With the sailing season starting up again this spring, the Lake Forest Sailing Team is eager to get an attempt at making it to the High School National Championship for the fourth season in a row. Getting back into the swing of things after the off-season can be dissicult, especially with the biting weather and choppy Chicago waters. With countless hours spent traveling and training, the sailing team is ready to give it their all once more while striving to win and be the best in the nation.
The Lake Forest sailors train long and hard for their biggest regattas, one taking place at the beginning of May and the final one at the beginning of June. This year, Baker Nationals will be hosted in Oak Harbor, Washington, and Mallory Nationals will be hosted in Charleston, South Carolina.
While many may think that qualifying for these national championships may be a “breeze,” attending these regattas requires the team to beat not only everyone in the Chicago area, but also every team in the Midwest. The team is feeling confident about qualifying for both national championships because they have qualified for them each year for the past three years.
“I’d say our team is super dialed coming off of a great spring last year planning to have an even better season this year,” said junior Owen Kohut. “We are definitely going to take a shot at gaining the national title.”
The Lake Forest sailors sail up to seven days a week starting on April 1st, and with their first national qualifier being two weeks later, the team is feeling pressure to knock the rust off. Some of the Lake Forest sailors feel that they are at a disadvantage due to the fact that they are only able to sail when the lake is not frozen. To catch up on lost time, the sailors spent their winter traveling all over the country to practice, training in the gym, and attending regattas against older sailors in different boats, all just to stay ready for their big season this year.
The Lake Forest sailors definitely take the team bonds seriously, and they know that it does not just take one good sailor to win, it takes a team.
“I think that since we all know each other so well, we are able to help out one another and point out if they are doing something wrong without feeling awkward,” said junior Jackson Schwartz. “That definitely has helped our team improve a lot.”
High school sailing is not directly dependent on the success or ability of an individual person or boat, but on the success and ability of the entire team. This can be at both practice and regattas. At practice, the sailors know to consistently push each other, and the more they push each other, the faster the team can grow as a whole. The growth seen at practice can be directly translated into success on the water at regattas, proving that the overall ability and success of the team correlates to success at regattas.
The season is coming fast, and the Lake Forest sailors are prepping for the busy weeks while also balancing their everyday life.
“We train at a minimum of fourteen hours a week during the spring to try and catch up with schools that can sail year round, then we travel another fourteen plus hours on the weekend, and we repeat that schedule for over two months straight,” said junior Keegan Chatburn. “We do this all while managing our school work, which can get tough at times.”
While it can be overwhelming, the team feels that as long as they stick together and support each other, they will thrive throughout the season and succeed.
The sailing coach, Mr. Will Howard, pushes the sailors to their best ability, knowing that if they can “turn it on” at practice, they will be able to “turn it on” at nationals. While seeking the best results, Howard invites national and world champions, olympians, and college coaches to coach the team leading up to nationals.
“I’d say our team is highly competitive and every sailor has a drive to do well,” said sophomore Maddie Rode. “We all work really hard because we know we can be successful. It is a very hardworking but fun environment surrounded by so many amazing people and coaches.”
After the sailors placed second in the nation at Keelboat nationals, had one of their boats placed sixth in the nation at Singlehanded nationals, and even had a sailor – senior Tristan McDonald – attend the Olympic Trials this February, the Lake Forest sailors certainly feel ready to dominate this season, while expressing that they feel lucky enough to do it together.
