Sailing celebrates its second state championship in its six-year history.
Over long weekend, Choate’s sailing team competed in the Connecticut State Sailing Championships. There were 18 different teams at the race. Most teams were from Connecticut; however, there was a team from Maine in attendance. Even though there is no qualification needed to enter this competition, this is one of the most important and competitive races that Choate’s Sailing team attends every year. Now, Connecticut State Championships is always fleet races. In other words, the boat that finishes first wins.
In the Connecticut State Championships, there is an A division and a B division, where each team is allowed to enter one boat. Each division races separately. The A fleet started off the race, but while the A fleet was racing, the B fleet started its race. After two races of each fleet, the sailors rotated boats. Everyone sailed into the dock, and they switched into a different boat that was assigned to them. This is what happens at most large regattas, as it ensures that no one has an advantage due to the boat that they’re sailing. The race is scored by adding up the points from the A fleet and B fleet of each team, and whichever team has the lowest score wins.
The sailing team spent a lot of time preparing for the race physically and mentally. The team came into the season knowing they wanted to perform well in this race. They knew that they they were going to have to work hard to accomplish what they wanted to this season. Tagan Farrell ’20 said, “At the beginning of the spring, we wrote down our goals for the season. One goal that everyone shared was to win the Connecticut State Sailing Championship. It was just something that we really wanted to accomplish as a team.”
Choate competed at the O’Day Qualifiers for the New England Schools Sailing Association Fleet Racing Championship at Indian Harbor Yacht Club the week prior to the state championship. At the NESSA Fleet Racing Championship, they finished sixth out of 15 teams. Choate was the underdog going into the CT State Championships. When asked how the team felt about their larger competition at the state meet, Ariel Zhang ’18 and Farrell said they felt optimistic and excited to see what could happen. With that mindset, Choate was ultimately able to finish in first.
Tommy Styron ’20 and Farrell were able to win the A fleet race, while Joe Coyne ’19 and Zhang came close to winning the B fleet race. The team overall had a very good day on the water, which is one of the biggest reasons that the team emerged from the Connecticut State Sailing Championships victorious. Choate’s sailing team won one of its biggest races of the year due to its hard work and perseverance, which are key reasons to the team having such a successful season.
