THEY call him the 'Iceman'. And for good reason. Jesse Kirkland arrived back in Bermuda this week from Texas where he placed fourth in the World Optimist Championships. And today he leads out 22 of Bermuda's best Optimist sailors to challenge for the title in the Colonial Group North American Optimist Championships which are being staged in his backyard - the Great Sound.

It will not become a surprise to many if, down the road, this youngster wins a coveted Olympic medal, such is his talent.

Kirkland, who began sailing Optimists four years ago, proved to be a star in the making last week when he challenged for the world title in Corpis Christi, Texas at the Optimist Worlds. Bermuda's Team Leader at the Worlds, Reid Kempe, said: "What he did was simply awesome - he was competing against 202 other sailors in conditions which you do not normally see in Bermuda. I don't think many people here quite realise just what kind of performance he put in at the Worlds. His performance was simply outstanding."

Starting today Kirkland and the other 21 sailors from Bermuda will be up against the best that the US, Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, US Virgin Islands and Japan have to offer during the championships which involve 12 long-course races. There are nearly 100 sailors competing in the championships. And in addition to that championship fleet, there will also be a novice fleet of similiar size competing in their own regatta in Granaway Deep.

in addition the public will have a good chance to watch the sailors in action from shore when on Wednesday there will be national team racing in Hamilton Harbour on the Gold Cup course.

Jesse Kirkland's father, Malcolm, said a lot of the success his son and others who represent Bermuda have had is down to the coaching the kids have been receiving over the past few years.

"The kids are fortunate and appreciate that they are receiving world class coaching from Argentine Pablo Weber. Parents attest to the remarkable benefits deriving from Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association coaching and mentoring programme. The kids learn first hand the connection between practice and performance and the difference between performance and results and goal-setting."

He added that "other key take-a-ways" from the racing and sailing have been personal discipline, planning, perserverance and the need for teamwork ashore and on the water.

"Our association (BODA) aspires to be both a recreational and competitive development youth group in the sport of sailing. There are now some 64 kids who are now members of BODA and they range in age from nine to 15 years old."

Only six years ago there were only eight sailors in the association.

"The kids move to BODA's more competitive year-round racing programme after the summer programmes (which have 600 kids) and sail most Sunday's afternoons except September and January. And they sail in almost all weather conditions. In addition, there are mid-term and vacation clinics."

Such has been the growth of the Optimist class in Bermuda that now the local youngsters are competing in the top half of the North and South American Championships.

Kirkland said that BODA mission is to "enable any keen and committed kid to sail year-round regardless of ability to pay".

He said: "Our requirement is for kids to acquire the habit of doing their best, not to be the best. Given the elements of outdoor leadership, it may not be for every child. We normally have several kids on significant "financial aid" to enable participation in our programme which includes world class coaching clinics (five or six days every few months) and overseas competitions with large fleets of over 100 boats."

At the recent South American Championships three of the seven kids competed with assistance from companies, individual and/or Government grants. Four of the sailors placed in the top half of what is regarded as the second most competitive under 16 regatta in the world. "Our top two sailors finished nineth and 12th respectively. That," said Kirkland, "is a superb achievement."

Globally, the Optimist is the international youth dinghy. It is the largest and fastest growing class of sailboat with a world fleet of 125,000.

Seventy percent of the medal winners at recent Olympics have graduated from the Optimist.

"This year, the Worlds in Texas attracted 208 competitors from 46 countries," added Kirkland.