Coast to Coast: The Battle of East vs. West Youth Sailing

By Airwaves Writer Tyler Colvin
The battle of East vs. West sailing has existed for decades with competitors from both coasts seemingly trading podiums with each passing event.  Across classes, age ranges and yacht clubs, top sailors from each coast with different approaches dominate the sailing community and skill sets.  Harkening back to the hip-hop feuds of the 90s, East vs. West has always been a source of pride and contention amongst competitors in the junior sailing classes, high schools and colleges alike.Junior sailing on both coasts has progressed to a level not seen before in the sport.   Skill levels of the top sailors in the major youth classes continues to grow each year, and with it, the desire to travel to events.  This was evidenced at Opti Nationals, C420 Nationals and 29er Nationals, of which all exhibited top competition from both coasts.
In 2015, sailors from the East Coat dominated Opti Nationals with sailors from New Jersey, Annapolis, Florida and Long Island rounding out the Top 5 overall standings.  This is a testament to the strength of the East Coat Opti class and the emphasis put on the pram by East Coast clubs.
C420 Nationals showed significantly more parity between the coasts with podium finishes from each.  The 2015 C420 Nationals was the largest event in the class history with 196 boats entered. At the Chubb Junior Championships, West Coast teams took the top two spots in the Bemis Trophy as well as a podium spot in the Smythe Trophy.
On the skiff side of things, 2015 29er Nationals were dominated by West Coast teams with 3 of the Top 5 and 7 of the Top 10 teams from the left coat.  While admittedly a much smaller fleet size than the other classes, the Olympic class trainer is alive and well on the West Coast.
High school and College sailing around the country is exploding in popularity at the moment.  More and more players from varying backgrounds are stepping into boats and never looking back.  If junior sailing circuits in Optis and C420s are FJ programs, high school and college fleets are decidedly dirt track run-what-you-brung.   Short courses, high volumes of races and no throw outs make high school collegiate sailors competitive and hungry.
Fundamental differences between how high school and college racing are conducted on each coast are a reflection of location and funding.  East coast high school and collegiate regattas are primarily held at locations with full fleets; teams show up to a venue, race all weekend, and go home.  West coast high school and collegiate teams must travel further distances and provide their own boats either by towing or chartering from hosts.  One advantage the West Coast teams have over almost all but the southern East Coast teams is the ability to practice year-round.
Despite the differences in how regattas are conducted on each coast, there is a remarkable amount of parity at the top of the high school sailing world.  PCISA schools Point Loma and Newport Harbor are perennial national contenders, but it is hard to count out SAISA contenders Shorecrest and St. Thomas Aquinas, or NESSA’s St. George’s and MASSA’s Annapolis, Severn and Christchurch.
In college sailing it is a slightly different story.  East coast colleges dominate the college sailing world with only Stanford as the current west coast contender and Hawaii as a past contender.  NEISA and MAISA provide the majority of the top 20 national rankings and top 10 at national championships.  Stanford is the lone PCCSC school consistently in the rankings and in the hunt at nationals with Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Hawaii and USC on the outside looking in.

What the West Coast lacks in tradition and infrastructure to its East Coast counterpart, it makes up for in growth of the sport.  In high school sailing PCISA is the fastest growing conference with the numbers of registered teams growing at what seems like an exponential rate.  It is a battle of tradition and establishment (East) versus growth and innovation (West).  So while the needle may swing towards the East in youth sailing at the moment, don’t count the West out of the picture by any means.  At the rate new sailors are growing and improving on the West, it is only a matter of time before the left coast is on equal footing across the board.
Whats your take?