Feb. 20, 2007
Charleston, S.C. - This weekend, Cardinal sailors did battle with some of the top teams in the country in big breeze with ripping current in the waters of the Cooper River. The Charleston event is always interesting; it is the first big intersectional regatta of the spring season. Many teams from the Northeast have not been able to practice yet because their venues are still covered in ice and snow. This year, Stanford sent a young squad to get more experience. New assistant coach Amanda Callahan remarked, "There are not many occasions during the season when we get to compete against the highly competitive eastern teams, and this is a great opportunity for our second team to get that exposure."
Day one started off mild and sunny with light to medium breeze and ebbing tide. By the end of the fourth set the breeze filled at about 12 knots with higher gusts and the current started to flood in the afternoon. Many squads, including Stanford, switched to heavy crew mode. Edward Conrad skippered A division with crews Becca Levin and Peter Stemler. Heading to Charleston as an alternate skipper, Peter Stemler showed his versatility crewing for Eddie as the breeze picked up. Of his breakout performance in the front of the boat, Peter commented, "It was cool."
Sophomore TJ Tullo and Beth Hoover ended Saturday in 9th place in B division. Consistent results, often the result of inconsistent starts, eluded both Stanford teams and by day's end the Cardinals were 8th overall. This was Beth's first regatta cross-country, "I hiked my butt off and learned a lot."
On Sunday morning, sailors were greeted by 18 to 25 mph winds from the West North West. It was a hike fest. Striving for more consistency, the Cardinals were able to close the gap with St. Mary's College, coming within 4 points of them going into the last set. Stanford posted a 5, 3 to St. Mary's 6, 6. Stanford won the tiebreaker and temporarily moved into 7th place. St. Mary's received breakdown points for an earlier race at the end of the regatta, pushing the Cardinals back to 8th place overall.
Junior Eddie Conrad spent last term abroad and is getting back into the swing of things. Eddie noted, "It felt good to be back in the boat, but I didn't exceed my expectations. This proves that there is still a lot of work to be done before we head back east." A division crew Becca Levin echoed Eddie's remarks, "Our results were a little less consistent than we hoped for, but we could hang with the best of them. We know what we have to do."
New assistant coach Amanda Callahan commented, "This regatta is all about the experience. The competition on the starting line is very different from what we see at practice and on the west coast. It has given us a better sense of what we need to do differently in practice."