A Selfless Spirit: What It Takes to Make It in the America's Cup

But behind the scenes of every America’s Cup campaign is something just as essential to success: a sense of teamwork, a willingness to sacrifice personal ambitions for the good of the group, and the grit to endure long hours, endless pressure, and personal sacrifices.

This is the true nature of the America's Cup experience, a side of the competition that aspiring team members need to embrace if they are to succeed.

Tom Burnham, an American professional sailor and coach with extensive experience in the world of top-tier sailing, offers valuable insights into what it really takes to thrive as a part of an America's Cup team. His wisdom, forged through years of elite-level competition and coaching, underscores the importance of a selfless attitude and team-first mentality. Burnham’s advice for anyone joining an America’s Cup team—whether as a sailor, coach, or shore crew—is clear: to succeed, you need to put the team’s needs above your own.

Burnham’s advice is centred on the concept of teamwork. In a sport that often glorifies individual performance, especially at the Olympic and professional levels, it can be a difficult transition to move into the world of the America’s Cup, where success is built on collective effort.