Hal Haenel sailed in the Star Class at the 1988, 1992, and 1996, each time serving as crew for Mark Reynolds. Haenel and Reynolds won a silver medal in 1988 and a gold medal in 1992. Together they were also the 1995 World Champions in Star.
Haenel attended Columbia College in Chicago, majoring in film studies. He moved to California where he became a purchasing agent at Cine Pro in Hollywood. That led to an operations job at Hollywood Center Studios, where he helped produce television shows such as “Jeopardy” and “The Addams Family.” He eventually became vice-president and general manager of Hollywood Center Studios, a position he held for 18 years, but then moved on to 20th Century Fox, where Haenel became President and general manager of studio operations.