By Airwaves Writer Martha Pitt
Across the country, high school and youth sailing is continuing to grow, and subsequently the number of junior sailors looking to sail at the college level – many have their eyes on teams at the top of the college rankings. As it stands now, with few exceptions, the same collegiate teams have held those top spots for years, teams on which talented and dedicated sailors often find themselves “riding the bench” for years. Smaller teams are now trying to tap into that up-and-coming talent by creating programs that will draw in some of those top junior sailors who will be able to compete at that high level their whole college career and help the team grow.
The Jacksonville University Sailing Team is one such team that is looking for talented young sailors to help it grow! Now recognized as a varsity sport at its institution, the JU team is in a great position to become a strong contender in its conference and beyond. With new support from the athletic department, the team has been able to revamp its program and hire a full time coach. One of the greatest challenges for small collegiate sailing teams looking to grow and break into that top competitive group of collegiate powerhouses is funding and support. While historically, many club teams have been able to compete at the same level as varsity teams, the discrepancy between the two is certainly growing, and teams that are looking to reach that next level are finding that having varsity status within their institutions can make all the difference.
The Jacksonville University Sailing Team has spent the last ten years as a club team; prior to this fall the team was a small club sport that basically trained people how to sail in house. There was little coaching available, the team had a limited practice schedule, and it was funded solely by member dues. But after many years of hard work by the sailing team’s academic advisor Dr. Steven Davis – including rallying support from the local sailing community, creating a fundraising organization, writing feasibility reports, strategic plans, and budgets, and putting some serious pressure on the administration – the sailing team is ready to take the next step as a varsity program.
The team is in the Southeastern Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (SAISA), along with strong teams like College of Charleston, University of South Florida, and Eckerd College. The team is hoping that this move will help them get the coaching and support to compete with these conference powerhouses and become a contender on the national circuit.
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One of the big initiatives in turning this team from just a club team to a varsity team was the hiring of a year-round, full time coach. After a solid search, they found Jon Faudree to take on the challenge and get the team on its feet! Jon has spent years working in the sailing industry, most recently running the sailing program at Rochester Yacht Club in up-state New York. Jon is thrilled to take on such a great role, and hope that he can find some sailors that share his enthusiasm for the growth of what will soon become a very strong collegiate team! Read some comments from Head Coach Jon Faudree below: “During my 20 year career I have been involved in coaching at nearly every level of sailing from Youth, High School, College to One-Design Keelboats and Offshore Fleets, I have never come across a program like this that was just starting out. This school and the local sailing community want a successful sailing team and they have invested a lot of time and money into making this happen. JU’s passion for building a team is infectious and I am thrilled to be involved. “At JU, sailors will have the ability to become immediate impact players and have the opportunity to make a name for themselves by helping to grow a team from the beginning. Right now the team is small and the school’s eight (8) 420’s are dolly launched off the beach. By next fall we will have a new fleet of 420’s and floating docks, and the school, along with the team’s supporters are very serious about building a world class sailing center in the very near future. My five year goal is to create a ‘St. Mary’s of the south’ by completing a ‘green’ sailing center with a large fleet of boats that would provide access to the water for all students and the community in the summer. “JU is a small private university with a fascinating mix of majors, and class sizes that reflect individual attention. Its 14-to-1 average student-to-professor ratio ensures that students are known by name and not just a number. JU’s beautiful 190 acre campus borders a half mile of St. Johns River front property, directly across from downtown Jacksonville.” |
Jenna Spangler has been a member of the JU Sailing Team for the past two years, and the switch to varsity status means a tremendous amount for her and her fellow teammates. “As a club sport we didn’t have the funds nor the student involvement to excel. Our new varsity status has given us both of these things. Jon has helped us to retain a good group of new sailors in which to build and grow our sailing program on.” Having a coach has made the greatest difference to Jenna, who has seen huge changes in just the past six weeks – “Having Jon available to discuss and dissect every little move out on the water is really amazing. He is full of 420 experience and his knowledge and love of sailing is quite something. Jon is extremely patient when showing us new techniques and really helps you to feel comfortable in a boat.”
With college sailing growing across the country, there are many teams out there probably looking to do the same that could learn some things from JU efforts. For more information on the steps that the JU Sailing Team took to become a varsity program, feel free to contact Head Coach Jon Faudree at jfaudre@ju.edu. You may also check out the Sailing Team website – www.ju.edu/sailing.
For more information on Jacksonville University, please see: http://www.ju.edu/aboutju/Pages/default.aspx
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