Jesse Kirkland (born January 22, 1988) is a Bermudian competitive

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

. He is also a professional sports team owner of Futbol Longshots, a San Francisco based fantasy football franchise. Futbol Longshots are the current champions of the Boats and Hectors League. Boats and Hectors is widely referred to as the most competitive league in the country. Kirkland is the first and only international champion of Boats and Hectors. Jesse Kirkland is a native of Bermuda, and grew up sailing there. He attended college in the United States at

St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) is a public liberal arts college in St. Mary's City, Maryland.Maryland State Archives, Online Manual, "St. Mary's College Of Maryland: Origin & Functions" http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/25univ/stmarys ...

in southern

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and sailed while a student, winning the

ICSA Coed Dinghy National Championship ICSA Coed Dinghy National Championship is the oldest and most prestigious of the American Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association National Championships. Winners are awarded the Henry A. Morss Memorial Trophy. Second place team receives the ''Oxford ...

in 2009. Following college, two years prior to the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Kirkland and his brother Zander Kirkland began training full-time in an attempt to qualify as Bermuda's representatives in the Olympics 49er competition. The 49er, a small two-person racing dinghy, is a relatively new sailing competition for the Olympics, having debuted for the first time at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

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. During the 2012 49er World Championship in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, the Kirkland brothers arrived early to gain experience sailing in local conditions. They advanced to the gold fleet after the preliminary qualifying races and later became the first team to secure one of the five remaining Olympic qualifying places that remained at the time after finishing in eighth place out of seventy-four in the final standings. After their success in Croatia, they likewise left early for Weymouth,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in order to get used to local sailing conditions. They finished in 19th place.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkland, Jesse 1988 births Living people Olympic sailors for Bermuda Sailors at the 2012 Summer Olympics – 49er St. Mary's Seahawks sailors Bermudian male sailors (sport)