A dream, an ambition, a challenge

A dream is an exclusive occurrence which relates to one's own 'reality' where the body, mind and spirit unify. An ambition is the desire to attain power, superiority and success. A challenge is the opportunity to engage in a contest of skill and strength.

Well, quite a philosophical introduction to the determined objective of two young men whose acknowledged past and resolute present promise well to an exciting future.

Sebastian Ripard and Benji Borg, two well-known sailors, share a common aspiration... gold at the Olympic Games.

These two youngsters simply have passionate devotion for sailing where they have achieved individual triumph when in their childhood adventure.

Ripard, 24, hails from a sea-reputed family. He was only seven when he had his first taste of the sport and today enjoys a remarkable credential which includes Helmsman of the Year (1997), Optimist national champion (1997 to 1999), first in class and second overall in the Rolex Middle Sea Race on Artie and various other honours.

Borg, 20, is also grateful to being born in a sailing family where he too recalls going into sailing at the tender age of seven, today having attained impressive podium calls like the Maltese Optimist champion (2002/2003), GSSE golds (2003 and 2007), Sportsman of the Year (2003) and Laser Radial champion (2006).

I had a chat with Sebastian who was the major instigator behind this 49er adventure.

What made you choose Benji to be your partner in this project?

As a young kid on Optimist I never competed against Benji. However, even at that age it became apparent that he, more than anyone, had that desire to achieve and commitment to follow through with his goals.

Most importantly, when discussing the idea with him I could tell that if he puts his mind to it he would approach the campaign with the commitment and determination that could keep us pushing hard through the tough times.

Why did you go for the 49er in the Olympic circuit?

Both of us are physically best suited to the 49er. It is the most high technology of all the Olympic classes and thus represents the direction that sailing is moving in. Being the fastest and most high-performance of the Olympic classes, it is also very enjoyable, yet physical, to sail.

I felt this challenge and reward inherent in the boat would be a key factor to keep us focused on our Olympic challenge.

You plan to spend a number of years as professional sailors. What sort of sponsorship are you seeking for such an expedition?

A successful campaign depends mostly on funding for three main reasons: i) equipment; (ii) time on the water; and (iii) coaching.

A medal-winning campaign usually lasts around eight years. In the sailing world, most medals are won by those who already have Olympic experience under their belts.

Obviously, we believe that we have a chance in 2012 otherwise we would not be competing. But we will be at our full potential come the Games in 2016.

So, we are looking at six years that we need to approach in a professional manner. This means full-time sailing, competing on the World Cup circuit with adequate equipment and an intensive coaching programme.

We feel that we need to spend around €30,000 annually on our campaign in order to meet the necessary criteria. Most foreign teams are spending almost double that money.

Besides sailing, would you be following any special training?

Practising in the water should be about three four-hour sessions per week. Off the water, training is equally intensive if not more so.

We have a dedicated team at Body Works who are taking care of our off-the-water training and food programme. We are also in the gym twice a day. The preparation that we are going through gives a clear idea of the 49er's intensity.

Do you have a coach or technical advisor?

We have a small group of people who are already helping us. In fact, I have calculated that the help which we have received in kind is already worth around €10,000 and that figure will probably reach around €40,000 by the end of 2012.

We also have professionals helping us with our marketing campaign. Peter Valentino has taken up the challenge of coaching us and we are also receiving assistance from our former Optimist coach Jean Paul Fleri Soler. We are also planning a few training camps abroad.

Yes, absolutely striking qualities of being young and vigorous where a dream, an ambition and a challenge are so discerning in the mind and heart. So, good luck boys with the gold rush.