Olympic Fever is in full swing here at Boosh Magazine and we've got some exclusive interviews coming your way with some of the college aged athletes heading over to Beijing in a couple weeks. While the games are off to a rocky start on many fronts, nothing is quite as rocky as the potential sailing course. For those of you who've seen the pictures, the harbor which is supposed to hold the racers this August looks more like a golf course and less like a body of water. But the US Sailing Team is looking forward to the global competition, including 21 year old San Diego native Graham Biehl who has been on the water since before he could walk.

What age did you start sailing competitively?

I started racing about age 8, but never got really into it until i was about 12.

What is your standard practice routine?

Standard practice routine is always changing. But we have a schedule in place to keep us on track. We train 5 days on, 2 days off. Preferably Mon - Fri with Sat/Sun off. Typically, we have a warm up for 10 min, then begin to focus on different areas of the game we need improvement on. Starting is always a big focus, so we do a lot of starting practice. We also do a lot of equipment testing to optimize our set up for different sailing conditions. After all this we typically join up with other teams and do a few full length practice races.

How many hours a week would you say you spend on the water?

During a training week 20 hours is acceptable. But during a race week it can be as high as 30.

How was college, balancing your time between your sport and school? Where did you go?

This was one of my most difficult challenges. I entered into University of California - Irvine just after the 2004 Olympics so you can be sure 2008 was on my mind. I had a few difficulties with finding a partner, and things just came to place in the beginning of
2005. We took a little more time off that the other team, as my partner Stu McNay, was just finishing up at Yale. In 2006 i made a huge decision to stop all schooling and focus 100% on our efforts. This was the hardest decision ive ever had to make and it was
definitely the correct one. After the upcoming games i will be going back to school full time to take a break from olympic sailing. But you can be sure we'll be back at it for 2012 in London.

Do you feel you lived the normal college lifestyle?
I definitely have not lived a normal college lifestyle. All of my college friends are a little jealous of what i've got going on and are definitely in awe. However, i dont feel like I've missed out the much. I was never one for the fraternity lifestyle and classic college party scenes. Ive also gotten myself a different education my college friends dont have yet. Im talking about world experience. The places ive been and the things I've seen around the world have opened my ideas about the world and it's really important to understand the world.

Favorite races you've had a chance to participate in?
Competing in the Olympics is a dream come true and i cant wait to line up for that first start and hear the gun go off. Other memorable races would be anything that required a qualifying system to be the sole representative for the USA in the class of boat.

Top 5 Songs to get you ready for rocking?
"No Stress" by Laurent Wolf
"Banquet" by Bloc Party
"Killswitch" by Grinspoon
"Just a Shadow" by Pacifier
"Stay Fly" by Three 6 Mafia


Who is your biggest competition in the 2008 games?

GBR, NED, ISR, NZL, POR, AUS

Beverage of choice after a long day on the water?

Cold Heineken in a bottle

Any advice for college students looking to get involved with sailing this summer?

Check out your local yacht clubs or college programs for introductory programs for adults. Its a challenging sport and requires a lot more out of you than just strength. Give it a shot, its an amazing experience.

What days should everyone be looking for sailing results?
The olympics begin Aug 8. Our class of boat begins racing on Aug 11.
 

More information on Graham and the rest of the US Sailing Team can be found HERE

Be sure to check back for more Olympic Exclusives as the games approach in August.