Thirty-two year old Matthew Gregory holds an MBA, is a College Sailing Hall of Fame inductee and America's Cup Sailor; this only a scratch on the young man's resume. He's an all around personality and a sincere "jack-of-many-trades" and setting a great example to the young Americans with lofty goals. To top things off, an Ironman triathlete who is undergoing one of sailing's highest test of endurance: Volvo Ocean Race.
Ironman And Off Shore Racing
In appearance Matthew has the length and leanness of a shore-side athlete or college dinghy racer. Standing tall next to the stereotypical ocean racer, slightly dwarfed but no less tough. Racing across oceans is similar in doing a long distance triathlon back to back. There are many stages, transitions from easy work to extremely hard work: managing the body to endure for an infinite period of time. Matthew's experience as a distance triathlete will server him well for this around the world race.
America's Cup And Business Degrees
One may question the relationship between sailing and business, however, the decision making process on a competitive yacht, similar to those raced in the America's Cup Regattas is parallel to that seen in a board room. The success of an elite racing team is based on the professional business sense of it's team leaders. Matthew's ambition to own and manage a team inspired him to pursue an MBA, which is above his degree in Mechanical Engineering. The little extra which makes him savvy in tricky situations and creative in making smart, tactical decisions to bring home line-honors for the teams he works for.
A Young Sailing Mentor
Matthew is the only appointed American Navigator in the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race and an interesting mix sailing for a primarily Dutch team: Delta Lloyd. He has to keep a positive attitude, neutral tone and open mind. Traits he carries well, in addition to hard working and determination for success. His academic and professional accomplishments a testament to such.
Finally, his time as a college sailing coach lends to a mentoring perspective and being a teacher. These attribute's come across in his blog written from the boat while underway: The Volvo Hot Seat. His post both entertain, inspire and educate. Matthew takes the time to explain the life on board, how he manages the day-to-day and gives easy-to-understand explanations to why they “went that way” verse “the other way.”
Matthew Gregory is a person who will always greet you with a smile, never turn down a question and take on any challenge.
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