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Youth and Collegiate Sailing Focus So You’ve Graduated…
Now What? by Franny Kupersmith
I
t didn’t take long to come down from the high of College Sailing Nationals. Going from the intensity of practice weeks with two-per-day, on-the-water training sessions and nationals, competing against and alongside the best of the best in college sailing, to returning home to Alexandria, VA, was a little bit of a psychological and physical shock to my system. It seemed as though every “congratulations” had a silver lining in the form of “what next?” Too bad my scatterbrained mind was still in competitive sailing mode, and the only logical response I could muster was, “uh, re-varnishing my parent’s boat and sailing Wednesday night races.” With the realities of the “real world” imposing on my ability to sail every day, I began to frantically question how I will both look for a job while also staying involved in sailing. My frustration led me to ask a few local sailing celebrities for some tips on how college sailing graduates avoid the plague of being sucked into The Office. To solve the problem of losing college sailors to the “real world,” I had to first find out whether this issue actually exists or whether it is just me who has not figured out the correct balance between work and play. The general consensus I received is that yes, the issue of losing college sailors to the “real world” does exist. I call this the “real world epidemic.” Gary Jobson makes a great point that in the
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United States, we are doing an awesome job with getting kids involved in sailing. As a former ICSA All-American, America’s Cup winner, current editor at large for Sailing World and Cruising World magazines, and U.S. Sailing president, Jobson recognizes the crucial role that junior sailing programs play in igniting a passion for the sport in young sailors. Jobson says, “Our junior sailing programs pump out a lot of talent that is exemplified in the high school and college sailing arenas. However, upon graduation, it is difficult to keep the young people engaged in the sport, and the once highly involved sailors disappear to the constraints of careers, families, and life in general.” Former St. Mary’s Seahawk and Annapolis resident, Jane DeLashmutt agrees with Jobson and says that in her experience, “staying ‘in’ the sailing scene after college can be challenging for a number of reasons… Former college sailors have to re-invent themselves as in a new boat, sometimes in a new city, and with a new job and waking hours. The boat changes, the company changes, and the level of competition and intensity certainly changes as well.” However, these are not the only factors hindering the post-grad involvement in sailing. For some, “College sailors might also feel ‘burned out’ after four years of sailing practice, four days a week, four hours a day, and travel almost every weekend during the season.”
##While competing in college, sailors have boats, coaches, regattas, and transportation all provided for them. Then, they graduate, and things change. Photo by GTS Photos
Sailing after college can pose a slew of other issues as graduates are suddenly hit with the realization that many of the amenities provided for them as college sailors no longer apply; thereby making the ability to stay engaged in sailing even more difficult. In the words of Mike Coe of North Sails Chesapeake: “In college sailing, we get used to a couple of things that for the most part we end up taking for granted while we are in college. Three things come to mind: Sailing practically everyday with coaches who push you to perform your best, having a set of boats to use wherever you are sailing, and having regattas set up for you and logistics taken care of.” Coe continues by saying that while in college, “We feel like we are at the top of our game… Then we get out of college. We don’t own a boat, have no one to set things up for us, and have to learn how to make a new boat go fast.” However, to learn how to make a new boat go fast, we have to get on a boat... spinsheet.com