Representing UBC from coast to coast, the UBC Sailing team has been making the university proud while making their mark on the international sailing scene. Placing in competition after competition, the team has had non-stop success this past year — and they're showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Though not a varsity team, UBC's Thunderbird Sports Club has been consistently proving they are an international contender. To top their year of victories, the team welcomed recognition from UBC: winning Thunderbird Sports Club of the year.
Like varsity athletes, the sailing team practices and competes extensively throughout the year, all the while being full-time university students. Unlike varsity teams, though, the UBC sailing team has to plan their own competitions. So, on top of the time commitment to practicing and competing, the athletes also devote energy to administrative matters such as planning and raising funds for competitions.
“There’s a fair amount of financial and time commitment, because the majority is funded by students and completely run by students,” club finance officer Catherine Hackwell said.
“I think time commitment wise, it would be like doing academics and being a varsity athlete,” team co-captain and club lead Jane Velghe said. “[Varsity athletes] put in more hours to their sport than we do, but they also don’t have as many tasks to worry about otherwise.”
For instance, the team has to figure out their own visas when travelling abroad and plan transportation to races. “It’s a lot of work but it’s really fulfilling,” Velghe said.
However, the team members have proven they are more than capable of juggling their commitments. One significant key to balancing their busy schedule is knowing to plan ahead — the team is made fully aware of the scheduling of competitions and practices before the semester starts.
“You choose which regattas to go to so if you know you have a midterm you have the full option to say no,” Hackwell said.
This past year, the team had their hands full with competitions both nationally and internationally. Last March, the UBC Sailing Team placed first in their J70 fleet at the EDHEC Sailing Cup in France — the largest intercollegiate offshore sailing competition in the world. In September, they took home two first place wins in their NWICSA conference for men’s single hand championships and match racing. The team also placed fifth at the Canadian Fleet Race Nationals in Kingston, Ontario.
Aside from national races, the UBC Sailing Team has also begun to focus more on international competitions this season. France, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Washington and Oregon are among the many places they have been racing, and the international races are just getting started.
Last month, from January 19 to 21, the team competed in Hawaii for the Peter Wenner Rainbow Invite, taking home the trophy for best Canadian team.
“We’re definitely one of the top teams in our conference and in Canada, and we want to also compete more internationally,” Velghe said. “People really like the regattas that are outside the Northwest. You get to see different levels of competition and different types of boats.”
Going forward, the team will continue to be busy competing in the upcoming months. Their next big event is the Sea to Sky Regatta, which they will host at Jericho Beach from March 10 to 11. The week after, from March 17 to 18, they will compete in the Western Canada Cup hosted by the University of Victoria.
“We will be training hard on the water ... for these two competitions since they are on our home turf and it’s our chance to showcase our team, university and sport,” Velghe said.
“Last year, we won Western Canada Cup, so it’s in our sights to place high, if not win, again. We also have large numbers at both to these regattas and it’s a great chance for more novice sailors that have been training with the team since September to race at the same regatta as our more veteran athletes.”