A successful fall season characterized by dedication, perseverance and heart came to an end for the Dartmouth sailing team as the Big Green sailors competed in championship regattas over the past two weekends.
Powerful performances in earlier qualifying regattas earned Dartmouth a berth in the respective Atlantic Coast Championships for the freshmen and women's teams. In addition, the coed squad competed in the Atlantic Coast Dinghy Tournament, winning the tournament championship.
The Atlantic Coast Freshman Championship at Hobart and William Smith College featured exquisite conditions in which to compete for the 12 best freshman teams in New England.
Both days of racing offered favorable winds and pleasant temperatures around 60 degrees. It would be up to the Dartmouth freshman sailors, however, to provide favorable and pleasant results.
The A division consisted of 12 races for skipper Andrew Loe '06, with Debbie Sperling '06 and Erik Johnson '06 splitting crew detail. After some intense racing, the A team had placed fourth.
Emily East '06, Todd Whitehead '06, Christina Duncan '06 and Clare O'Keeffe '06 competed on the B side, stepping up to place third in their division, giving Dartmouth a third-place spot overall.
In a thrillingly close finish, the Big Green freshmen came within a single point of a second-place tie with Georgetown University. Tufts University won the Championship with an incredible effort from its B division.
Erik Johnson '06 put things into perspective.
"All of the most competitive teams were sailing at their best, so it could have been anyone's victory," he said.
Despite the single-point heartbreak, the trip was "fun, and a great bonding experience for the team," according to Debbie Sperling '06, and the sailors can be proud of their hard work all season that has placed them amongst the best of the best of freshman teams.
Three weekends ago, Dartmouth's coed team narrowly missed out on qualifying for their Atlantic Coast Championship. Instead, the team placed into the Atlantic Coast Dinghy Tournament, which was held at the United States Naval Academy this past weekend.
Like a Final Four-worthy team in the National Invitational Tournament, the team looked for vengeance against stiff competition from 16 other teams.
Fighting rain and wind, John Diskant '03 and Sarah Fink '05 set the tone early with a stellar second-place showing in A division after 16 races.
Peter Fleming '05 and Liz Hyon '05 followed suit by dominating the B division to finish first, well ahead of the pack. The two scores combined to give Dartmouth the tournament title.
"This weekend was a nice way to end the fall season," Liz Hyon '05 said. "Our definitive win sets an excellent tone for the spring season with an eye towards winning nationals."
Indeed, the coed team proved its strength and quieted any doubters with its winning performance.
The Women's Atlantic Coast Championship at Connecticut College pitted Dartmouth's finest lady sailors against tough conditions all around.
On the Thames River, the sailors were challenged by miserably cold weather, tricky winds and pounding rain. In addition, several members of the team were suffering from illnesses at the time of the regatta, making racing all that more difficult.
Thalia Pascalides '03 explained the situation.
"There hadn't been enough wind to practice as much as we wanted before [the regatta], so it was difficult to jump right in and sail in the windy, cold and rainy conditions."
Determined to compete nonetheless, the A division team of Thalia Pascalides '03, Clementine James '05 and Amo Loring '04 raced in the extremely tight pack of 16 teams to sixth place in the A division.
Equally intense competition faced the B division squad of Lauren Padilla '05, Elisabeth Kreter '05, and Allison Swindel '04 who raced solidly, finishing seventh and giving Dartmouth the seven spot overall.
The final standing "was not exactly the 'ah yes' leisure suit relaxing finish we were hoping for," Clementine James '05 said. However, according to James, "It was a solid way to end the season and gave us a good idea of what we need to improve on."
The time has come to roll up the sails, put away the dinghies, take apart the docks and reflect on a productive and rewarding fall season.
Co-captain Pascalides expressed the sentiments of the team as they look towards the future and pledge to "come back in the spring healthy and refreshed and ready to win."