Thursday, April 10, 2008
Yes, KU has a sailing club. This may come as a surprise to many KU students. It often surprises the sailors that Kansas competes against, as well.
“Sometimes we’ll beat a team and they’ll ask ‘What? Kansas beat us? Kansas has a lake?’” says KU Sailing Club president Alli Jones, Bloomington, Minn., junior.
Two lakes, actually. They haven’t been here for long, but as we learned from another Midwestern sports tale: If you build it, well, something will happen.
So, Perry and Clinton lakes were built and people came. The people started yacht clubs and sailing teams.
“I have more sailing opportunities here than I ever had growing up,” says Bruce Liese, KU Sailing Club advisor and professor of family medicine at the KU Medical Center.
KU Sailing Club: proof that Kansas' winds are a good thing.
Liese says that the Kansas winds provide for great sailing. “You can go out into the water and it’ll be calm and serene and then all of a sudden the wind is howling through the wires and ropes,” Liese says. “You’re sailing along at 30 knots. One side of your boat rises up and everyone’s hanging on the side, trying to keep the boat balanced.
Clinton Lake may be a geographically ideal sailing destination, but the team battles unsavory conditions during most of the school year. The sailors only made it onto the water twice last semester before the water was too cold to sail on. Their lack of practice put them at a slight disadvantage compared to other teams that meet two to three times per week, but this doesn’t discourage them from competing.
When the team arrived at their first spring competition in February at the University of Texas, three of the six members had never actually sailed before. Kansas finished 12th out of 17 teams.
The members welcome inexperienced students. “People don’t even have to know what a sail looks like,” Jones says. “Someone’s first sailing experience determines their life view of the sport. We work really hard to make sure it’s positive.”
Jones had her first sailing experience when she was 5, and she says that she knows she’ll be sailing for the rest of her life. “This really is a lifelong sport,” Jones says. “We race against people in their 70s.”
The Sailing Club holds “Sailing 101” courses at the Student Recreation Fitness Center and “Learn How to Sail” days for students who are new to the sport. Students can join the club and sail recreationally, or they can sail competitively. Of the 27 members, 12 compete in races.
This year, the team has competed in four regattas that have taken them to Austin, College Station, and Dallas, Texas. Now that the spring season is over, the team is focusing on recruiting new members and fundraising.
Because of the group’s fundraising efforts, the KU Sailing Club has the lowest fees of any Kansas sport. Team members must pay $50, while non-competing members only pay $10. This summer, the club plans to raise money by teaching children how to sail. The lessons will replace the usual annual bake sale.
If you’re interested in racing Big 12 teams or even 70-year-olds, the Sailing Club’s regular practices will resume in the fall. Until then, may the wind be in your sail and may your bow never face a waterfall.
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