EC sailing team strikes colors

Tritons from the Eckerd College varsity sailing team are recognized for their respectable rankings, having made it to the coed and the women's national championships last year. This semester, the team finished first in the South Point District Series.

Tryouts are not required to become a member, but this does not lessen the skill of the team as a whole. "The team is young and the sailors are sharp," head coach Jesse Combs says. "While our skill level is steadily improving, the team is performing very well." Sailing season includes both fall and spring semesters, making sailors well prepared for all weather conditions.

Combs requires a rigorous schedule to train his sailors, and his sailors attest to this commitment. "Sailing is a sport, not a leisure activity," sophomore Meredith Weber, a second year Eckerd College sailor, explains. The team practices Monday through Thursday off the coast of Boca Ciega Bay from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. There are additional workouts on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., along with a team meeting on Thursday at 8 p.m. Practices aside, the team averages about two regattas each weekend in the fall, and about three regattas each weekend in the spring.

This year's sailing team of 35 students includes freshmen and upperclassmen newcomers, as well as sailors from past seasons. "You don't need any prior experience to sail at Eckerd," Rachel Cruz, a sophomore participating in the sport for her second calendar year, says. "I'd never sailed a boat before I came here, and now I'm fortunate enough to be able to sail with one of the best teams in Florida and a nationally ranked team."

Most schools that offer sailing have either Flying Junior (FJ) or 420 sailboats. Eckerd College offers large fleets of each, and the team practices in the same boats that will be used in upcoming competitions. "About 3 years ago, our budget nearly doubled," Combs says. "It affords us the ability to attend events within our district, travel to events across the country, and purchase equipment needed for practice."

Combs and assistant coach Zach Marks, both previous collegiate sailors, guide drills from a motorized boat each practice. Training is rarely canceled, except in the case of severe weather. "Eckerd offers an extremely competitive college sailing program in one of the most beautiful places in the country," Erik Brydges, a second year Eckerd College sailor, says. "Spending three hours on Boca Ciega Bay everyday doing something you love is pretty cool."

To maintain and improve their national ranking takes time and hard work. "Academics do come first, but most members on the team also put sailing first," Cruz says. "We try to get our work done when we can, but practice under the sun next to manatees and dolphins is always much more enjoyable than any homework."

"Time management is a large part of being a member of a team that requires such a large time commitment," Brydges says. "Is it possible to excel at academics and sailing? Of course. But, in my experience, it takes a lot of discipline and time management. Being an RA and a director within ECOS on top of sailing means that I have to make sacrifices to keep my grades up and other commitments going."

Students participate despite four or five courses, volunteering, jobs and involvement in campus clubs and activities. "As a member of both Eckerd College Sailing team and the US Sailing team for Olympic Windsurfing, I get to log a lot of hours on the water and in the gym, causing me to have to focus really hard to balance the remainder of my time with school work," sophomore Solvig Sayre, a second-year Eckerd College sailor, says.

            With the fall season behind them, Cruz says she is already looking forward to the spring. "We start again next semester and welcome any new person who wants to learn how to sail or be a part of something that is truly great." Cruz says. "The team is like a family, we are almost always together because it's a time consuming sport."

The time spent in practice is certainly apparent in competition. "Earlier this fall, the women's team qualified for the Women's Atlantic Coastal Championships, and last weekend [Nov. 13] Kaye Siemers, Colleen McClung, Julia Melton, and myself went to New York to compete in the event. This year SUNY Maritime hosted the top 18 teams on the Atlantic Coast, which includes the majority of the best teams in the Nation. We had lots of fun beating USF!" Sayre smiles.