Sailing

INTRO

More details:

https://collegesailing.org/about/recruiting
https://collegesailing.org/about/overview

• 220 schools (varsity and club teams)
• Varsity well-funded teams with coach
• No athletic scholarships but other financial help available
• 7 regional conferences

• Over 5600 registered competitors (46% female, 54% male)
• Coed Competition
• Women’s Competition
• Only Singlehanded events are Men’s only
• Over 370 multi-team regattas
• Season last 20 weeks and commences in the fall
• 6 different national championships:
  • Match Race,
  • Men’s Singlehanded and Women’s Singlehanded Championships are in the fall and Coed,
  • Women’s and Team Race Championships are in the spring.
• 20 hours a week limit on training (4hours daily max)

https://www.ussailing.org/news/dear-youth-sailors-sincerely-college-sailing/

College sailing is sailed in unique boats with its own procedural rules and structure. It shares the same framework as USA high school sailing (ISSA), but differs greatly from the youth sailing circuit, which many are accustomed. A premium is put on fitness in college sailing with all of the top teams working hard to be high level athletes.

With more teams hiring full time coaches, the development of Tech Score and teams investing an estimated $22 million in capital improvements over the last 20 years, college sailing is more sophisticated and professional than ever. Top teams are working with full time strength and conditioning coaches, filming and analyzing video and using sports psychologists to help their athletes improve. There is suddenly a demand for drone operators, nutritionists and team building experts.

The vast majority of college sailing is sailed in Collegiate FJs and 420s. These collegiate doublehanded dinghies do not have a trapeze or spinnaker and the sail controls are very basic. Keeping the boats simple allows for college sailing to be accessible for those without much sailing experience and to reduce costs for teams purchasing and maintaining their own equipment.

Regattas are weekend events and are typically sailed in two divisions, “A division” and “B division”, of up to 18 boats. The target time for a college race is 18-22 minutes and hosts aim to sail 12-18 races per division (A and B), per weekend with no throwouts.

The fall season starts the first weekend in September with most conferences wrapping up their fall championships by Halloween. In the spring, regattas start in February and run through April with the spring National Championships taking place the week prior to, and after, Memorial Day Weekend. The number of weekends a team can compete during a school year is capped at 18.

Within over 220 or so teams in the ICSA, there are several different types of teams. While they all compete against each other, some teams have more structure and funding than others; Club, “Elite” Club, and Varsity.

Club teams make up the vast majority of the ICSA. They are student run, led and funded organizations. Club teams are partially funded through a schools’ campus recreation, club sports organization, or sailor dues and rely heavily on strong student leadership. Many club teams do not have a coach and operate on a tight budget. The strength of a club team comes from the membership and is a great way for students to showcase their talents and grow as leaders. Strong club teams almost always come with significant support from their parent department, whether that be Campus Recreation or Club Sports Department. Student leadership is responsible for scheduling regattas, team finance, team travel and organization. They work with campus recreation and advisers to get practice times, build a regatta schedule and securing funding from the school, parents and alumni. Club teams are an excellent venue for students to take ownership of an organization and help it to grow and improve.

There are currently 39 varsity teams in ICSA. These teams are funded through the Athletic Department and fundraising and have full time coaches and dedicated sailing facilities (some lease space through yacht clubs and some have facilities owned by the University). Varsity teams tend to have more resources than club teams and can afford to go to more events. Many varsity sailing teams are subjected to the same treatment as other varsity sports at their school, such as basketball, football and soccer. The standards set for these teams may include a minimum GPA, study hall hours, drug testing and philanthropy. Varsity teams are time intensive for student athletes and require the development of good time management skills. With all these commitments, schools often provide a high level of support needed to succeed at both being a student and an athlete. Most varsity programs are supported by the athletic department and come with tutors, trainers, facilities and academic advisers dedicated to helping the team succeed.

Elite Club teams fall into a very small category of teams in ICSA. They are funded as well, or better, than varsity teams, often times following similar requirements with academics and compliance, but are not funded through the Athletic Department. They have full time coaches, facilities and some school support.

Unique to college sailing, all of these types of teams compete against each other on any given weekend. There are tiers of events, but at each level there are varsity athletes competing against club athletes in Coed and Women’s regattas. College Sailing provides opportunities for many levels of sailor to compete against each other.

Less than 2% of students applying to college with sailing resumes get in because of their sailing. It is arguably one of the most exclusive club in collegiate athletics. The students who are getting these benefits are winning national level youth sailing events and podium-finishing at international events. So, the recruiting standards are very high for elite teams.

Top tier schools provide an excellent academic experience. But having good grades and test scores provides a much better chance of getting into school than a sailing resume. The vast majority of college sailors have their academic profile meet the academic profile of the school they attend. The best way to sail for an Ivy League school is to have the grades to get into that school first.

There Are No Sailing Scholarships in College Sailing

A sailor attending a university to sail may receive a large financial aid package, however this should not be misconstrued as a sailing scholarship. It is money provided on their academic merit or economic need. ICSA feels that disallowing athletic scholarships keeps the playing field more level between well-funded varsity teams and smaller club teams, and that this interaction between all of these teams is an inherent benefit of College Sailing.

If youth sailing, with support boats, snacks and myriad of coaches is Grand Prix racing, college sailing is most certainly rough and tumble Dirt Track. Teams often drive long distances for long, cold regattas, only to drive home to exams and papers. It is a different beast and choosing the correct program is often times a difficult and confusing process. College sailing should enhance a sailor’s college experience, but not define it. When choosing a school, it is important that the sailor likes where they are for what it is, not because they are there to sail. If something were to happen and they were not able to participate, it’s important that they like the school for reasons other than it has sailing.

Beyond the guidance counselor’s recommendation based on desired school size and area of study, students wishing to sail in college should also consider their own sailing experience and what they want to get out of college sailing. A sailor with a strong racing background who traveled and sailed competitively throughout the year may struggle on a club team requiring more self-discipline and having less structure. This is not always the case, as many strong youth sailors have had successful club team careers and thrived as self-starters and leaders on these student run teams. Likewise, a casual racer and cruiser throughout youth sailing may not enjoy the rigors of a varsity team. But again, there are certainly exceptions here as well.

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