The OSC has also nominated these winners to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) for consideration for the 2012 Coaches of the Year Awards across all Olympic and Paralympic sports. The awards are a part of the USOC Coach Recognition Program, which highlights the accomplishments and contributions of coaches who train athletes at all levels of sailing.

US Sailing’s 2012 Developmental Coach of the Year: Steve Keen

Steve Keen is the C420 and I420 Head Coach at LISOT, the coaching and training program comprised of youth sailors from the New York metro area. Over the past five years in this position, he has directly coached an unprecedented number of C420 and I420 sailors to national and international podium finishes. In addition to coaching LISOT sailors, in 2012 Keen served as the double handed coach for US Sailing’s Youth World Team at the ISAF Youth World Championship, and as a coach for the U.S. team at the International 420 World and International 420 Junior European Championships.

As the nomination from LISOT stated, “Steve has been the driving force behind the I420 class during the past three years with the vast majority of I420 sailors in the U.S. under his guidance. Steve has also been recognized as a leader in C420 and I420 safety, having given numerous briefings on the topic at regional and national events in the U.S.”

US Sailing’s selection panel noted that Keen’s commitment to double handed youth sailing and breadth of results was impressive and exemplary of LISOT’s mission to provide sailors with the best possible coaching and support on the national and international sailing circuit. “What I tell all my sailors is, I’ll work hard with them and for them,” said Keen. “I am willing to go the extra mile to help them along the way. I want to see them reach their highest potential and win medals.”

In addition to his coaching expertise, Steve is responsible for managing LISOT’s double handed program in conjunction with LISOT’s volunteer parent manager for double-handed sailing, Michael Rudnick. In this capacity, Steve’s skills, reputation and his sailors’ results have enabled LISOT to grow the double-handed team to over 25 active teams – sailing year-round – in both C420 and I420s. Sailors coached by Keen have a long list of achievements in 2012 including:

US Sailing Development Team - 420
Harry Koeppel/Charles Bocklet
Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick/Abby Rohman

US Sailing’s ISAF Youth Worlds Qualifier - 420 (Alamitos Bay YC, Calif.)
Gold - Harry Koeppel/Charles Bocklet
Gold - Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick/Abby Rohman
Silver - Lily Katz/Fiona Walsh
Bronze - Reinier Eenkema van Dijk/Spencer McDonough (also 2011 winners)

ISAF Youth Worlds - (Dublin, Ireland)
Boys 29er, 4th - Quinn Wilson / Dane Wilson
SL 16 Catamaran, 8th - Jeremy Herrin / Sam Armington
Girls 420, 11th - Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick/Abby Rohman
Boys 420, 24th - Harry Koeppel/Charles Bocklet

Kiel Week (Kiel, Germany)
7th – Reinier Eenkema van Dijk /Spencer McDonough
11th – Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick/Abby Rohman

420 French Nationals
Bronze - Reinier Eenkema van Dijk/Spencer McDonough (best finish by U.S. team in many years)

420 World Championships - (Austria)
Top Junior team (both sailors under 16) Wade Waddell / Henry Fernberger (and 15th open gold fleet)
Ladies Silver fleet, silver - Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick / Abby Rohman
Open Silver Fleet, 4th - Reinier Eenkema van Dijk/Spencer McDonough

Steve Keen (2nd from left, back row) with some of the USA team at the 2012 International 420 World Championships in Austria © derpaul.at

420 Junior Europeans - (Lake Garda, Italy)
Gold Fleet, 6th – Wade Waddell / Henry Fernberger
4th Ladies - Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick / Abby Rohman
Silver Fleet, 2nd Drew Gallagher / Finn Mundinger
5th Harry Koeppel / Charles Bocklet

C420 Mid-Atlantics (Brant Beach YC, NJ)
1st – Reinier Eenkema van Dijk/Spencer McDonough
2nd – Ty Ingram / Forrest Thomas
3rd – Jack Parkin / Florian Eenkema van Dijk
5th - (and Top Girl Team) - Martina Sly / Pere Puig

420 Atlantic Coast Championship (Annapolis, MD)
1st – Casey Klingler/Fiona Walsh
2nd – Reinier Eenkema van Dijk/Spencer McDonough
3rd – Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick/Haley Fox
5th - Wade Waddell / Henry Fernberger

420 North American’s at Orange Bowl (Miami, FL)
1st – Jack Parkin/Ben Saxton
2nd – Wade Waddell/Henry Fernberger (top jr team under 19)
3rd – Casey Klingler/Fiona Walsh (top girl team)
5th – Russell Clarida/Forrest Thomas

Previous winners of sailing’s Developmental Coach of the Year Award are Ryan Minth (New York, N.Y.), Brett Davis (Naples, Fla.), Ben Glass (Seattle, Wash.), Duffy Markham (Wellesley, Mass.), Tom Coleman (Hixson, Tenn.), Rob Hallawell (Marblehead, Mass./Coronado, Calif.), Brian Doyle (Darien, Conn./Hanover, N.H.), Adam Werblow (St. Mary's, Md.), Mike Zani (Bristol, R.I.) , Amy Gross-Kehoe, and Jay Kehoe (both Annapolis, Md.).

The goals of the USOC’s Coaching Recognition Program are to recognize the tremendous accomplishments and contributions coaches make to sports at all levels of athlete development and to elevate the status of coaching as a profession. The winners of the USOC’s coaching awards across all sports will be honored at the 2012 National Coaching Educators’ Conference.

Image: Steve Keen © derpaul.at

Source: US Sailing