from the US Sailing Team, and Patrick Quinn, my agent. We spent an incredible day going around different stages at Universal Studios to various photo shoots & interviews, got to ride a tour bus around Hollywood, and even visited the theme park at Universal Studios. One of the coolest parts was getting to be on a billboard on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood.

What an amazing experience. I’m so grateful that Team USA and NBC invited me to the media day and got to meet so many new people from those working hard behind the scenes to other Olympians and Paralympians.

Now, I’m back in Miami and on the winter training grind. I’m working hard in the gym and doing everything I can to gain as much muscle mass as possible in these next few months before the racing season starts up again. It’s fun to be doing a different type of training, and I’ll be balancing this with some moth sailing in my free time which will help keep my mind sharp while having fun on the water.

If you’d like to contribute to my campaign, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via the Windmark Sailing Foundation (instructions can be found here) or via my GoFundMe linked here. Thank you for your support on the road to Paris.