72
TREASURE COAST BOA
TING
SAILING CATCHES ON
AS HIGH SCHOOL SPORT
BY WILLI MILLER
Josiah Evaristo and Rachel Wolf catch some wind while practicing on the Indian River Lagoon.
V
ero Beach High School has added team sailing to students’ athletic options this year, and if all goes as planned by the Youth Sailing Foundation in Vero Beach, the program will soon expand to other Indian River County high schools.Varsity sailing is new to VBHS but not to the Trea-sure Coast. The US Sailing Center in Jensen Beach began developing school teams in Martin County in 1994. Students at participating public and private schools are eligible to earn varsity letters in sailing. In Martin County, the schools are Martin County, South
Fork and Jensen Beach high schools, The Pine School and Clark Advanced Learning Center. In St. Lucie County, Fort Pierce Westwood’s Marine & Oceano-graphic Academy fields a small team. The teams are coed and freshmen through seniors are eligible. Alan Jenkinson, the sailing center’s executive direc-tor, says that even though they’re all varsity teams, they are not part of the Florida Athletic Association. Sailing teams are governed instead by the Interscho-lastic Sailing Association, or ISSA. Jenkinson notes that, as in other sports, there are divisions in ISSA, and Florida teams are in the South Atlantic Interscholastic >>
74
TREASURE COAST BOA
TING
Sailing Association. The standard competition boat is the 420, a two-person craft used by most of the teams in the country.
SAILING SPONSORS
Sailing coaches in Treasure Coast school districts are pro-vided by the sponsoring organizations, YSF and USSCMC. Stuart resident Devon Conde, who founded the sailing team at the Clark Advanced Learning Center, is the VBHS team coach. Conde is a junior at Indian River State College. The VBHS team’s captain, sophomore Alden Findley, had a lot to do with getting the team started. Charlie Pope, who has run the YSF program since it began, says, “Alden was a student of Youth Sailing when we started. ... Alden outgrew the small boats and wanted to start a sailing program at Vero Beach High School.” Pope and Findley approached school administrators and were told a teacher would have to over-see the program. Jennifer Adams, who was not a sailor at the time, volunteered. Adams has since learned her way around the boats used by the team.
Findley’s interest in team sailing was sparked by meeting several high school sailors when he went to Fort Myers for his Level 1 Sailing Instructor Certification course last year. “Those sailors told me of their racing experiences and it really got me excited about high school racing.” The sophomore relishes the thrill of competitive sailing. “You’re always on the edge, making split-second decisions. You have got to be focused. The slightest mistake can cost you several positions, maybe the race altogether.”
As the only high school team in Indian River County, the VBHS team carries the district’s banner to competitive events around the state. They sailed against more than 20 other var-sity teams in an Interscholastic Sailing Association-governed regatta in Sarasota this winter. The teams of the USSCMC were vying for awards at that same regatta.
The regattas give student sailors more than one opportu-nity to show their stuff, Jenkinson says. “The kids rotate boats (as crew), sail a race, then come off the water and get back in line to race again.” He notes that in their division the Martin >>
YOUTH SAILING FOUNDATION Members of the sailing team have to rig their boats before hitting the water.
Largest selection of swimwear, sunglasses
& sandals on the Treasure Coast!
Learn to scuba dive!!
www.deepsix.com
For everything under
the sea & sun
Stuart
2525 NW Federal Hwy
(772) 692-2747
Vero Beach
416 21st Street
(772) 562-2883
trophies. It’s about the whole journey experience and how we all got here in the first place. We learned to appreciate the value of team sports.”
The Sarasota regatta was Jarrod Smith’s first race in the 14-ft., two-person 420 boat. “There is a link between skip-per and crew. We’re a team, and we stick together through the whole race. We communicate, work and execute as one. … Sailing is not only physically demanding, it’s men-tally demanding as well.”
Malea Terry, a VBHS junior with three years on the school swim team, says, “I joined the sailing team because I wanted to try something new and unique. … It has been an experience of a lifetime.”
Terry’s enjoyment intrigued her friend, Katie Mahon, also a junior. The sailing team is her first involvement in water sports, but she has other group interests at school. “I definitely think this will give me so many more skills and better prepare me for future competitions,” she says. It’s always safety first for the teams. Smith says, “Any >>
DREAMS don’t have to stay dry-docked in dreamland. Visit MarineMax Stuart to
experience them in REALITY
MarineMax Stuart is your source for new and used boats, dependable service, parts and
boating gear.
Mobile service is also available. Call or visit us today and experience the boating lifestyle.
MarineMax Stuart
2370 SW Palm City Road | Stuart, Florida 34994 1 (888) 599-8345
www.marinemax.com/stuart
YOUTH SAILING FOUNDATION Jarrod Smith holds onto two of the boats at the regatta in Sarasota this year.
76
TREASURE COAST BOA
TING
possible scenario is gone over in full, especially capsize and recovery, in order to insure that we (especially new people) know what to do.” Findley keeps it simple: “Know the rules of the road, be aware, check the rigging and wear a life vest.”
Because sailing is not an official NCAA sport, scholar-ships are not offered, but that hasn’t kept Martin County sailors from excelling on college varsity teams. Jensen Beach High School graduate Ethan Lounsbury is skipper on the Old Dominion University team in Norfolk, Va., and is majoring in maritime business. AJ (Austin) Lettengarv-er, a senior at The Pine School, will sail on the team at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. Jenkinson says JP Silvestri, a graduate of The Pine School, is mak-ing a name for himself and brmak-ingmak-ing home awards for his team at Salve Regina University in Rhode Island.
Trevor Bornarth began sailing at the age of 8 and is now a freshman member of the South Fork high school team. He says sharing crew duties with someone requires building communication skills and trust. “One of the most memorable experiences … was qualifying to compete at the Great Oaks Invitational regatta in New Orleans. Over two hard days of racing we got first place in the silver division.”
Bornarth’s sister, Katie, is also a sailor who began early, crewing for her father. She sails on her own but says, “Competing in events around South Florida is lots of fun. There is very good competition so we get to challenge ourselves against good sailors and improve our abilities.”
LIFE LESSONS
Nathaniel Osborn, coach of all USSCMC-sponsored teams, is Lettengarver’s history teacher at The Pine School
YOUTH SAILING FOUNDATION PHOTOS Vero Beach High School sailing team members Wendy Walter-Cano, Vyktorya Archer, Josiah Evaristo, Jordan de la Concepcion, Devon Conde, Alden Findley, Jarrod Smith, Nicholas Keller, and Malea Terry gather for practice several times a week.
to regattas in other areas it is very satisfying watching the sailors cooper-ate to de-rig and load their boats on our three-boat trailer and carefully tie down dozens of lines, rudders and sails for the journey. This is the sort of responsibility and complex project that is beyond the ability of many high schoolers.”
Sailing as a team member can have a long-lasting effect on students. Vyk-torya Archer says, “This experience ... has sparked an interest that I never knew existed. It has opened doors and more opportunities to further advance my skills as a sailor. The support from the Youth Sailing Foundation has left a tremendous impact on my future. … Sailing is my life.”
YOUTH SAILING FOUNDATION Stephanie Roman and Alden Findley hone their sailing skills during team practice near the Alma Lee Loy Bridge in Vero Beach.
