All’s Wells that ends Wells

Rick Devereux

Peter Wells has been windsurfing for about eight years and has

already propelled himself to the upper echelon of his sport by

becoming the current U.S. champion who will represent the country at

the Athens Olympics.

“I’ve only been doing this for a little bit of time,” said Wells,

a Newport Beach resident and UC Irvine alumni. “[My competitors] have

been windsurfing for all their lives and have a natural feel for it.

I’m playing a little bit of catch-up.”

Wells, 29, is not at a total disadvantage when it comes to

seafaring. He grew up in La Canada in a family of sailors. His father

taught him how to sail around Marina del Rey and by the time he was

12, Wells had already established a name for himself by winning

national titles in two different classes as well as being named to

the national junior sailing team.

He was a three-time All-American at UCI during his four-year

varsity career, but he became burned out on sailing and found

windsurfing as a nice substitute for his nautical needs.

“[Windsurfing] is an incredible sport,” he said. “People who do

swimming or track, I’m sure they like it, but they are running within

the same black lines or swimming in the same pool all the time. I

feel lucky that I get to train in the ocean where it’s always

different.”

Wells trained mostly in Southern California, from Newport Beach to

Belmont Shore, but has been racing on the European circuits for the

past year. The diversity in training sites has helped Wells adapt to

various types of conditions, something he expects to encounter with

Mediterranean weather.

“There is a meteorologist on-site that gives us updates and what

to expect,” Wells said. Greece is notorious for quick weather

changes, and the 1896 Games in Athens had to cancel the entire

sailing competition because of storms in the Bay of Salamis.

Wells said the two main weather systems they expect at the Agios

Kosmas Olympic Sailing Center are similar to conditions in Southern

California.

“They have typical sea breezes and dry, ticky winds like we have

with the Santa Ana winds,” he said. “Weather is a huge part of our

event, and training in southern California with a wide range of

conditions helped me prepare for Athens. The conditions in Southern

California are similar to Greece, but they’re not identical.”

For one thing Greece will be hotter than the States. Wells said it

can get hotter than 95 degrees on the water, which will definitely

play a factor in determining the winner since races are about 45

minutes long and there are two races a day for 11 days.

Wells is not considered a medal favorite, but he likes his chances

if the conditions are right.

“I need to stay consistent to do well,” he said. “It also depends

on the weather. I think my chances are better with shifty weather.”

Wells said his competitors can rely on natural ability in better

weather, but his sailing background helps him in worse conditions.

“My strength is my tactical side,” he said. “My background in

sailing helps me in reading the waves and knowing how to maneuver

with the wind.”

Wells said he set a goal of getting a medal, but won’t be

disappointed with a top-eight finish. He said he also plans on seeing

as many other events as he can and has already scheduled visits to

watch beach volleyball, basketball, cycling and mountain biking. And

despite training in Athens for the past six weeks, Wells said that he

has yet to visit any of the historic sites but plans to go site

seeing in his free time.

“I haven’t been able to see the Acropolis or any of the landmarks,

but I really want to,” he said. “Now that all of the athletes are

starting to show up, the excitement is high. You can just feel the

excitement everywhere you go now.”