Sailing In College - What We Know So Far

Recruiting & Admissions

• There are many versions of the following story and they can come across in different ways but the common theme is that out of the 5,000 plus active sailors in the ICSA only a couple of dozen were actively recruited for admission.  These are the sailors consistently winning national and international events from Optis on up and they have a solid fix on sailing at a high level.  You probably know a couple of these sailors and they win everything.  
• For the rest of us mere mortals sailing is a piece of the puzzle but you will need the grades and test scores to get into the school by yourself
• The vast majority of sailors do not receive any form of admission support
• You do not need to sail a 'college' boat to be recruited

Local Events

• Both SSA & AYC host College Nights over the winter with opportunities to meet coaches and learn about the sport and specific programs
• AYC is normally in December
• SSA is normally in January
• Contact the Junior Sailing teams for more information

Age Requirements

• Coaches can have recruiting conversations after July 1st of your junior year in general
• Contact the school and consider scheduling a visit and explore the opportunity of watching a practice
• If a coach does not respond you should consider scheduling a visit anyway and letting them know when you are coming

ICSA Procedural Rule 12(f)

•  No student-athlete shall receive financial assistance to attend college based upon sailing ability. Furthermore, no coach or representative of an athletic interest related to sailing shall influence, or attempt to influence, financial aid decisions on behalf of a prospective student-athlete. This shall not prohibit coaches or other representatives from providing and discussing general financial aid information with prospective student-athletes. 
• See PDF at bottom of this page for full document

Club Or Varsity

•  “Varsity” typically indicates an institutional standard of support for  the team. The amount of support provided varies from institution to  institution, but there is normally solid support and funding for  training, travel, and competition.  
• “Club” typically means the team may function under Athletics or  under Student Government. The amount of support varies by  institution, and may include significant support like the Varsity teams  mentioned above, but also may include minimal support. 
•  “Club” does not necessarily mean these student-athletes have to fund their experience completely out of pocket! If you are considering club teams, these are the sort of things you  should be asking: (Q) What boats does the team own and what kind of shape are  they in? What is the practice facility set up? (Q) Is there a full time coach? Are there assistant coaches? (Q) How many boats are on the water at a typical practice? (Q) What support is provided by the school for travel and  competition?
•   A few club teams have strong funding and are competitive with the best teams  in the country.  (Q) Some Prospective Athletes think they want a Varsity Team until they are  actually living the commitment it takes to be part of a Varsity Team. (Q) Varsity teams often live under a stricter set of rules that sometimes limits what  they can do in comparison to club teams. With these stricter rules typically  comes significantly more support for the individual student-athlete. (Q) However, some varsity teams have similar or less support than strong club  teams. (Q) There are great leadership opportunities and there is great value for the  student-athlete and for the ICSA in both classifications of team. 

'Do List' from ICSA Presentation

• DO write a thoughtful email to the coach or team leader expressing your interest. 
• DO emphasize aspects of the school that interest you aside from the sailing program
• DO include your academic information in your first email, including Transcript and Test Scores. 
• DO include your sailing resume.  
• DO include height and weight on your sailing resume 
• DO include the results you are most proud of on your resume. 
• DO include clinics you have attended and an overview of your training regimen. 
• DO include any superlative recognition including Sailor of the Year, Sportsmanship, and  Leadership, from local yacht clubs, HS sailing teams, or private sailing teams. 
• DO include any other sports you play, particularly at the High School Varsity level, and any  leadership roles in HS sports or other HS activities. 
• DO provide personal references including current coaches with whom you are working. 

'Don't List' from ICSA Presentation

• DON’T write an epic poem detailing your sailing history since you were five years old, or how you’ve always  known this school was perfect for you even though you haven’t visited yet. 
• DON’T copy and paste your email without thoroughly editing the Proper Nouns! You don’t want to become a  meme among coaches (ie, “Hi Coach Higgins, I have always been excited about Bowdoin College”). 
• DON’T include every sailing result you have ever achieved. Try to paint a broad overview of your sailing with  results, but we don’t need to see how you finished in blue fleet in your yacht club summer series seven years  ago, or every regatta you have competed in for the past eleven years. 
• DON’T include US Sailing Instructor Certification information. We are not hiring you to teach sailing. 
• DON’T lie about results or be deliberately misleading, or selectively omit information. We all have google and  can see results, and most coaches will talk to the coaches you work with and learn about you as a person  and as an athlete. If there is a result that you hope to improve on, just be upfront about it in conversation with  the coaches. 

'Timeline' from ICSA Presentation

• Prior to Junior year visit schools to get a sense of what you are looking for besides sailing 
• Recruiting Conversations begin July 1
• Contact coaches of school you may be interested in
• Visit Schools you are interested in, including reach schools and safeties (and everything in between) 
• Begin Standardized Testing, and take your tests early and often 
• “Commitment Phase” typically begins Junior Spring and continues through Senior year for any given  class 
• Have honest and transparent conversations about your interest in a college and a coach’s interest in  you
• ED Deadlines typically around Nov 1 
• RD Deadlines typically around Jan 3 
• Make sure you finish strong academically senior year

Current Rankings

•  Sail1Design List

Final Thoughts (From Coaches)

• Most of the 'high school' boats do not teach any true tuning and it is a missing piece of being a well rounded sailor in this country.  Get out on top end boats with top end sailors and learn about trim and tuning.  Do not specialize too early.
• When you are choosing a school a top factor should be the big picture.  You will be spending an enormous amount of time with the coaches and they will become your mentors and role models.  Where does the team travel and how much?  How will you balance that with your other goals?  How much do you like the entire coaching team and lifestyle?
• Is sailing a career path that interests you or do you just love sailing?  The lifestyle of a professional sailor can be brutal with 300 plus days of travel each year.   But every kid that learns to sail learns important life skills, independence, problem solving, team work, work ethic, leadership and other life skills that will translate to everything they do for the rest of their lives.

Links

• 'Dear Youth Sailors' from US Sailing
• 'Top 10 Tips' from Sail1Design
• 'Do's and Dont's' from Jay Kehoe @ AYC
• 'Guide To Sailing Recruiting Visits' from Sail1Design
• College Sailing Site