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Teams: Women's Sailing: Team
Overview
Tufts University is one of the most renowned academic institutions in the country. The 2003-04 Tufts Sailing team is the defending Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) women's national champion and returns three All-American sailors: senior A.J. Crane as a skipper and seniors Kate Shuman and Kristen Tysell as crews. The women's team has won eight national championships since 1984. The combination of both a championship sailing team and a strong academic school makes Tufts an excellent choice for prospective college sailors.
Now in his 24th season, Head Coach Ken Legler came to Tufts in the fall of 1980 after coaching the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy team for two years. He sailed at the University of Rhode Island and won both the Dinghy and Team Racing Nationals there. His background includes professional race management at the 470 Worlds, the U.S. Olympic Trials, Key West Race Week and numerous other national championships. He has attended many world championships as a competitor, principal race officer, US Team Coach and head judge. He also was inducted into the ICSA Hall of Fame.
Joe Duplin, the previous coach at Tufts from 1967-80, created a program that was the envy of the college sailing world. Tufts defended the Dinghy National Championship in Legler's first year, then developed champion Women's and Team Racing units. Tufts won Women's Nationals in 1984 and 1986. In the 1990s, Tufts' Katie McDowell won the Women's Singlehanded Championship in 1995 and five Women's Nationals in 1990, 1994, 1996 and 1999.
Perhaps the main factor in the team's success is its competitive practice sessions on Mystic Lake in Medford. Practicing at Tufts is comparable to the best racing clinics. All the sailors know each other and Legler is familiar with each sailor's strengths and goals. Due to the amount of talent on the Tufts team, the level of sailing at a Tufts practice is higher than at most college regattas. Some fall practices are held on Boston Harbor and spring break practice is usually at St. Mary's in Maryland. Nationals practice in May moves to various sites all over New England and includes everyone who wants to excel, not just the starters competing in that year's Nationals.
The Tufts fleet is comprised of 20 Lark class dinghies, six lasers, and two coach boats. Larks have become a signature for Tufts Sailing. They are faster, more fun and much more responsive as sailors adjust to the boat, wind and water. Top junior sailors recognize that Larks are better, and the results in college and world championships bear this out.
Located in Medford, Mass., Tufts is only five miles from Boston and Cambridge, the mecca of college sailing. Within this radius lies the hosting sites of Tufts, MIT, Harvard, Boston University and Boston College. Coast Guard, Connecticut College, Rhode Island and Brown are within two hours.
Women's sailing is a two-season sport at Tufts. Nearly 20 regattas make up the schedule, with at least one women's regatta every weekend during the season.
Application to Tufts takes place in the fall, with a deadline of January 1. General admission candidates receive decisions in April. Top sailors as well as other top athletes do receive some special consideration. There are no athletic scholarships at Tufts, and no sailing scholarships at any school. There are many academic scholarships at Tufts, particularly for students with financial need. There is also an ROTC program.
Legler grooms Tufts sailors for competitive success outside of college racing. Two women's sailors have become world champions, with Betsy Allison from the class of 1981 winning eight world championships in the past 21 years. The Jumbos have four sailors in the ICSA Hall-of-Fame. Several Jumbos have competed in the Goodwill Regatta between the United States and Japan.
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