It was a remarkable weekend for Oregon’s club sailing team, as the Ducks secured a spot in the national tournament after winning the Northwest Intercollegiate Sailing Association match race qualifier in Seattle.
Oregon’s regatta win also gives the Ducks an invitation to San Francisco from Nov. 19-20.
“We definitely reached our goal last weekend,” said Elliot Drake, a senior and co-captain of Oregon’s club sailing team, “because we came away with the win and won a berth to nationals.”@@ce@@
Drake will represent the Ducks, as well as the Northwest district, at nationals in Chicago on Nov. 4-6. This will mark Drake’s third consecutive year in the single-handed qualifier event for nationals.
In the Northwest district, there are four primary qualifiers in sailing throughout the year in order to make it to nationals.
Oregon’s victory in the match race qualifier over the weekend is the second out of the four qualifiers that Oregon has won so far in the year. In the Northwest district, a team needs to win both the match race and the single-handed qualifiers in order to make it to nationals.
Fortunately, the Ducks have done just that to give them the bid to the national tournament.
“We are very excited that we have done both thus far,” Drake said.
Last year’s team received a national ranking of 19th for team racing, a first in the school’s history.
According to team member Kate Emberly, first-time nerves played a vital role in the Ducks’ departure of the tournament.
“It seemed like most teams thought that we were a throwaway team,” Emberly said. “But none of the races were easy for the other teams, and we held our own in most of the races that we participated in.”
However, Emberly is optimistic and remains confident that the sailing team will only improve and learn from last year’s experience in the national tournament.
“We had a really solid year in my opinion where we traveled a lot,” Emberly said. “I think that our outcome at nationals is pushing the team to train even harder this year.”
For Drake, improving and advancing further in the single-handed event is one of his biggest goals once he heads to Chicago to represent the University on the national stage.
“Personally, I am very excited to make my third appearance at single-hand nationals in Chicago,” Drake said. “I’ve taken the training more seriously than I ever have in the past and I think it showed at the qualifier.
“I hope that I can do the same in Chicago. I placed 13th my sophomore year and lost a tiebreaker for 11th and got 12th last year. My goal is to place in the top 5 for my last year at the event.”
Nevertheless, Drake is excited for the Ducks’ chances as a team at the national tournament in San Francisco, setting high goals for Oregon’s club sailing team.
“This will be Oregon’s first appearance at the match race at nationals. We were very happy with the win at our qualifier,” Drake said. “Match racing is new to college sailing … we hope to mix up the competition and cause some upsets when the East Coast schools aren’t expecting it.
The next event for Oregon’s club sailing will be in Berkeley, Calif. The event will run Friday, Oct. 14-16.
“We usually place around 10th or so at this event. However, we feel stronger than ever, so I think top 5 is not out of reach,” Drake said. “Having solid practices, coaching each other on and off the water and staying consistent will all help us achieve this goal.”@@https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/132ffe0e7e101e82@@
Oregon’s club sailing team earns bid to nationals for second straight year
Daily Emerald
October 12, 2011
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