Kenneth Andreasen
Sailor of the Week - March 24 - March 30
Sailor of the Week, Kenneth Andreasen was named the new High Performance Director/Head Coach of the Olympic Sailing Program in September 2008. The Olympic Sailing Program supports the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, US Sailing Teams – Under 18 and Under 23, US Youth World Team and Pan American teams, in addition to the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. His responsibilities include managing all on-the-water elements of the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Programs and enabling sailors to reach the highest level of competition for the next quadrenniums.
Andreasen’s formal education in physical training and psychology has helped form his strong ability to tackle the physical and mental game of sailing at the Olympic and Paralympic level. Andreasen is currently developing and organizing on- and off-the-water training camps across the country, not only for the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, but to cultivate Olympic-level talent at a young age. Andreasen was integral in launching US SAILING’s US Sailing Teams - Under 18 and Under 23, which helps youth sailors transition from youth sailing into Olympic class sailing.
Andreasen brings more than 20 years of extensive coaching experience to US SAILING. He was first tapped for his coaching talent when he was only a teenager living in Denmark. After 10 years of coaching, he moved to the United States in 1994 to become the coach at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club in Florida. Five years later, he became the Director of Sailing at the United States Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA), where he coached the national team, trained regatta management, and was instrumental in fleet and class building. In 2006, Finn sailor Zach Railey called Andreasen to coach him in his Olympic campaign for the 2008 Olympic Games in China. After two years of hard work, intense training, dedication and impressive international results, Railey succeeded in bringing home an Olympic silver medal last August from Qingdao, China. “Sailing has given me so many experiences. I have visited so many places around the world I never would have visited otherwise. I have been honored to be involved with so many talented sailors and coaches from whom I have learned valuable lessons.” Andreasen lives in Tampa, FL with his wife, Annette and their two year old son, Nicklas.