US Sailing’s Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) today announced Morgan Reeser (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) as the 2014 US Sailing National Coach of the Year, and Todd Fedyszyn (St. Petersburg, Fla.) as the 2014 US Sailing Development Coach of the Year. (Shown here with Shorecrest sailors signing college agreements.)
Each year, the OSC honors coaches who have distinguished themselves at the youth, national and international levels. The awards are a part of the United States Olympic Committee’s (USOC) Coach Recognition Program, which highlights the accomplishments and contributions of U.S. coaches who train athletes at all levels of Olympic and Paralympic sports.
“We are lucky to have world-class coaches here in the US, and they do crucial work each year to build the base of sailing talent in this country,” said Ben Richardson, OSC Chairman. “On behalf of US Sailing, I’d like to congratulate Morgan and Todd on a job well done.”
US Sailing Development Coach of the Year – Todd Fedyszyn
A significant figure in the high school sailing scene, Todd Fedyszyn has been instrumental in growing the sport for sailors of that age group both nationally and in the South Atlantic region. Having started as a coach in 1998, and then becoming Sailing Director at St. Petersburg Yacht Club in 2005, Fedyszyn’s leadership role has only continued to grow.
Fedyszyn has served as President of the South Atlantic Interscholastic Sailing Association (SAISA), as well as sitting on the Board of Directors of the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA). As Director of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club Junior Offshore Program, Fedyszyn has been noted for placing junior sailors on bigger boats for races such as the Miami Nassau Race, J70 Winter Series, and St. Pete NOOD Regatta.
The integration of youth athletes into bigger boats, where they can interact with passionate and experienced competitors, is an approach to building lifelong sailors that Fedyszyn has championed.
In 2014, Fedyszyn coached junior athletes to several significant results, including victories at US Sailing’s Sears Cup, the ISSA’s Cressy Dinghy National Championships and the ISSA’s Keelboat National Championships.
“I’m thrilled to win this award, and lucky to work with such a great group of sailors here in St. Petersburg,” said Fedyszyn. “They all worked hard, and are always focused on becoming well-rounded sailors. They really enjoy sailing any class of boat.”
Fedyszyn’s coaching philosophy revolves around maintaining a clear message. “You need to keep it simple, and focus on checking off the basic boxes,” said Fedyszyn. “If you avoid getting to the advanced stuff too quickly, and instead focus on speed and essential skills first, success will follow.”
Fedyszyn also noted that he is happy to have forged a career as a professional coach. “My mom always said that I should be a teacher, but I never wanted to be cooped up in a classroom. We are so lucky as sailors in that we get to be outdoors while doing what we love. It’s also special to work with kids over a number of years, and watch them attain success.”
