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WATERHOUSEfollowing their ambition as opposed to the ambition
of others. They were in the right place at the right time
because they put themselves there.”
THE GORDON YEARS
Jason credits Traks Gordon for a lot of the success that has
come his way and still has the occasional session with him
when he needs a bit of boat-handling advice or a mental
tune-up. He says Gordon is fantastic with young sailors:
“He's great at moulding young brains.”
For his part, Gordon saw the potential in the young
Waterhouse from day one.
“I started with Jason in preparation for his second
Youth World Championships in Canada when he
was 14-years-old. My initial impression was of a young
sailor, full of confidence, bravado and skill. He had
the capacity to win races by a leg and lose races by a
leg and my challenge was put some maturity into his
thinking so he won races by smaller margins in order to
lose races by smaller margins.
“Basically I had to create consistency without
destroying his flair for taking risks that need to be taken
sometimes to win regattas. It wasn't a simple task! We
went backwards before we went significantly forwards.”
Gordon is known on the Northern Beaches for his ability
to develop champion people, not just champion sailors.
“Only a quality person can become a quality long-term
sailor, not vice versa,” he says. “Hence I put a lot of effort
into producing a quality person. Jason has been brought
up in a family full of love and support, displaying genuine
care for others whilst at the same time remaining tunnel
vision focused on his objectives.
“From a young age Jason has had to realise to be
extraordinary he was going to have to live a different lifestyle
to the ordinary. He has done a remarkable job of maintaining
a healthy balanced and fulfilled life surrounded by
wonderful support from family, friends and loved ones.
Jason was raised in an environment where we didn't go
over the top in celebrating the success and we certainly
didn't dwell on the failures. He has developed an amazing
capacity to withstand hardship and turn it into success.”JEFF CROW/SPORT THE LIBRARY