World Cup Series: A new generation on the Olympic journey

It’s a full family affair in Palma, with Mitch and his wife Angels providing coaching support and backup for their son and daughter on the road towards Paris 2024 and the Games beyond that, Los Angeles 2028.

Sitting in their road trailer, surrounded by boxes of spare equipment, sail bags and an array of tools, the Booths are a tight-knit team with a lot of experience despite their youth. “I’ve been sailing with my brother since I was 12 years old, and I’m 20 now,” says Rita. “Well, actually I suppose I’ve been sailing all my life because my dad has been into Olympic sailing for so long.”

Ruben says there are some strong advantages to sailing with a sibling. “The communication is very direct and it’s easy, because we know each other really well. So that can be an advantage. Of course there are times when there is tension too, but we learn to manage that and we’re working well together.”

Like any good sailing parent, Mitch was always careful not to force the sport on to his kids. “I never pushed them into the sport in any way,” he says. “I just used to tell them, ‘the boat’s in the garage, if you want to go for a sail, then great! And if you want to do a competition, let’s go and do it together.’ But it had to come from them.”

If Mitch was ever concerned that the kids wouldn’t love sailing as much as he has done, he needn’t have worried. “Of course, they ended up loving it. They went and won the Nacra 15 World Championships, and that was a good indication that they were enjoying it enough to do it well. So that was their starting block for the Olympic project.”

Mitch tries to keep his advice as ‘light touch’ as possible. “I’m not a full-time coach with them. I just come and go when I when I can between other events I’m involved in, but it’s good to do it as a family. I just try to express some of those lessons I’ve learned over the years, try to help them avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made along the way.”

A veteran of nine Olympic campaigns, Mitch says there is no point in doing an Olympic campaign half-heartedly. “You have to eat it, breathe it, and sleep it, you know? If you don’t enjoy the journey, then you’re not going to be good at it because it’s it is a super long road.”

Ruben is determined to keep on pushing with full commitment on the campaign. “It’s pretty much 100 per cent all the time. I’m dedicating most of every single day to the sailing and I don’t see myself stopping any time soon,” says the 22-year-old. The goal for Princess Sofia Trophy is to finish as second Australian team. “[Olympic silver medallists] Jason Waterhouse & Lisa Darmanin are the favourites at the moment, and there are a number of younger teams from Australia in the Nacra, so our aim is to beat them here at the first World Cup event of the season.”

While Angels Booth doesn’t know much about the mechanics of sailing, it has been a big part of her life and she appreciates the difference it makes to her children’s lives. “There is a lot to think about, a lot to manage, it’s not just about the sailing. It’s about organising yourselves, fixing the boat, there are many good lessons for everything in life. There are some hard lessons too, but that’s a good thing to experience and to learn from.”