What it really takes to race at the highest level:
Sailfaster recently sat down with Olympian, world-class sailor, and now performance coach, Stephanie Roble to talk about racing at the highest level and what it really takes to get there.
What’s the Olympic sailing lifestyle really like?
It’s four years of training for one event. You completely shift your lifestyle around one question: “Will this make me one step closer to my goal?” It becomes an all-encompassing lifestyle. It’s your sleep, your nutrition, your mindset, your hydration, your gym work—and that’s before you even get to the starting line. Everyone is putting in the same amount of hours. Everyone knows how to get faster. It’s about finding your secret sauce—how do you show up and perform on game day?
What’s it been like stepping away from Olympic sailing?
I’ve done two Olympics and two Pan Am Games, and now I’m retiring from the sport. It’s hard to admit. I get teary-eyed just thinking about it because I really loved what I did with Olympic sailing. But right now, my tank is empty. I don’t have the energy to do what it takes to pursue another campaign. I’m so proud of what Maggie and I accomplished, but I’m also heartbroken because we didn’t achieve the goal. It’s been a journey of reflecting on the positives: how I became a better sailor, a better teammate, a better human.
How do you prepare mentally before a big regatta?
It came down to developing a process and putting a lot of time into understanding what works for me and what doesn’t. Everyone’s different. Some people need a lot of energy and pressure to bring out their best; others need to stay chill. For me, it was about visualization. I believed in seeing it before doing it. I would picture certain moments: tacking off the pin, setting up in a breeze, downwind boat handling in big waves. I’d walk through what I’d be feeling and what I’d be telling myself. I also had checklists for the morning, pre-race, post-race. Having those processes meant I didn’t have to think, I could just do. That’s how you get into flow.
How do you stay focused and bounce back during a race?
As I got older and more mature in my racing, I was able to remove the emotion from decision-making. If Plan A didn’t work—if we didn’t make that tack and cross—I wouldn’t allow myself to get upset. I had this process: stop, breathe, reset. If you react emotionally like, “Ugh, this isn’t working,” you distract yourself. Sailing is so fast-paced, and you can’t afford that. I always told myself: how do I attack the next thing? That was key. Move on quickly and keep racing.
How do you simplify decision-making on the racecourse?
We always diagnosed what kind of day it was: is there somewhere to race to, or is it an open course? If it’s somewhere to race to, that might be a geographic feature like Garda, or current relief like in San Francisco. That narrows your priorities—you’re going for something specific. If it’s open, it’s about boat speed and positioning. That one question helped us eliminate variables and keep our game plan simple. That was huge for us.
What’s next for you?
I will focus on performance coaching. I want to work with athletes and businesspeople to help them with whatever roadblocks they’re facing in pursuit of greatness. The special thing is: I’ve been in (their) shoes. I know what it’s like to chase a big goal, to work hard, to stumble, to adapt. I can empathize with the highs and the lows of the journey.
Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or watch it on YouTube.
