Q&A With Polish 49'er Sailing Team

We met Tomas in the boat yard during the 49'er European championships in Barcelona. Calm, collected and confident, his charisma seemed to own the yard. We are proud to announce that Spinnaker is a sponsor for the Polish men's 49'er Sailing team.

We managed to get a small Q&A from Tomas  in between his busy prep schedule for RIO 

 

For how long have each of you been sailing for?

I have been sailing for 18 years - optimist, 470, 49er
Jack for 8 - 29er, 420, 49er

When did you start racing together as a team?

we have been sailing together for over 5 and a half years

Together representing Poland, what have been your greatest accomplishments?

in 2014 we had won the World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, 2016 in Clearwater we were 4th in World Championship

How much work goes into sailing "off season" compared to "on season"?

More or less we try to train as hard and often as possible. Long term breaks are awfully bad in making any progress. So during winter season we train on the Spanish or France waters were the temperature is warm enough.

Do you have a dietary shift  from off to on season?

We eat healthy every day. Lot of vegetables and fruits. Sometimes when it comes for loosing or gaining weight we change the diet appropriately to do so.

What sports or training routines do you perform on land that help you excel on the water?

We run a lot, ride on bicycles and do a special training in the gym. But those trainings are based mostly on all body movement. We do not pump ourselves on the machines. Stretching is also a good part of each day.

What have been some of the most challenging times/competitions for you two as a team?

season 2013 was extremely tough. We did not have any sponsor and the association help was not enough to properly prepare for the season. Hence we had no good results and in the winter of 2013-2014 we thought of quitting. But luckily we kept on going and here we are now.