Everything I know about sailing I learned at age nine during my first year of summer camp.
Unfortunately, the experience did not lead to a future in competitive sailing, but my lack of expertise did drive me to figure what exactly goes on with our own Dartmouth sailing team.
In an attempt to get to the bottom of this elusive sport, I recently sat down with All-American Betsy Bryant '08.
With no opinion on the matter, I asked Bryant why sailing was a sport. It certainly fits dictionary.com's definition of "an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature".
She replied: "Sailing requires both physical strength and mental toughness. You have to be in good physical condition to handle the boat, and whoever has the best boat handling will likely have the fastest boat. You also have to be mentally tough since there are a lot of decisions to be made regarding the wind, the current, and other boats around you. Essentially you have to be really smart to sail."
Consider me convinced.
To many, sailing, and in particular, sailing at Dartmouth, might be a mystery. It certainly was (and, in large part, still is) to me. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I found that collegiate sailing is not under the umbrella of the National Collegiate Athletic Association like most sports, but is run by its own organization, the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), because, according to the league's website, it "ensured that they [sailors] could govern their own sport rather than some ex-basketball coach who couldn't care less."
Considering the lack of attention the NCAA often pays to peripheral sports, the sailors might have a point.
Moreover, unlike virtually every other sport, Dartmouth's sailing team can compete 3-4 different venues in a given week.
As Bryant described: "When I travel, I'm only going with five or six other sailors. Venues are based on levels of importance, so if you're at a larger regatta, one ranked higher in terms of level and performance, your team gets more points."
Within each regatta, there is an A-division and a B-division, and the sailors are assigned to different regattas and teams based on their results in practice. The unstructured nature of sailing makes it more centered on individual competition than most of Dartmouth's team sports.
Sailing at Dartmouth may also require more time actively competing than virtually any other sport. Each race takes about half an hour, and there are eight to 12 races per weekend, depending on the wind.
About four to six hours of actual competition for one regatta is more than virtually any other sport, especially sports in which there is a lot of downtime during the actual game or event itself.
Moreover, as Bryant adds: "You race against, depending on the venue, 18 to 24 boats at one time, so you'll be competing against 18 teams from all over the country, anywhere from Florida to California to other schools in New England."
Last year, Dartmouth's sailing team finished second in the country at the national championship regatta, one point behind the College of Charleston. This year, on the other hand, has not been as kind to the men and women in green.
On the difference between the two years, Bryant comments: "Compared to last year, it's more of a rebuilding year, but there is certainly promise for years to come. This year we have a lot of up-and-coming talent, whereas last year we graduated many of our starters."
The sailing team faces a number of unique conditions, considering that they require open water to practice and compete. Dartmouth sailing typically practices on Lake Mascoma, but until the lake thaws, a group goes down to Boston to practice on the Charles River on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
And when the lake begins to open up, Bryant bemoans: "We essentially sail in a puddle in a lake in the ice, which can get pretty chilly."
Let no one claim sailors aren't devoted to their cause.
When asked if there was anything she wanted the student body to know about Dartmouth's sailing team, Bryant said: "We want people to know we're out there representing and competing for Dartmouth, and though people don't see us, since we're not a spectator sport, we are a varsity sport, and we have the same work ethic and drive as other varsity athletes."
