Federico Donzino He discovered his passion for sailing very young. He was born in San Isidro and grew up near the river. He lived five blocks from the coast, every morning when he went to school he passed by the shore and he could even see the water from his classroom. When he was only five years old, he got on a boat for the first time and navigation caught up with him. And when he was still a teenager, he realized that what he really wanted was to be a coach. Partly through luck and partly through his natural talent and dedication to the sport, at just 19 years old he began to build a career in this profession. And today, at 28, he is an internationally recognized coach who, in his own way, is “revolutionizing” Canadian yachting.

“I don’t know if it’s a revolution, but it’s another way of seeing sailing. Here, because of the weather, you can’t sail all year round and it’s not a national sport. For that reason, even though “There’s a lot of sailing in the months when those who may be out there, in society at large, there’s very little idea of ​​what it’s really like to compete. In that sense, I think I’m breaking new ground,” he told Clarín in a phone conversation from Toronto, where he lives.

And he added: “Also able to open their heads to what it’s like to navigate. Here’s an idea that if you don’t study, you have a career and you are, for example, a director in a bank, this is not normal… How wrong. I want to give my students tools so that if they want to be life coaches in the future, they can do it. And that they understand that this is not is not a taboo“.

In Canada, Donzino is the head coach of Port Credit Yacht Club and also works with the Optimist association and the sailing federation of this country. How did you come to Toronto? It was almost by chance, having traveled a path that began in his hometown of San Isidro.

“I started sailing during the summer holidays at the school of Las Barrancas Nautical and Fishing Club. I did two years there and at 7 I started at the school of Nautical Club of San Isidro, on Optimist, which is the first ship that can be sailed. There, I was super addicted. And around 11 p.m., things got more serious,” he recalls.

“To go to school, it was impossible to get up, but to go sailing, at 7:30 a.m. I was ready. My parents always asked me if I really wanted to go, because sometimes it was very cold, and I I always said yes. I tried other sports, like tennis, but nothing like sailing on Saturdays and Sundays with a group of friends. I thought all day about being in the river . I felt it was my place,” he commented.

At the age of 14, he began to join the Argentine national teams and after finishing his journey in the Optimist, he decided to switch to the 420. But at the age of 19, when he was in the second year of naval architecture, he is bitten by the bug framing. And fate lent him a hand to change course.

“Being a coach has always caught my attention and I have always wanted to be a reference in a team. I had the chance to contact one of my former coaches, who was training in the Caribbean, and he asked me if I wanted to go there. work there for three months. I thought it was a good option to broaden my knowledge and see that this was what I really wanted to do. I went there and I “had a great experience. I realized I loved it and felt I had the skills, tools and knowledge to continue”, counted.

From the Caribbean to Canada

After these three months of Curacao, one of the islands of the Netherlands Antilles, no longer sailed in competition. And some time later, while working on the Albatros Yacht Club from Buenos Aires, they contacted him again from this island to come back for another three months. This second trip changed his life.

“When I was there, I started thinking and looking for how I could continue to work as a coach without having to return to Argentina. And it so happened that at that time the club for which I was working was running a clinic that was open to people from all walks of life around the world. Among those who attended was a Canadian family. Shortly after, the parents contacted me and asked if I wanted to go to the Canada that same year in June for eight weeks to train their children and see if I wanted to stay longer.. there he said.

Donzino arrived in the North American country in 2016 and for a few years split his time between Canada and Argentina. In 2019, when the boys he was coaching left the Optimist class, a club in Toronto recruited him and offered to set up a 5-year development plan for the youngest. Thus, he began to spend more time there. And when the pandemic was declared coronavirusHe had to make a final decision.

“I had to ask myself if it was my place in the world or if it was something I didn’t like. It was very hard, but I decided to stay. And today I am a Canadian resident, thanks to what I love to do,” he explained. “Everything was happening, these weren’t things I planned to do. I never planned ‘From here I go to this country, then I do this…’. I always pursued what I loved. Sailing is my passion and it has also become my job.”

What is it like to live in Canada? “Something different from what we are used to in Argentina. The culture of work is very rooted, from the age of 15 you can already work. In addition, it is a country of many immigrants, who come to seek a better life, and To achieve this, you have to work. So everything is very work-oriented. People are very polite and respectful. Things are very orderly, extremely orderly. You can walk quietly at any time, nothing is wrong. happens to you,” he said.

“The country is beautiful, it has a lot of colors. The weather changes a lot from the west coast to the east. Although life is a little harder at times because of the cold. In mid-December i try to get away from winter as much as possible, because we’re not used to it. It’s really cold. But beyond that, it’s a country that has everything for you to have the best life, not just for work or money, the quality of life is impressive,” he added.

A benchmark in Canadian sailing

In the Port Credit Yacht Club, Donzino is an Optimist coach and also head coach, that is to say coordinator of all classes. In addition, he works with the Canadian Association of Optimists, accompanying the boys to international tournaments. As a coach, he has already played in four world championships, three North American championships, one South American, one European and one Asian. And this year, he was part of the staff of the Canadian team which competed in July in the Youth World Cup in The HagueThe Netherlands.

“In this tournament, I was not working on Optimist, which is my strong point. Otherwise with all the classes. I was more of a federation coach, to bring my general culture”, he explained.

Working as a sailing coach in Canada presents a particular challenge because during the winter, low temperatures make it impossible to sail.

“You have to plan well, because from November to the end of April you don’t physically sail. In January it’s sometimes 10, 15 or 20 degrees below zero and you can’t sail. That’s why it was also important for me to learn and understand the country a bit,” he said. “In the summer I usually have many working days, because obviously you have to take advantage of the weather. And in the winter, we usually go to Miami, where it’s warm all year round. The parents make a huge effort to be able to go or send the children. Guys. And we train at the weekend and we play the leagues that we have on the schedule.”

His training method is based on two pillars. On the one hand, the dedication to the search for improvement as a sailor and as a person. And on the other hand, an individualistic approach to give each student what he needs.

“It’s always trying to give your best and give more than what others give. As a coach and as a leader, try to give twice as much as the person in the water all the time. So , the level rises and everyone improves. It’s also about being constant and disciplined, planning the months we have available and working with the goals in mind. The result will always be based on the effort we put in.” summed up the Argentinian.

And he concluded: “Also, I always see myself navigating with the person in order to be able to understand them. Because each person, each boy has a different way of seeing it. And everyone has a different method of training and learning. So sometimes I try to be more individualistic with everyone to be able to give them the best. What I like the most in the profession of coach is to be able to pass on the knowledge I have to another person and see the evolution that my students have on a day-to-day basis”.