Two local athletes who are gearing up to leave to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics were given a big send-off party Monday in Point Loma.
Caleb Paine and Briana Provancha, both members of the Southwestern Yacht Club, will be competing in sailing.
Dozens packed into the club in Point Loma to congratulate the two athletes. Paine and Provancha also met with junior sailors who one day hope to follow in their footsteps.
Provancha was born and raised in Point Loma and graduated from Point Loma High School in 2007. She told NBC 7 that sailing is a unique sport that requires a lot more than skill and physical endurance.
“Sailing is very difficult in the sense that our competitions are six days long and we spend about three to six hours on the water every day so it requires a lot of mental endurance,” she told NBC 7.
This trip to Brazil will be her fifth time as she and Paine have been training there. But she’s excited for her family to have the opportunity to see her sail in the Olympics.
Paine also graduated from Point Loma High School. He said going to the Olympics is something that not many people say they've experienced and he’s grateful for the opportunity.
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“It’s one of those things, like the closer you get, the more and more you feel the whole Olympic spirit,” he said.
But Paine said making it to the Olympics isn't just his own accomplishment.
“I think that’s one of the biggest things, is really realizing the army it’s taken in order to get one person to this crazy goal I had,” he told NBC 7.
Both athletes said they're not worried about the pollution or health concerns in Brazil since they've gotten all of their recommended extra shots and follow proper procedures for cleaning their gear.
Provancha and Paine will be joined at the Olympics by another athlete from Coronado.
The Rio Olympics will began on Aug. 5 and you can watch them on NBC 7.
