By Airwaves Writer Zach Brown
Biscayne Bay Yacht Club hosted almost 200 future college sailors and twenty-six universities at the 2012 Orange Bowl College Night. The night started off at 5 pm as college sailing coaches and representatives poured into BBYC’s bottom floor and set up their tables. Each coach or team representative brought information packets, posters, and flags to attract and enlighten prospective students. Despite the close quarters created by the unprecedented number of colleges in attendance, prospects and coaches were able to communicate effectively. This was an exciting night!
At 5:30 Orange Bowl sailors, parents, and interested local students of Miami began to trickle in and make their way to tables where they were greeted by coaches. The first 100 attendants in the door picked up a free Sail1Design t-shirt. By 6:00, the energy was high as BBYC was buzzing with college talk and packed to the brim. A common scene at the greeting tables was a college coach leaning over the counter, extending his/her hand, and talking to a group of excited youth sailors while interested parents eavesdropped in the background trying to pick up every detail.
Shortly after 6:00 the forum began with a panel of eight head coaches answering questions from the crowd and the organizer. The head coaches included Amanda Callahan (Roger Williams), Kevin Reali (Eckerd College), Tim King (USF), Russ O’Reilly (SUNY Maritime), Greg Fisher (College of Charleston), Nick Ewenson (University of Rhode Island), John Vandemoer (Stanford), and John Pearce (George Washington Universiy). The eight panel members offered valuable insights into the recruiting process, college sailing life, and college selection.
The audience who filled every seat and then some listened intently to the messages from the coaches. URI coach Nick Ewenson set some myths to rest about recruiting by explaining that the power of a coach to admit a student is more dependent of the student’s academic ability to meet a universities standards than a coach’s ability to pull some strings. Stanford’s John Vandemoer discussed the college sailing schedule and the juggling act that student athletes must perform to succeed at both. Greg Fisher from Charleston talked about the importance of team camaraderie.
Biscayne Bay Yacht Club expressed their commitment to making the Orange Bowl College Night the premier college sailing fair. Look for this event to grow in attendance from college coaches and prospective college sailors. Coaches, mark your calendars for December. Sailors, work hard in school and attend the Orange Bowl to show off your talent and talk to the top coaches in college sailing.
Leave a Reply