The University sailing team is gaining national recognition and President and Commodore Tyson Barker hopes the team’s good fortune will help recruit more members next year.
“About six years ago, a group of seven guys started the sailing club on campus,” he said. “Now we have 35 members and are gaining a lot of support from alumni and the University. We’re winning a lot of our races.”
On April 9 and 10, the sailing team finished first at the Ohio State Intersectional. As a team, they competed in 12 races, or “regattas,” and won 10. More than 35 colleges participated in the nationally recognized event.
The sailing team competes in the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association, comprised of schools from Pennsylvania, Missouri, Minnesota, Kentucky and Canada.
“We compete in regattas all over the Midwest,” Barker said. “Races consist of two boats per team, A and B and usually last for 10 to 15 minutes. There are two people on each boat, a skipper and a crew. The fastest time wins. At the end of the race, points are tallied together from both boats and the team with the lowest points wins.”
Sailing season generally starts in spring and continues through Labor Day. Within the next couple of weeks, the sailing team will resume practicing at Fire Lake Camper Park, located on Route 25.
“Sailing is based on retention,” said sailing team member Ryan Kyle. “At practice, we show new members sailing fundamentals, like operating the boat, and different techniques. We also have ‘chalk talks’ to help give new members an idea of the rules and basic sailing terms.”
Throughout the year, the sailing team has organized several fundraisers and T-shirt sales to help purchase a new boat and a permanent practice site at Camper Park.
“The pumpkin patch sale in the fall was a huge success and we sold a lot of T-shirts last semester, too,” said treasurer Alex Novack. “We’re trying to get $6,000 from the University to buy a 14-foot sailing boat for $1,800.”
The team plans to purchase the boat as well as other supplies if they receive the money from the University.
For a $25 fee, members not only get to learn how to sail, but network with other sailors and colleagues.
“It’s a gentlemen’s sport,” Kyle said. “You meet a lot of people who have potential job connections and you don’t even need much boating experience. More than 75 percent of our members have never sailed before.”
Students interested in joining the sailing club can contact Barker at [email protected].