Alex Heinzemann certainly made the most of the 49er class being a late addition to the men’s sailing line-up at the recent Pan American Games.
The 27-year-old from Tsawwassen and his teammate — Ontario’s Justin Barnes — had put their careers in hiatus until the announcement was made back in January.
Not only was it a new medal event but would also serve as a qualifier for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Toyko.
Heinzemann was working on his engineering degree at the University of Victoria when he learned of the news.
“We had stopped sailing because basically we had run out of funding,” he explained. “When I learned of the news, I called my old partner up and asked him if we should give this a shot. We had a chance to go to an Olympic style event and potentially qualify for (Toyko) too.”
With very little preparation, the pair earned the opportunity to represent Canada thanks to their performance at the Hempel World Cup Series in Miami at the end of January.
That set the stage for the Pan Am Games sailing competition, held earlier this month in Paracas, Peru on the South Pacific Ocean.
Heinzemann and Barnes overcame adverse conditions on the seventh and final day of racing to capture bronze and earn the final Olympic berth up for grabs.
“It was the maximum conditions you would ever sail in,” said Heinzemann of the 25-plus knot winds. “You can’t win a regatta on first day but you can lose it.
“For us (on the last day) it was all about qualifying for the berth. We were in fourth and one point back of the Americans but effectively tied as the last race was double points. We knew we had to finish ahead of them and pulled it off. It was a great accomplishment.”
Although Heinzemann and Barnes earned the Olympic berth, it is not a guarantee they are going to Tokyo.
That will be determined at the World Championships in Australia and another elite event in Spain — early in 2020. Will Jones and Evan De Paul are also in contention — the Ontario team they defeated at Pan Am qualifying.
Influenced by his father and uncle, sailing has been a passion of Heinzemann for much of his life.
He joined the summer program at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club when he was nine and would go on to compete at the World Youth Championships by the time he was 16.
It was three ago when he began competing in the 49er class— a two-handed skiff-type high-performance sailing dingy. He would eventually partner up with Barnes and they embarked on their competitive international journey with financing always being the greatest obstacle.
“It’s definitely the number one barrier. The yacht club has been very supportive, as well as family and friends. But it’s getting to the point where you need to be a little more self-sustainable,” continued Heinzemann. “(A typical season) costs us around $100,000 and that’s a very conservative (number). On top of that, other teams have support staff and we don’t.”
The six-figure budget does not include boats.
Heinzemann and Barnes spent $40,000 to add to their fleet for the Pan Am Games. They also have a competitive boat in Germany for European events and another they use for practice in Vancouver. Much of their training is done in Kingston, Ont.
At one time, Heinzemann and Barnes received some financial assistance as carded athletes but that ended when they stopped racing. The next cycle isn’t until May and they want to be ready for the Olympic qualifying events prior to that.
“Our biggest thing right now is fundraising,” added Heinzemann. “There is a World event in New Zealand in December and we would love to do that but it’s not in our budget right now.”
Through Make a Champ — Heinzemann and Barnes have a fund-raising page as they now chase their unexpected Olympic dream.
