Week Three - Building Towards the Qualifiers:

The holidays are behind us now and the practices are becoming more intense. Matt and Frank have the sailors focused on boat speed, team racing tactics and finding the right Skipper/Crew combinations. I had the chance to watch a practice last week and enjoyed seeing the team demonstrate better skills with each practice race. There's a way to go, two very important regattas just a few weeks away and the kids need to remain focused.

ISM Team Racing Regatta:
This weekend, April 17-19, three New Trier squads travel to Lake Minnetonka Sailing School for the International School of Minnesota Team Racing regatta. This is an event MISSA launched three years ago with the express intent of offering more opportunities for member schools to get experience in this unique racing format. Gordy and Mark Bowers, the primary drivers behind this regatta at Lake Minnetonka, have always made this a well-run and fun event. Unfortunately, last year we were plagued by ice on the lake until pretty late in the Spring and the event was postponed. I spoke with Gordy yesterday and he PROMISES that the lake will be clear! But the water is cold and DRY SUITS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED (Stephanie - you, too!)

The travel squad is (NOTE CORRECTED NAME - CORNEW with Johnson):

Squad 1
Drew Shea/Amy Baxter
Steph Hudson/Cole Rice
Mike Cornew/Kim Johnson
Alt: Lizzie Finnegan

Squad 2
Charlie Hall/Joey Papoutsis
Mark Gargula/Scott Bartuska
Justin Nowicki/Catherine Grutsch

Squad 3
Lizzy Hamilton/Grant Pollock.
Mitchell Gordon/ John MacAdam
Justin/Madelaine Clark.

I sent a note out last night to the families with kids who are traveling. I need at least one more parent to drive so please consider making the trip to one of the best racing venues we have in the Midwest.

Mallory Qualifier:
This is the first of our two District qualifying regattas for the national championship regatta. It will be held in Grosse Pointe MI the weekend of April 25-26. The roster will be announced Wednesday.

Baker Qualifier:
This event will be in Chicago May 2-3 and will be run out of Belmont. I'll have more on this regatta next week. The ISM regatta will be an important regatta for the kids as the coaches look for the best combination of three boats.

The Bus:
Everyone should have received an email from Beth Gordon by now. We have decided to move ahead on the bus charter. The consensus was that the bus is a benefit and it is working well. The coaches report a more efficient and timely practice schedule. I understand, no less, that many of the sailors are beginning to ENJOY it. So, we have scheduled it for the remainder of the season.

I am traveling to Minnesota and will provide updates during the day. I'm not sure if I can do as good a job as Hudson with Sailgroove.org but I'll give it a shot. Check back for news.

Have a great week.

DS