Courtesy of Fritz Baldauf
On Wednesday, October 4th, the Learn to Sail Class wrapped up their classes with a “bring a friend to sailing” day, where the new sailors could share their newly acquired sailing skills with their friends. The course met once a week over the first half the fall semester, and was taught by Sailing Coaches Jeff Bresnahan and Emilie Blinderman.
Coach Bresnahan said of the class that “having more students use the waterfront is great for the Conn community. Being able to use the whole property makes campus a great place for students, staff and faculty. Expanding the waterfront past varsity and club sports gets more people using the waterfront.”
Sailing is a niche sport, which many who don’t grow up competing in don’t fully understand. It requires a very different approach and set of skills than the typical ball or field sports that most think of when they think of college athletics. The new waterfront at Conn is now just over a year old, and the benefits for the entire Connecticut College community can clearly be seen. Of course the varsity sports – sailing and rowing – have gained an obvious benefit from the upgrades in facilities and docks, but the community as a whole now benefits from a far more accessible and visually appealing waterfront.
Coach Bresnahan’s beginner sailing class, which is offered to Conn students most years, teaches students the important basics of sailing, providing an on campus opportunity to learn the sport that isn’t available at most other colleges. As the only NESCAC school to feature a waterfront, Conn is in a unique position to offer sailing to the entire community.
Bresnahan states that “the class gets students on the water in the first week. Most students can’t believe that they are sailing by the second class, and bringing a friend by the fifth class. It is empowering, and learning new things as an adult is something you have to do for the rest of your life.”
Unlike many other sports, sailing is something that can be picked up at any point in one’s life, and not just for leisure. One can sail for the first time as an adult, and if they find a true passion for it, they can compete at a very high level, given that it is a sport where one can compete long after their college years.
The learn to sail class is just one of several ways in which Coaches Bresnahan and Blinderman and the Coed and Women’s Sailing Teams at Conn look to share their sport with the community as a whole. Bresnahan highlighted “Sailapalooza,” a bring a friend to sailing event hosted by the whole Varsity Sailing Team in early May. He encouraged all members of the campus community who are interested to come to this year’s Sailapalooza in the spring.
“Sailapoolza is a great way to kick off Floralia because anyone can do it and it is more about just hanging out. Doing something fun, athletic and outdoors at the end of the semester is great to get ready for finals,” states Bresnahan.
By May, the weather and water will have warmed up. The team will once again be sailing in board shorts again, out of the drysuits that are necessary in the colder, early parts of the spring season. In Sailapalooza, the team hosts a barbeque and teaches their friends the basics of sailing on the picturesque waterfront of Conn’s campus. Bresnahan and the sailing team also encourage the campus to come down to the waterfront anytime the sailing team is hosting a home regatta, and support the team. Go Camels!
