JJ Fetter joins us on the San Diego Yacht Club Sailcast to discuss a variety of topics with our host, Alli Bell. JJ speaks about how she got into sailing, her successes throughout her career, including two Olympic medals, the importance of youth sailing, and the long history of Olympic success at SDYC.
The conversation starts with JJ telling us how she got into sailing, involving the SDYC junior program, sabots and several mentors. One of which was Dave Perry, who encouraged JJ to sail in a variety of other boats to keep growing. From there, JJ ventured to more East Coast regattas where she saw success in the sport at an early age.
JJ continues on to tell us about attending Yale and how her Olympic campaigning began. She discusses her two Olympic experiences in 1992 and 2000, the difference between both experiences, and where she was in life at the time – including having children).
The conversations switches away from the Olympics and on to the important of youth sailing and how it did so much for her, that she wants to continue helping children now get where they need to be in high-performance boats. Alli and JJ reflect on some of the boats that they had the opportunity to sail when they were younger that advanced their skills, and how SDYC is a community of sailors all looking out for one another.
Coming up September 6-8 is the San Diego Olympic Classes Regatta. JJ touches on the event, what it’s about and why they love to host it. She reflects on some of the Olympic history that has gone through the Club and tells stories of Mark Reynolds in the Olympics.
From there, the two talk about women in sailing, progression that’s occurred over the years and some of the struggles that they still face.
The episode ends with JJ explaining what she is doing now, what types of boats she’d like to sail now for fun, and advice on getting into sailing at any age.