Tom Hubbell New US SAILING President Oversees Changes By Jabbo Gordon
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reporter was interviewing a gentleman tal in the body’s reorganization. One of the who was celebrating his 100th birthday. key items was downsizing the board of “I guess you’ve seen a lot of changes in your directors from 49 to 15, including nine electlifetime, haven’t you?” the scribe asked. ed by the membership. “Yes, Sonny,” the old man replied. At one time, presidents served one-year “And I’ve been against every one of them.” terms, but that has changed also, and when Very insightful. Most people resist Hubbell took the proverbial gavel from change one way or another. Some make the Jobson last Nov. 3, it was for three years. necessary adjustments. “Gary was determined that we were A few folks have noticed the way that going to have a smooth transition,” Hubbell US SAILING, the sports’ national governsaid. “He and I are on the same pathway. ing body, has been going through some We are fortunate to have Jack Gierhart as changes in the past few years. There seems US SAILING ‘s executive director since to be a push to be more effective or rele2011 and Josh Adams is the new director of vant. “Guilty, as charged,” Dr. Thomas U.S. Olympic Sailing.” Those have been a Tom Hubbell Hubbell said during an interview while couple of relatively recent changes and waiting for the weather to clear so he there have been some other shifts throughcould race his Thistle in the 39th annual Orange Peel out the organization. Hubbell wants US SAILING to be Regatta in Jacksonville in March (see Racing section—East more efficient and meaningful. Florida). Dr. Hubbell has served the Thistle class as presi“In sailing, we have a sport with incredible diversity— dent twice and took US SAILING’s reins from Gary Jobson so many types of boats, activities and venues—and while last November for a three-year tour. that diversity is an asset, it is also a challenge,” he said. “So, “US SAILING at one time suffered from an image, I have come up with three points of action that I think will somewhat deserved, as a national yacht club, complete with serve all sailors well.” The first is for US SAILING to reach blue blazers,” he said. Now the organization is moving out to all sailing organizations and ask what it can do to toward less formality and paying more attention to the support their programs. Sailing organizations are eager for grass roots or the core of sailing. There’s a movement afoot information and guidance. They have much to learn from to broaden the sport’s horizons, according to Hubbell. each other, according to Hubbell. A Midwesterner, he grew up in St. Louis, earned his bach“They recognize US SAILING as an authority,” he said. elor’s degree from Washington University in his hometown “So by learning more about our constituents, we can be a reliand his medical degree from the University of Missouri at able resource. The second is training with a strong emphasis Kansas City. Although he had learned to sail as a youngster in on safety. This runs the gamut from learn-to-sail programs to Sea Scouts, he caught a lucky break in medical school and got cruising to race management, and yes, even power boating. to be the driver of the winning boat in a MORC series. “We train and educate sailors, and we are really good at it, However, as the story goes, Hubbell spent his first paybut we can do more,” Hubbell asserted. “We are focused on check on a Thistle. In addition, he has raced C-Scows and helping individuals and local sailing organizations utilize Snipes and even competed in the 2008 Chicago Yacht Club those great resources. “In one sentence, US SAILING is about Race to Mackinac. “US SAILING put together a team that training. And every phase of our training program is going included presidents Jim Capron, Dave Irish, Janet Baxter through a rewrite over the next three years and that includes and me,” he recalled. “It was fun; I would do it again.” restructuring the testing methods.” Hubbell became very involved with the Thistle Class The third concerns the Olympics. While the immediate Association and he became president in 1990. He spent most commitment is on Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Hubbell is dediof that year working on an appeal through, ironically, US cated to building a youth pipeline for future Olympiads. SAILING. The family practice physician stepped down Asked about America’s failure to win a single sailing medal from the limelight for a few years, but he was called to serve in 2012, Hubbell was matter of fact. “We don’t have an as president again in 1998. During that reign, he spent most answer,” he admitted. “But one thing I see is that our colleof his time on bylaws. “We had to eliminate some rules that giate sailing is geared toward certain boats and smaller peowere keeping kids from competing,” he explained. “We ple, whereas we need sailors with a variety of experience wanted to get them on the water. Eventually, as far as our and some bigger people for some Olympic classes. And nationals were concerned, we changed it so that you still remember that in the Paralympics 2012, our team of Jen had to be a member of the association and that the boat had French and J.P. Creignou brought home a silver medal,” to be measured. But it didn’t have to be your boat.” Hubbell concluded. Hubbell’s book, Sailboat Racing with Greg Fisher, caught Overall, Hubbell is encouraged with the growth of comthe eye of Dave Rosekrans, then president of US SAILING. munity sailing programs in the past 20 years, and he wants Rosekrans appointed the physician to a committee in US to see that trend shooting skyward. Whereas there used to SAILING, and in 2003, Hubbell became vice president, a be the same number of community programs as yacht clubs, position he held for nine years. In 2005, he was instrumennow there are over 2,000 and that’s very healthy for sailing. News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2013
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