By Airwaves Writer Tyler Colvin
Editor’s note: John Mollicone is a classic example of a coach who also “practices what he preaches.” We believe strongly in the model of a coach who keeps up with professional development by actually being out in the game himself. See our old post “What Great Sailing Coaches Do.”
To any current or former college sailor, the name John Mollicone is immediately recognizable. Head coach at Brown University, J-24 champion and dedicated ambassador of the sport, Mollicone has been a fixture in college sailing for a decade and a half. Whether it’s in the classroom or on the helm, Mollicone has made his living on the water since he left school.
It was in the college sailing mecca of New England that Mollicone rose to prominence. An All-American Boston University sailor, Mollicone cut his teeth on the icy waters of the Charles River and led the team his senior year to a New England Dinghy Championship and an impressive third at Nationals. This performance landed him a job at Brown University as the head coach. (To get some perspective on coaching in college, see John Storcks article “A Life in one Day: Coaching in College“)
“I was lucky to be offered the position at Brown University as the Head Sailing Coach right out of college. I always enjoyed coaching and I really enjoyed my college sailing experience so I was lucky the position was available.” Said Mollicone. Faced with the challenge of rebuilding the program from the bottom up, Mollicone wasn’t sure at first if the shoe fit. “At first I wasn’t 100% sure. I figured I’d give it a year or two and see if things progressed at Brown and how much I liked the lifestyle and hours. After a few years of a one-year at a time approach, I decided I really loved college coaching, working at Brown, and interacting with the Brown student-athletes more than I ever imagined.”
His first year was tough. “When I started coaching at Brown in 1999 we were in a rebuilding stage from the depth of the team to moving to a new home site. It was a challenge to get the program competitive again by increasing the amount of sailors on the team and the depth of talent.” Pulling together and gaining financial support to supplement the talent, the Brown team quickly climbed the college sailing rankings to the top spot in both Women’s and Coed.
In addition to the ability to work with some of the top student-athletes in the country, Mollicone also enjoys the flexible nature of coaching. He is a self-described “part-time professional sailor” and routinely dominates local J-24 racing. No weekend warrior, Mollicone has won numerous World, North American and National J-24 Championships. In 2011 he was a member of the silver medal US Olympic team at the Pan-American games in the J-24 and was a US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year nominee in 2012. He has recently forayed into the world of J-70s, winning Midwinters in 2013 and 2014, North Americans in 2014 and a third at Worlds in 2014.
During the college sailing season (Sept 1-mid November and mid February-early June), Mollicone is swamped, “During the college sailing season…there are not enough hours in the day, it’s certainly not a 9 to 5 job.” A program the magnitude of Brown’s requires constant attention. “Mornings and early afternoons during the week are consumed with meetings, recruiting, phone calls, emails, regatta planning, practice planning, and boat work.” He excels in this three-ring circus and has lead Brown to 48 National Championship appearances 21 top 5 National Championships, 12 New England Championships and six Atlantic Coast Championships. Student-athlete development has also been strong, producing 54 All-Americans, 17 Academic All-Americans and 87 All-New England Sailors.
Dedication and hard work drive the Brown University team with Mollicone at the helm. His position with the team was a combination of luck and ability, “I was very lucky to get a college head coaching position right out of college. I had a successful last year of college sailing, was from Rhode Island, and the Brown job was probably not to appealing to anyone with lots of experience since it was more of a club team on a tight budget.”
He is quick to point out the difficulties of getting into the college coaching game, “Nowadays, becoming a head coach of a good program takes some experience and there are many great opportunities available to become an assistant coach at a strong program or a head coach of a smaller program if you are younger or need some much needed experience.” Mollicone admits that modern coaching requires a wide variety of skills, “The sailing and coaching background are only a small part of the job description. You have to be able to fund-raise, budget, recruit, and be a really good organizer and administrator.”
Whether it was his experience in the biting New England winters, or a trial by fire approach to his first (and only) college coaching position, John Mollicone has a multitude of successes. Mollicone’s biggest piece of advice for an up and coming or aspiring coach? “Be ready to put a lot of hours in if you want to be successful!”
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Profiles in Pro Sailing: Andy Horton
Editors Note- As part of our mission to support the sailing community, Sail1Design is pleased to unveil our new series, Profiles in Pro Sailing. This series is designed to give our community thoughts, ideas, tips, and reflections on how some of the best in the industry made it to where they are today. We hope these articles are informative, and maybe even inspirational. As always, we invite comments and feedback.
By Airwaves writer Tyler Colvin
I race sailboats for a living. There isn’t a single sailor who hasn’t dreamt of uttering these words at one point in his or her lifetime. For a small sport, there are an even smaller number who make a living solely from sailing regattas year round. In the professional sailing conversation, names such as Ainslie (GBR), Coutts (NZL) and Spithill (AUS) come up. Enter Andy Horton (USA). Professional sailor.
Andy grew up in upstate Vermont and learned to sail on Lake Champlain and Lake George (NY). Not exactly a hotbed for the next who’s who of Olympic hopefuls, the Northeast often features water that is frozen almost as much as it is not. “First time I ever dreamed about it was before I was 10 years old,” recalls Horton, “(at that time) it was rare for people to just get paid to go sailing. I would read every article in Sailing World and just try to learn and absorb as much as I could from anyone I could. It wasn’t until I got to high school that the America’s Cup was a place where people could really make a good living, but the path wasn’t clear.”
Horton attended Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts and went on to Hobart College in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. At Hobart, Horton was a three-time All-American, and the thoughts of making a living on the water started to form. It was after graduation that he began his Olympic Soling campaign. “I lived out of the back of my car, sailed as much as possible and tried to meet as many people as possible.” Said Horton. “ (It was) in college I started to think that maybe I could do this full time.”
The year was 1999. Freshly out of school with an Olympic Campaign underway, Horton was beginning to figure out the game. “(In) 99/2000 we had 38 Farr 40s at Key West Race week, there were a ton of opportunities. This was my dream and it was working.” With the economy still strong, there were a glut of owners with a wad of cash and empty boats. “I tried to learn as much as I could and tried to sail with as many people as I could. In the beginning of your career, learning from them (is crucial).”
One of the people he met was none other than Ed Baird. “I met Ed Baird and jumped on the World Match Racing Tour with him. (In 2003 and 2004) We won back to back World Championships, did a lot of awesome sailing, and tried to absorb as much as I could.” In addition to his match racing, Horton also still had his Olympic campaign. However, with the discontinuation of the Soling class after the 2000 Olympics, his focus switched to the Star Class where he would podium numerous times, including a 1st at the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta in 2005 and a 2nd in 2006.
Around this time Horton was asked to try out for the Italian America’s Cup team, Luna Rossa. “My senior year of college I gave myself until age 30 to try and make (professional sailing) this work. I was at my America’s Cup tryout on my 30th birthday, having a beer in Spain saying, “We’ll see.” Luna Rossa went on to lose the Challenger Series that cycle to Emirates Team New Zealand, but this wasn’t the end of the road for Horton.
Fast forward to 2015. Based out of Vermont with a family, Horton continues to sail at a high level. At events, his day starts before sunrise and ends well after dark, getting weather forecasts, regatta information, racing, boat work, and debriefing the crew. When not competing all over the world, he spends his time at home getting caught up on emails, setting up team travel and staying in shape. Recently he has forayed into the world of foiling Moths. He had just gotten back from Moth Worlds when this interview was conducted and the excitement was palpable through the phone.
TC: What is your favorite class and why?
AH: Moths. Just got back from Moth Worlds. I sailed one for the first time a year ago, and with other people for the first time about two weeks ago. It was the coolest experience I’ve had in 20 years of sailing. I’ve sailed a lot of cool boats and this was by far the coolest.”
Even professional sailors still get giddy.
Despite all the successes, Horton doesn’t hesitate to downplay his role in the programs he has been involved with. “Its amazing thing and I’m lucky to be able to do what I do and meet all these different people. It is amazing to see how people from different walks of life approach the same age old problem, how do we make the boat go fast. It puts a smile on my face when I can think of all the people I’ve had the privilege to meet and sail with.” It is this approach that has gotten him to where he is today and when asked about it, his top two suggestions were along the same lines.
Number 1, be humble. No one likes to work with people who aren’t. You would be surprised at how many of these relationships you revisit year after year.
Number 2, do any job, do every job, and do it well. Move every sail and sponge every bilge. Never let anyone work harder than you work. Be open minded.
From FJs to AC72s, the dream of a 10-year-old Vermonter is being played out almost 30 years later around the world. It is not without challenges though. “The most challenging part has been being an “independent contractor”. You don’t know where the money will come from next. When you’re young, keeping expenses and overhead to a minimum makes it possible.” In addition he adds, “Time management is another stumbling block…knowing where to go, what to do, and who to turn down. Picking what direction to go can be the most difficult. Getting to know the community is pretty important if you want to make it in the industry.”
It is no lack of hard work, humility and the drive to live his dream that allows Andy Horton to say, “I race sailboats for a living.”