Kyle Rogachenko
One of the many American standouts from last week’s US SAILING 2010 Rolex Miami OCR was up-and-comer Kyle Rogachenko, 21, a member of the 2010 US Sailing Development Team. Kyle had the break-out perform ance of the regatta by winning a bronze medal in the deep and talented, 104-boat Laser fleet, which earned him a spot on the 2010 US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG).
The top American Laser competitor finished just two points behind second place skipper, Jean-Baptiste Bernaz of France. Kyle sailed consistently well throughout the regatta, punctuated by a bullet on the last day before the double-point Medal Race. He also finished third in Race 6 and fourth in Race 8.
“Going into the final race I felt relaxed and focused,” said Kyle. “The conditions were exactly the same as the previous race that day. I modified my game plan from the first race and took advantage of what I learned. It seemed like everything fell into place.”
Kyle arrived in Miami prepared both mentally and physically to sail at his best. One of his goals for this regatta was to reach an optimal weight and fitness level to compete successfully against elite international competition. “In the past I have been one of the smallest guys in the fleet, and for this event I was bigger and stronger than I have ever been. Each day I get into the boat I am learning ways to use fitness to my advantage.”
Because US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR was the final qualifier for the 2010 \USSTAG, Kyle’s bronze medal secured him a spot on the national team, which was one of his top goals. Kyle mentioned, “The support of an organized team is an important part of taking sailing to the next level.” He has been training full-time, and working with USSTAG trainers to help evaluate his performance.
The senior from Collegeville, Pa. is a mechanical engineering major at Old Dominion University. When Kyle gets out of school in May, he plans to continue competing in International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Sailing World Cup events throughout Europe.
“Winning an Olympic medal would be the ultimate reward for me and would make all of the hard work well worth the effort,” he added.