KEY POINTS:
Having slipped under the New Zealand Olympic radar, the yachting team are happy to deflect any medal pressure to the rowers.
Four years ago New Zealand sailors emerged from Athens with no medals, a flop which had not occurred since Montreal in 1976.
It has meant a concerted
effort, led by head coach and former Olympic gold medallist Rod Davis, to keep public hopes low this time.
Davis enlisted sports psychologist Scott Cresswell to help the yachties deal with the mental pressure of being in medal contention mid-regatta, and even blocked the release of feelgood news stories, usually the staple of sports battling for publicity.
"You have two sets of expectations that come down on you - public expectations and private expectations," Davis told this month's Boating New Zealand magazine. "Fortunately for us, we've done a real good job of living under the radar and letting the rowers take all the public expectation.
"That's not by accident, it's definitely by design ... just try to keep those expectations down, because that just adds immense pressure."
That's not to say there will not be huge disappointment in Qingdao, 550km southeast of Beijing, if none of the nine New Zealanders in seven classes get to climb the dais.
Davis' quick assessment is: one medal would be exciting, two would be fantastic "and is do-able".
Nearly all the team are seasoned international performers, while young 470 pair Carl Evans and Peter Burling - at 17 the youngest New Zealand Olympian - were the big movers in 2007 to qualify with a sixth placing at the European championships.
Leading hope Dan Slater opens the medal pursuit in the Finn class on Saturday, with three-time Olympic medallist Barbara Kendall and reigning world champion Tom Ashley jumping on their boards for the first time on Monday.
Kendall was New Zealand's best in Athens with a fifth placing, and at 40 she is at her fifth Olympics but still a major contender, as evidenced by her world championship second in January.
Adding to New Zealand's caution is the fickle weather in Qingdao.
The team arrived this week to heavy seas at the tailend of a typhoon, but in recent days the weather has been hazy with light winds of four to six knots. That is not ideal for New Zealand sailors well used to being buffeted around.
"It's potentially a real lottery, particularly in the medal races which are just 30 minutes long and sailed so close to shore," team leader Russell Green said. "The race committee is very good and I don't think they'll start in anything less than four knots."
Each class competes over 10 races, with the top 10 then going to medal race.
Weather and isolation from their New Zealand teammates aside the yachting venue had them in raptures.
They've taken over the 18th floor of the athletes' accommodation, which will be turned into a five-star hotel at Games' end.
From there it's a 100m walk to the boat park.
"It's just an awesome venue," Green said.
The team were set for a live video feed of tonight's team function and confirmation of the flagbearer in Beijing, while all but Slater and Ashley will fly in for tomorrow's opening ceremony courtesy of two chartered planes which will carry 300 athletes and officials from Qingdao.
- NZPA
