Sailing Competition Takes Southern Regional High School to the National Level
Southern Regional High School’s sailing team recently participated in the Interscholastic Sailing Association National Championship regatta. The team, sailing against some of the best high school teams in the country, managed a ninth-place finish.
Participants’ Journey to the Venue
The team had a busy weekend, with the senior prom on Saturday in Atlantic City and the national championship regatta beginning the next day in Charleston, South Carolina. Erin Little, the only senior graduating this year, flew out of Newark Airport early Sunday morning and landed in Charleston by 8:30 a.m., sailing at the venue around 30 minutes later.
Competition Overview
On the first day of the competition, the team’s A Division skipper, Turner Ryon, and crew Belle Placa won their first race, followed by five finishes among the top seven. Jude Ryon and crew Noah Tallman managed to win their first race and secure seven top-ten finishes. However, the initial set saw the team’s boats finish 13th and 11th in the 20-boat field.
On the second day of the competition, Southern sailors managed to sail solid runs through the course, with the A Division boat securing eighth place in the 14th race and the B Division boat swiping the same position in the 15th, with the B Division boat skippered by Erin Little duplicating the result. In the 16th race, Turner and Erin skippered their boats to 8th- and 4th-place finishes, respectively. After that, Little and Jude skippered the boats to second- and first-place finishes in the 17th and 18th races, respectively. In the 18th race, Turner and Placa also managed a fourth-place finish, completing the regatta with eight- and third-place finishes, respectively.
The team finished the regatta with 191 points for the A Division and 178 points for the B Division, placing ninth in the overall competition, just two points behind eighth-place Brunswick School from Connecticut.
Coach and Players’ Reactions
The Southern sailing coach, Steve Warren, praised the team for sticking together and delivering a great performance. In 2004, the last time Southern had competed in the national championship regatta, the team finished 16th. “I’m very happy with ninth place. It’s a huge deal,” Warren said. “Almost all of those schools in the top 10 have won national championships. And with the exception of us and Point Loma, all of the teams in this regatta are from private schools with huge sailing budgets. It’s incredible to finish in the top 10. It was a great experience for the entire team, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of the community.”
Turner Ryon highlighted the fine line between finishing among the top three or among the bottom three at the end of each race, with the difference between eighth and 17th being just a boat length in one race. “Sailing against the kind of competition was fun, but it’s nerve-racking from race to race when the margin of error is minimal. We were really excited to finish ninth,” he said.
Erin Little noted that attending the regatta was worth any hassle she had to endure to get to Charleston for her final high school competition. “It’s a fabulous way to end my high school career. I couldn’t ask for a better place to finish than the national championship regatta.”
Looking Ahead
The team is optimistic about next year’s competition and already has the experience to build on. “We have a young team, and now we have experience at the national regatta,” Turner Ryon said. “Next year, we’ll have a better idea of what it’s about and what we’ll need to do to be better. It’s easier to have expectations now. Ninth was a great finish, but it’s also a great starting point for next year.”
Conclusion
The Southern Regional High School sailing team’s participation in the national championship regatta can be considered a huge success, with the team placing ninth overall. The team’s performance leaves us optimistic for the future, and with new recruits, more experience, and good preparation, we hope to see the team achieve greater results next year.
Originally Post From https://www.thesandpaper.net/articles/southern-regional-sailors-place-ninth-among-nations-best/
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