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Volume CXXXIII, Number 9 |
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Sailors bring excitement to Cundy's Harbour
GRACE CHO
ORIENT STAFF
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| A couple of sailors practice their technique out on the water during a sunny fall day. The sailing team will finish up its season with the Atlantic Coast Tournament being held in Harpswell. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
After many lost Friday and Saturday nights, the Bowdoin Men's and Women's Sailing Team will wrap its season up this weekend, sending boats to compete in the Atlantic Coast Tournament. Led by coach Thomas Sitzmann and captains Pieter Scheerlinck '05, Amy Titcomb '04, and Jackie Haskell '05, the team, currently ranked 15 in the NEISA conference, will enter four boats, each consisting of two skippers and two crews, into the regatta. The boats will compete against NEISA rivals Harvard, Dartmouth, Tufts, and Boston University in addition to boats from outside the northeast, coming as far as Florida, during the two-day event.
Fifteen schools will be competing in this weekend's regatta, which is being organized by Bowdoin and will be held at Cundy's Harbor in Harpswell, Maine. This event will make a mark on Bowdoin sailing's history books because it is the first intersectional regatta to be held at Bowdoin. The sailing team is excited to have the Atlantic Coast Tournament at home as it is a big meet where they will have the home waters advantage.
Sophomore Frank Pizzo said that holding a championship regatta at home is exciting because, "it is a great place to show off our boats, our site, and sailing ability."
Holding a large intersectional regatta like the Atlantic Coast Tournament will test the strengths and weaknesses of a very young team. With only two seniors this season and the loss of the top six sailors to graduation last year, many regarded this season as a rebuilding year for the Bowdoin sailing team. However, Coach Sitzmann disagreed in notes posted on the sailing home page.
"It is clear that our returning players, along with eight new freshmen, are stepping up to the plate at key events," said Sitzmann. "To their credit, although we are a less experienced team, we are not a 'rebuilding' one."
The young team has won several regattas this season including three of five of the Eastern Series and placing third at the Lake Champlain Open in Vermont. Additionally, several first years, such as Simon Bolmgren and Cotton Estes, have also jumped on board and have made great contributions to the team. They led their boats to a first place finish at a Freshman Series regatta during the regular season.
The team is looking forward to ending its season on a high note by placing well at this weekend's home regatta. Come support the sailors and watch some great competition starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning at Cundy's Harbor.
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