Despite the ice that still covers its practice lake, the Dartmouth sailing team has begun its preparations for the spring season. The Big Green hopes to carry momentum from last spring, when it ended its season in a disappointing fashion and fell short of qualifying for the Collegiate National Championships.
Since sailing also has a fall season, the team competes at fewer regattas during Spring term. As many members of the sailing team are off-campus this Winter, the Big Green will still use a rigorous spring break schedule to prepare for its season, according to head coach John Storck.
"For us to be competitive, we have to have the best spring break in the country," Storck said. "We have to hit the ground running, and the group that we have is really excited for the challenge."
Many teams that Dartmouth competes with do not utilize a quarter term system, and therefore may have the advantage of having a full team on campus before the spring season begins, Storck said.
In order to escape the prohibitive Hanover weather, the Big Green will travel to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., during the break. During the training trip, sailors will participate in a challenging practice schedule, including 10 days of double training sessions.
"On campus we have a mandatory three-times-a-week lift, but we cannot do anything directly related to sailing because our lake that we practice on is still frozen," captain Ali Hiller '11 said.
Due to an unseasonably warm winter in 2010, the team was able to practice at its usual venue Lake Mascoma in Enfield, N.H. immediately after its return from spring break. This year, the outlook looks less promising.
"I always say that the lake didn't start freezing yesterday," Storck said. "It's a challenge we've always had."
The sailing team will participate in two weekends of competition in April before attempting to qualify for the national semi-finals. If Lake Mascoma is still frozen after spring break, the team will have to travel once a week to more distant venues, such as Lake Champlain at the University of Vermont or facilities in Boston, Mass., Storck said.
Storck and team members expressed optimism about the season, citing the team's depth and experience.
"It is the most talented group by far we have had in the four years that I've been here," Hiller said. "As long as we make the most out of our spring training and stay positive, we can hopefully achieve our goals."
The current sailing roster reflects a team that has been building for the last four years, according to Storck.
"We were in a situation a few years ago where a lot of our starters were not in a position to be there yet," he said. "Now those sailors are juniors and seniors."
In addition to a number of veteran sailors, the team includes nine freshmen six women and three men.Storck said that while incoming freshmen generally come from a variety of sailing backgrounds including those who have virtually no experience and others who have already participated in international competitions this year's class is particularly strong.
"[The freshmen] are the most talented group we have had in years and put up some stellar results during the fall," captain Peter Hughes '11 said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth. "Over the off-season they have been giving it their all and having fun."
Hughes said the freshmen's talent will help the team's chances of qualifying for the National Championships in Cascade Locks, Ore.
"As a team, I think we have the best shot at qualifying for Nationals we've had in years," he said. "I am hopeful that we'll be able to make it and perform well there, but our biggest goals for the season are just to continuously improve and have fun."
Storck also praised the rookie sailors' talent, calling the class an "incredible" group.
"They will do basically anything you ask of them," Storck said. "It made for the best off-season preparation since I have been here."
