Andrew Nelson of The Sailing Foundation has kindly offered this preview up (with some bold predictions) for the upcoming high school racing season. Yep, even though some of the schools’ bureaucrats might not even know it, these schools have exceptional athletes in a program that allows boys and girls to compete with and against each other, often with the full and enthusiastic participation of their families. So, even if you don’t have a kid in high school, take a good look at the excitement being generated by the next generation of sailors.
Race District Championship. Photo by Jim Skeel.
By Andrew Nelson
Kids are heading back to school and the fall high school sailing season is just around the corner. Fall includes a few smaller regional regattas, the singlehanded “Cressy” qualifier (our only Laser event), a new NWISA Girl’s Championship, a keelboat regatta, and a Fall Championship (mostly for bragging rights). All of this happens in the span of seven furious weeks between mid-September and early November.
My not so totally arbitrary “Top-5 Power Rankings” are below. We’ll see how my predictions hold up over time, and I hope there are some spoiler teams out there that prove me wrong!
#1 Olympia High School
OHS finished up a stellar spring season last year with a trip to the Mallory (HS Fleet Racing Nationals), while just barely missing out on also representing the NWISA conference at the Baker (Team Race Nationals). Although their B-Fleet skipper Max Miller graduated last spring, the core of their team remains intact. Look for senior Owen Timms to be out in front of A-Fleet this year. Sam Bonauto (2021) and Erin Pamplin (2020) will be duking it out for the second varsity skipper spot, and when the three skippers unite for team racing they’ll be a formidable squad. OHS has a deep roster which also includes plenty of talented returning crews. One thing we didn’t really see last year were consistent skipper/crew pairings. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Oly move towards a more stable system of pairs as the season progresses.
Predictions: 1st Place- Team Racing, 1st Place- Cressy Qualifier (Laser), 2nd Place- Fleet Racing
#2 Orcas Island High School
OIHS cleaned up last year, earning a spot to both the Baker and Mallory spring championships. Like Olympia, they graduated a key member of their team, Maggie Toombs, last spring. However, they will have two veteran skippers leading the charge this year- Seniors Ronan Rankin and Dominick Wareham. They’ll be surrounded by a supporting cast of experienced crews including seniors Millie Kau and Emma Freedman. When it comes down to performing under pressure, there’s nothing like having a bunch of experience on your side. With more than half a dozen seniors set to graduate in 2019, this is the time for OIHS to cash in on their years of hard work and practice.
Predictions: 1st Place- Fleet Racing, 4th Place- Team Racing
#3 Bainbridge Island High School
BIHS is always a contender. Coach Susan Kaseler has more district championships under her belt than anyone else, and she’s been at it since before any of her current sailors were even born! By BIHS standards it might have been a bit of a down year last year, placing 4th in Team Racing and 5th in Fleet Racing at the NWISA Championships. A new generation will take their turn at the helm this year, including skippers Max Doan, Dane Petrakis, Zach Cooper, and Lindsay Campbell. They’ve all be sailing Lasers regularly this summer and are a fast group. I expect coach Susan will have some hard decisions to make about who to put in the varsity spot. This depth is a great problem to have and will make BIHS a tough opponent in team racing.
Predictions: 2nd Place- Team Racing, 2nd Place Cressy Qualifier (Laser), 3rd Place- Fleet Racing
#4 Capital High School
This team surprised me more than any other team last year. They were my “bracket buster” so to speak. I love it when teams prove me wrong and Capital did just that by placing 4th at Fleet Racing and 7th at Team Racing during the NWISA spring championships. Capital and Olympia both sail out of OYC, and Sarah Hanavan coaches both teams. Clearly this is an example of how the success of Olympia has rubbed off on Capital. Oly and Capital will have a chance to tune up against each other all year, and you can bet by April there will be some seriously competitive practices. Capital has a big crop of juniors and only graduated one sailor last year. This team will be in the hunt this year, and as we were reminded last spring, anything can happen at district championships. They’re going to get their shot either this year or next!
Predictions: 3rd Team Racing, 5th Fleet Racing
#5 Gig Harbor High School
I’m going out on a limb for GHHS. This team has had a lot of talent percolating and now the stars are aligning. Axel Stordahl, Dayne Hall, and Peter Ryalls have all been working very hard this summer and are constantly near the top of the FJ fleet. Crews Ripley Morris and Carlos Rivas have been a big part of this success, and have been very dedicated. They’ve also added depth to their roster and will now have more than enough eligible sailors to field a capable squad at team racing events. Like Oly and Capital, GHHS has had a chance to spar regularly with another very successful team, Charles Wright Academy, over the past few seasons. Recent (like really recent) CWA alumni, Alyosha Strum-Palerm, will be at practice again this fall, not as a sailor, but as the coach. Not so long ago another 19 year-old coach, Stasi Burzycki, led the North Kitsap High School team to nationals, surprising a lot of people in the process. We’ll see if Alyosha and GHHS can make a similar Cinderella run.
Predictions: 4th Place Fleet Racing, 5th Place Team Racing
If any of you high schoolers want to get a word in edgewise, send me your own predictions, race reports or team updates. Sailish is committed to covering youth sailing in the region, but we can use all the sea boots on the ground we can get. Oh, and for the teams not mentioned, prove Andrew wrong. He’ll love it!