Olympian at last
Erika Reineke ’17 loves competition—whether it’s racing a sailboat through choppy waters at international regattas or spiking a volleyball in a mud-filled parking lot at Boston College—and this summer she’s headed to the biggest contest of her life.
As a member of the U.S. national sailing team, Reineke will race in the Paris Olympic Games, a goal she’s been chasing for 15 years. Her event, the women’s dinghy race, kicks off August 1 in Marseille, a southern port city on the Mediterranean Sea. Reineke and her teammates have held multiple training camps there over the past year, with two more scheduled before the Games begin July 28.
“What gives you the best shot at a medal as a sailor is being extremely well-rounded in a variety of conditions,” Reineke explained. “The more you get to know a venue and its trends, the better you’re set up to create winning strategies for the races.”
Photo: Allison Chenard, US Sailing Team
The conditions at Marseille are known for being challenging, which should favor sailors with Reineke’s level of experience. Now 30 years old, the Florida native has been sailing since the age of 8, when her parents signed her up for lessons at their local yacht club. Initially hesitant, Reineke became a breakout star in the sport, bringing home three ILCA Youth World Championships and competing in the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials while still in high school.
At Boston College, she majored in Environmental Studies while winning four individual national championships and NEISA Conference Sailor of the Year honors. Over her four years on the Heights (she took a year off to compete in the 2016 Olympic trials), Reineke learned how to “thrive in the chaos” created by New England’s tricky wind and water conditions, and how to be more disciplined in her approach to sports and life.
“I came in as a free-spirited freshman with no plan or structure and graduated gaining the ability to goal set and execute,” she recalled. “I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without my BC teammates or Coach [Greg] Wilkinson.”
After BC, Reineke doubled down on her Olympic dream, training hard for the 2020 trials. When she didn’t make the team, she took the summer off from sailing completely, staying with her parents in landlocked Colorado. She eventually returned, but in a different boat class, trading her signature Laser sailboat for a two-person skiff. Sailing with a partner provided the perspective shift she needed, reminding her how fun it was to compete at the highest level. In 2022, when her coach suggested she give the Laser another try, Reineke felt ready.
Reineke is one of 13 sailors representing the U.S. at the Paris Olympic Games. Photo: US Sailing Team
Heading into her fourth Olympic trials in February, Reineke was sailing better than she ever had. She’d recently won a gold medal at the 2023 Pan Am Games, bouncing back from an ankle injury to win seven of her 10 races, and she felt focused and in control. The regatta, held in Miami, featured eight days of intense competition, with Reineke and Texas-based sailor Charlotte Rose battling it out for the top spot. On the final day, Reineke overcame a four-point deficit to be crowned the winner, clinching a spot on the Olympic team.
“When I crossed the finish line in the final race a ton of emotions came over me,” she said. “This has been a goal I’ve been working towards for the last 15 years. It’s a dream come true.”
The Olympics require a higher level of preparation than any competition Reineke has taken part in. In addition to the physical aspect (singlehanded sailing requires athletes to be constantly shifting position while maintaining their balance in rough conditions), and the mental (strategy plays a huge role in professional races, which are 50-60 minutes long), there are added logistical concerns: if an Olympic athlete bypasses the media area (known as the “mixed zone”) after a race, points are added to their score line.
Reineke trusts her coaching staff to help her optimize her performance. For the Olympics, that team will include longtime coach Erik Bowers as well as BC’s Wilkinson, who has remained close with Reineke since her graduation. But when she’s out on the water, battling her competitors as well as whatever Mother Nature throws her way, she has to trust herself. Races aren’t generally won off the starting line, so Reineke has learned to be patient while looking for her next attacking move.
“In all of our races, there’s a pivotal point when you make a decision to hedge your bets on a specific strategy,” she said. “Identifying that moment and setting yourself up to execute it—that’s what separates the amateurs from the veterans.”