SB THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2005
Movin' on up
Courtney Kublen/KANSAN
Ashton Martin, El Dorado sophomore ensures his footing yesterday afternoon as he climbs up the side of Malott Hall. Martin, a member of KU's rock climbing club, scaled the lower part of the building with Ben Reader, Wichita freshman. The two said they free climbed on buildings occasionally when the weather was nice. "We're smart about it," Martin said. The two stayed within about 10 feet of the ground.
Contributed Photo
SAILING
Practice season sails past winter into spring
KU club sailors Tim Fitzgerald and Jillian Moritz sail in after winning two races at Texas A&M earlier this year. The team has succeeded despite not being able to practice during much of its season because of cold weather.
The team, which competes in about 10 regattas a year, has
Submit demos to 1435 Jayhawk Blvd. Room 119 Stauffer-Flin Hall, Lawrence, KS 66045. Submissions due by March 28th. Please include e-mail and phone contact information.
BY JESSICA FERGEN
jfergen@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Imagine participating in a sport with a season that runs from September to May. Now imagine not being able to practice for half of the season. The team still plays the games, only without working on team strengths or weaknesses.
Welcome to the world of the KU Sailing Club. While most of the other teams in its league are from warmer climates and can practice year-round, cold Kansas weather prevents the team from practicing from about Thanksgiving through spring break.
The scores for each school's A and B teams are added together and, just like in golf, low score wins. In addition, when a boat breaks one of the racing rules, they have to complete a 720 degree spin before continuing. Because races are often decided by less than 30 feet, this is a major setback.
"We have started really slow in the last few regattas," said captain Tim Fitzgerald, Wichita sophomore. "This seems to be a product of our lack of practice, especially during the cold season. It really is something to compete as we are against teams from the south."
Team members hope KU students and Lawrence citizens will come out to support them. Their upcoming regatta will start mid-morning and end about 3 p.m. on April 16 at Clinton Lake.
In college sailing, a regatta is the equivalent of a tournament and consists of individual races. The number of races depend on the number of teams competing, usually between 12 and 18. Each team brings one boat to the race, however, instead of using only its boat, each team uses every boat that is at the race. This allows for no team to have an unfair advantage.
"We are at a disadvantage from other teams because we don't have as many people come out who have been sailing all their life," Fitzgerald said. "We often train people to sail with little or no experience. It makes it a lot more difficult to start from scratch."
team to improve. In addition to training new members and coaching themselves, the team has to pay for equipment upkeep and supplies.
"We have to do our own fundraising and boat maintenance, which better-funded schools don't have to deal with," Fitzgerald said. "I guess that's why we're so motivated to win."
been successful this year, consistently placing in the top five in overall standings.
"It's been going pretty well this year," said jillian Moritz, a fifth-year senior from Columbia, Mo. "This has been a rebuilding year because we are very young and inexperienced. Once we start practicing again, I think we'll be able to step it up a little."
Because the team doesn't have a coach, Fitzgerald said, experienced team members have to step up and fulfill leadership roles in order for the
Recruitment is another obstacle for the team.
"College sailing is the best version of the sport for spectators, because you can really see what's going on," Fitzgerald said. "It'll be a great day to grab a grill and cooler and head to the lake to cheer us on."
— Edited by Lori Bettes
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