Zig Sailing Insiders – Exclusive Interview Amanda Callahan
Zig Sailing Insider is excited to sit down with superstar sailor, Amanda Callahan, for an Insider’s perspective on the evolving world of Team Racing. Recently appointed as the Team Racing Chairperson for World Sailing, Amanda brings her experience and fresh vision for the sport to the table. In this interview, she shares her insights on the current state of Team Racing, what her new role means for the future, and what we can expect at upcoming events both nationally and internationally.
Article by Ty Christopher Olsen, August 15, 2025.
Insights from Amanda Callahan, Chair of World Sailing’s Team Racing Committee
TCO: Can you share how you first got involved in sailing, and what led you to develop such a strong passion and focus for team racing in particular?
AC: I first got into sailing by competing locally in youth and high school regattas around Mass Bay, but it wasn’t until college at Hobart and William Smith Colleges that my passion really took off. That’s also where I discovered team racing, a format that quickly became my favorite part of the sport and has remained a central focus for me ever since.
A couple of years after graduation, I got a call from Ken Legler, then the Tufts sailing coach, who was dealing with some health issues. He asked if I’d be willing to step in and coach the team for the spring season. My first thought was, “I’m only 24, do I really have any business taking on that kind of responsibility?” But I jumped at the chance, and it turned out to be an incredible opportunity. That experience lit the spark for my coaching career, and I’ve been coaching at the collegiate level ever since.
After my time at Tufts, I served briefly as the Assistant Coach at Stanford before being invited to Roger Williams University to help grow their sailing program. I accepted, and 19 years later, I’m still here, now serving as both Head Coach and Assistant Athletic Director.
TCO: You were an integral part of the Silver Panda team, a team with an impressive record of success. Could you tell us about the team and highlight some of its most memorable achievements?
AC: The Silver Panda team was an incredibly competitive and close-knit group that I sailed with from about 2002 through 2010, just after my college years. What made the team unique was that it brought together top sailors from a variety of different programs, all with the shared goal of pushing ourselves to be the best at team racing. We thrived on the challenge and loved competing on the Vanguard 15 circuit during its heyday.
Our mission was simple: go out and win as much as we could, and we did just that. Over those years, we captured two World Championships, multiple U.S. Hinman Championships and the British Team Racing Championship for the Wilson Trophy (a couple of times). One of the highlights came in 2009, when the team was even shortlisted for the prestigious Rolex Sailor of the Year Award after winning all the major team racing events, the Triple Crown, in one year.
Beyond the results, what made the Silver Panda team special was how well we worked together and how much fun we had while doing it. And even though the team is no longer active, it’s been amazing to see so many of the skippers still competing at a high level. For example, Pete Levesque and Clay Bischoff were both recently helmsmen at the relaunched World Sailing Team Racing World Championships and the Morgan Cup Team Race. In addition, Colin Merrick was back competing at the Wilson Trophy this year. It’s cool to see everyone still active in the sport.
TCO: You’ve mentioned that most of your sailing these days is “for fun”. Do you still find yourself competing from time to time, or is it more about enjoying the sport without the stress of competition?
AC: Yes, I’m still competing, though I’ll admit I haven’t thrown myself into a major campaign the way I once did. These days, I like to joke that my “retirement boat” is the Sunfish, and fortunately, there’s a really strong fleet here in New England that keeps me active and connected to the sport.
A few years ago, I actually made a push for the Pan Am Games in the Sunfish. Historically, the event had always been an open fleet, but in that quad, it shifted to include separate men’s and women’s fleets. While I usually sail the Sunfish more for fun, I decided to go all in for that campaign. I put together about a six-month effort, which was intense but ultimately not quite enough to match some of the competitors, many of whom were also running full Olympic campaigns at the same time. Still, it was a fantastic experience and a reminder of how much I enjoy the competition of the sport.
TCO: Congratulations on your recent appointment as Chairperson of the World Sailing Team Racing Committee. What are your main goals in this new role, and how do you see the committee shaping the future of team racing?
AC: Thank you! I was really excited when World Sailing reached out earlier this year to talk about team racing. The U.S. has the most active team racing community in the world, yet for the last four years there has not been a U.S. representative on the Committee, so it felt important to bring that voice back to the table.
Looking at the overall picture, one of the biggest challenges has been that the last Team Racing World Championship was held in 2015. Since then, participation at the global level, outside of the Optimist class, has been limited which is why momentum had stalled. Now, however, we’re seeing renewed energy worldwide. Just to name a few, Argentina recently hosted its first-ever Team Racing National Championship, Angola held a team race just a few weeks ago, and there’s active growth in places like Turkey. Combine that with the growing Opti fleets and the growing interest from both youth and adult sailors, it’s clear this is the right time to push team racing forward on a global scale.
My initial focus as Chair is to help drive that growth and promotion of team racing worldwide. Longer term, I’d love to see team racing considered as a potential Olympic event. While I don’t expect it to be included as early as the 2032 Games, the combination of increasing participation and support from World Sailing could make it a real possibility in the future.
What makes team racing especially compelling is how well it translates for spectators. In discussions at our recent US Sailing meeting, one theme that stood out is the need for sailing to appeal to a broader audience. We need to target people who might only tune in every four years during the Olympics. Olympic events need to fit into a 26-minute broadcast window, and team racing naturally fits that format. It delivers fast-paced action, constant lead changes, and tactical drama that even casual viewers can follow. In particular, 2-on-2 racing is easy to understand, always exciting, and often undecided until the very last moments of the race.
That combination, global growth, spectator appeal, and nonstop excitement, makes me confident that team racing has the potential to become one of the most engaging and accessible forms of sailing worldwide.
TCO: You continue to be influential in developing Team Racing both in the US and internationally. How do you see interest in the sport evolving? Is the growth mostly within the US, or are you seeing it expand on a global scale as well?
AC: Much of Team Racing in the US is still driven by high school and college sailing. While there aren’t yet many open dinghy team racing events, there has been significant growth in team keelboat racing, which really extends the lifespan of the sport. In fact, next week, both the Masters and Grand Masters team racing events are taking place, bringing sailors into their 70’s back onto the racecourse! Over the past decade, keelboat team racing has developed tremendously, giving sailors a natural progression from college-level dinghy racing into a thriving keelboat fleet.
In Europe, the landscape is a bit different. The British and Irish programs also emphasize school-based team racing, but they’ve launched initiatives like the 2K Series in keelboats, which has been extremely successful. New Zealand, too, has a rapidly growing team racing community. Looking ahead, one of the key opportunities at the World Sailing level is to involve more emerging nations. Having these countries represented on the global stage would be incredible.
I’m especially excited about a new development this year: a mixed team race demonstration scheduled just before the Youth Worlds in Vilamoura. The Notice of Race was recently released, and on December 11th, up to 16 teams will compete in ILCA’s, with umpires already confirmed. This event has been attempted for the past three years but always faced hurdles, so we’re thrilled it’s finally coming to life. We’re hoping it’s a fun, successful event and that it helps spread the excitement of team racing even further!
TCO: Team Racing is usually thought of as a youth-focused sport. Are you seeing more adult sailors getting involved, and what opportunities are helping drive that expansion?
AC: I think keelboat team racing will primarily thrive within Yacht Clubs, since they have the resources and infrastructure to support it. Hosting keelboat regattas requires an investment, and many Clubs already have fleets of One Design boats, making them natural hubs for team racing. This setup allows sailors graduating from college programs to continue their passion for team racing in a well-supported environment.
For example, the New York Yacht Club has a significant number of younger members who don’t live in New York or Newport full-time, yet they are drawn to the Club because of its team racing resources. I expect we’ll continue to see sailors gravitate toward Clubs that are already equipped to support keelboat racing. At the same time, I anticipate more Clubs will begin investing in keelboat programs, expanding opportunities and growing the sport even further.
TCO: With your long history in Team Racing, it’s probably impossible to pick just one—but is there a race, either as a sailor or a coach, that still makes your adrenaline flow when you think about it?
AC: I’d have to say it was this year at the College Nationals. Spoiler alert, it didn’t end the way we hoped, but what a rally! We were in a must-win race against Yale to stay in contention for 2nd place. From the start, things went horribly—we were completely off the line, trailing Yale by what felt like forever. They had a 1–2 on the board, and we weren’t even on the live coverage because we were so far behind. The commentators had done everything but announce the winners!
But then, out of nowhere, our sailors showed incredible drive. Even on the last beat, boat lengths behind, they were hiking like crazy. Little by little, they clawed their way back, finding clear water to the right, then another to the left, and back and forth. They were determined to make this a race to the very end. To make it even crazier, three hails came from the umpires, only one was answered, but it all came down to an unreal finish!
Everyone watching couldn’t help but focus on our comeback. On the dock, our team exploded with energy, everyone on their feet, cheering at the top of their lungs. You could see the determination on the sailors’ faces as they pushed the boat to the finish. From a coaching perspective, it was incredible to witness—the teamwork, the resilience and the refusal to give up.
We didn’t win the race in the end, but we sailed brilliantly, fought every inch of the way, and left everything on the water. Moments like that are what make team racing such an exciting event to not only compete in, but also as a spectator and especially to coach.
