“This coming season is going to be super busy; I’ll be sailing my first Palma event in May and I’m super excited about it. This year will be my first-year full-time campaigning and I think a lot of this year is about really honing in on racing. Last year was about getting to know the fleet and especially the international fleet. 2023 is about putting the hammer down and breaking into the top ten, so a race-oriented focus and on speed-work as well.”

Charlotte Rose grew up in Houston, TX, where she is based. Now twenty-two, she started sailing when she was nine and got into the Laser when I was 13. She’s competed at a high level in the ICLA at international events since she was 16: she went to the Youth Worlds twice in 2017 and 2018 taking the championship title both times in the Girl’s Laser Radial fleet. She won the 2021 NAs, and won silver at the Pan Am Games. Rose graduated last year from Jacksonville University, a small school where she sailed on the college team and has been into Olympic sailing since she was 18.

“I’ve wanted to go to the Olympics since I was nine,” Rose said. Now I’m done with school I can focus on sailing more intensively rather than worrying about school. 2024 is a goal so I’ll see how this quad goes, then hopefully I’ll be going for 2028 in Los Angeles as well.”

Rose’s schedule these days is all about training, getting better, getting fit, and getting on the international circuit, she explained.

“Getting experience racing in a big fleet against previous Olympians and those like me who are campaigning for the first time – that’s what campaigning is all about,” she said.

Last November Rose started working with coach Alex Saldanha from Brazil. Saldanha grew up with – and coaches – Robert Scheidt, an international Laser legend. She believes her strengths going into the 2023 international summer events are her speed and overall natural racing instincts.

“Alex has been great, and the coaching is making a difference,” she noted. “I feel like I have a really good understanding of my compass numbers, and putting up consistent results, and I’m pretty confident in my speed and fitness against the international fleet for sure,” she smiled.

She’d liked to think with work on starts and her mind set that she has potential to make her way into the top ten this year.

“I’m becoming more confident starting at ends, and more confident with my mind set which I think is my biggest thing, keeping a cool head and focusing on what I need to focus on,” she acknowledged. “I think if I really focus on those things going into these events, I can break into the top ten. At the World Championship last year in Houston, I went into the last day in 6^th although unfortunately I had two bad races and fell out and finished 14^th overall. I feel like if I have really good starts, really good races and can keep my head on straight I can do it.”

Rose has been in the Laser for a long time, and she still just simply loves the boat.

“It’s not particularly a very fast boat I have to say, but just the amount of physical effort and the mental effort that goes into the sport resonates with me a lot,” Rose commented. “Every decision you make is super important. I’m also a super physical person so I like working hard- the Laser is one of the most physical boats out there and I like the reward you get from working so hard, it’s what drives me the most. I just love sailing in general!”