Coach's Corner

This past weekend the Mitchell College Sailing Team sailed in its most competitive regatta in recent history up at Salve Regina's sailing facility in Newport, RI. This regatta was to determine who the final top two competitors would be at the New England Spring Championship event the following weekend. It would also probably launch the winners into a top-20 New England ranking (Mitchell is currently ranked 33rd).

The top teams from a diverse group of colleges sailed. Congratulations to UConn and Bates for being the top two teams at the event. Bates and Northeastern were a few points apart in the battle for runner-up and it came down to the last few races to determine that second slot. The conditions were light and shifty from the South.

Representing Mitchell were sophomore Alex Hering and freshman Alexandra Bollella in A division. Alex Bollella was sailing in her first ever dinghy regatta and improved with every race. Alex/Alex struggled with the light and shifty winds, as much as they had difficulty maneuvering against the more experienced teams from the other schools. They finished 12th out of the 13 teams registered - but only 12 teams sailed. All in all, this duo got valuable experience that can only help us prepare and develop for the future.

In B division, freshmen Kim Parker and Chelsea Abbenante sailed for the Mariners. This was their first regatta sailing together this spring. They started off strong and finished mid fleet  in three of the first four races on Saturday. However, Sunday proved to be trickier for the ladies and they struggled with the light shifty conditions on this day. They also finished 12th out of the 13 teams registered - but only 12 teams sailed.

Going into the regatta, I had high hopes for the squad. Knowing that New England was going to send us their best, we were able to learn a ton. A little perspective on the weekend: we brought three freshmen and one sophomore to the event and were by far the youngest team there. We did not come in last more times than we did come in last. Except for one race, we were competitive with the fleet, being right in the thick of things for most of the race. However, missing one shift or getting a bad break at some point was the difference in finishing as high as eighth or ninth. We learned a lot about what we need to work on for the remainder of the this season to prepare us for next season as well: aggressive starts, downwind sailing, and reading the boats around us.

Finally, as this was the last major event if the season, I want to share how proud I am of each and every member of the 2011 Spring squad as they grew together as a team, grew a lot in their knowledge as sailors, and have truly created a culture for even greater results for the future of this program.

Coach Furgueson