Escapingto the refreshing water during these hot summer days may be new for some Dartmouth students, but for a group of Big Green athletes, the wateris a secondhome during the fall, spring and summer.
During the year, these athletes travel 30 minutes daily just to reach their practice sight, Lake Mascoma, where they unload and set sail.
"I think sometimes a lot of people are confused about exactly what we do," sailing team member Carrie Gilbert '97 said. "They think we have these big boats and don't have to do much work, but that's not the case."
Indeed, with more than 25 male and female team members and only one coach, the Big Green sailors take on much responsibility that is not associated with the average Dartmouth sport.
Because in one weekend during the season there canbe up to 10 regattas at various locations, the Dartmouth squad is responsible for dividing itself so the Big Green can be represented at each competition.
The team usually is divided into groups of four, and each group is responsible for driving itself in College VOX cars to its destination. Not only are the athletes responsible for traveling, but often they must help coach each other.
"They really have to learn how to survive on their own," Coach Brian Doyle said. "It's all part of the game. I can usually make it to two regattas during the weekend, but the others have to be responsible for themselves."
Doyle, along with the officers of the team, decide who will attend each regatta and who will sail with whom. The decision is based on the type of regatta, the location and the relationships between the sailors on the team.
"We often let them decide who they are going to sail with," Doyle said. "They spend a lot of time with each other, and they become partners. It is important that they can get along well."
The Big Green are placed at a disadvantage compared to other schools that often have up to four coaches.
"The students do all their own repair work," Doyle said. "We have good equipment because the students make it happen."
"They open and close the boat house, they take the docks out and bring them in -- they definitely have more responsibility than sailors at other schools," he described.
Despite the extra work, the Dartmouth sailing program has grown the past 10 years and has established itself as one to the top 10 sailing schools in the nation.
"We had our first All-American in 1988 and since then we have become increasingly more competitive," Doyle said.
"I think the team has been working harder after seeing what it takes to compete on a national level," he added.
The Big Green peaked in 1992 when it won the women's and varsity nationals in California. This year Dartmouth was in the top seven of both events. The Big Green were led by four-time All-Americans Whitney Conner '95 and Chris McDowell '95.
Although the Big Green only recentlyfinishedtheirseason in early June, the sailors plan to take advantage of the summer weather. They will unofficially be expected to sail at least three times a week.
"If we practice in the summer we only have two or three boats which is difficult," Gilbert said.
"If you are just sailing by yourself, it is easy to slack off and not concentrate. You need to be really focused," she said.
Dartmouth students who are off-campus during the summer often teach sailing to keep their skills intact and sometimes compete in regattas near where they are staying.
"Most people teach sailing in the summer," Gilbert said.
"I think that helps a lot because you can see the mistakes the kids make, and you can learn from that. Watching always helps," she explained.
The Big Green sailors will return for official practices in early September.
This fall they will be joined by two new recruits who are expected to make immediate impacts on the Dartmouth program.
Casey Hogan '99 from southern California was considered one of the top recruits in the nation. She won the National High School Sailing Championships and has proven to be an outstanding double-handed sailor.
Ed LaLanne '99, will also join the Big Green squad. LaLanne will come well-prepared to Dartmouth after competing in the Youth Nationals this summer.
Both recruits will have to make needed adjustments to sailing at Dartmouth. Not only will they be sailing with new teammates, but conditions will also most like be different at the competitions.The differences in regattas may not be apparent to those not acquainted with sailing, but weather conditions make a huge impact. Because of wind types and strengths, the location of the competition plays a huge factor since ocean and lake winds vary greatly.
For the Big Green, who are restricted by being inland, practicing for larger regattas can be difficult. Although Lake Mascoma is equipped with good equipment, the wind types on the lake are often too mild.
"Mascoma just doesn't have as much wind as other places that are closer to the coast," Gilbert said. "Often times we'll travel to Boston on Fridays so we can practice there."
The milder winds also effects the type of boat the Big Green sailors choose to use.
While sailing at Mascoma, the Big Green uses FJ's which are lighter than the often-used 420 boat.Despite some land lovers' misconceptions, both boats are designed for only two people.
Because there are only two people on each boat, conditioning and strength are important to success. In regattas that last all day, it is essential that the Big Green sailors are in shape.
"Being in shape really does help," Gilbert said. "If it is windy, you need to use your body a lot and you can get tired easily.""You need a lot of upper body strength to pull and push the sail," she added.
But to compete at the level that Dartmouth sailors partake in,pure strengthis simply not enough. Tactics and decision-making playa major role.
"It's a lot of thinking," Gilbert said. "It's fun when you can figure it out bymaking you boat go fast in the right direction. It's fun when you can go fast."
