An Introduction To The ICSA and College Sailing

This piece was created by Adam L. Werblow, Assistant Director of Waterfront, St. Mary’s College of Maryland.  It was adapted by the Director of Waterfront Activities, U. S. Merchant Marine Academy for USMMA.

What's the ICSA?

The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association of North America (ICSA, formerly the Inter-Collegiate Yacht Racing Association) is the governing body of intercollegiate sailing, not the NCAA. Early in the 20th century a group of sailors got together and founded the ICSA, as an organization entirely devoted to competitive sailing at the collegiate level. In this manner, sailors ensured that they would govern their own sport.

If the ICSA governs the national scene, who runs the show on the local level?

The ICSA is subdivided into seven member geographic districts. These include the Northeastern (NEISA), Middle Atlantic (MAISA), South Atlantic (SAISA), South Eastern (SEISA), Midwestern (MCSA), Pacific Coast (PCIYRA), and Northwestern (NWICYRA) districts. Each district has regional responsibilities, akin to the division of responsibility between state and federal governments.

Which district is USMMA in, and what are the other schools in our area?

USMMA is in MAISA, which includes 34 colleges and universities. Some of the other schools in our district include: Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Drexel, Hobart/William Smith, Rochester, Queens College (Canada), Syracuse, West Point, SUNY Maritime, U-Penn, Princeton, Webb Institute, Penn State, Vassar, Christopher Newport University, Georgetown, Navy, Old Dominion and St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Is there a Division I or a Division III in sailing, like in the NCAA?

No. In college sailing, every school can compete against another, regardless of their size or NCAA affiliation. (For example, USMMA frequently sails against such NCAA Division I schools as USC and Navy.) Fair competition is achieved through district ranking events, where the top winners go on to select the regattas they wish to participate in. This "self-selection" works very well to ensure a level playing field. The level of competition is further determined through "intersectional" and "in-district" events.

Major intersectionals (such as the Nevins Trophy and Admiral McLintock Cup, both hosted at USMMA) are the most competitive events. They include the top colleges from each of the national districts. The size of a particular event ranges from 10 to 20 schools, depending on the host site’s facility. These regattas are open to any college student, regardless of sex or class, and have the best sailors and top-notch competition. Intersectionals always mean big trophies and prestige. (The results from intersectionals are also used to determine the national rankings.)

In-district or minor events are held solely within the local district and are restricted to competitor teams from within that district. Competition can still be at a very high level as a team’s third or fourth string skippers/crews sail at these events. (These results do not govern the national rankings.)

Women’s - These regattas are open to only women. There are both in-district and intersectional women's events. (Results from these events are used to determine the women rankings.)

Freshman - These events are open to any frosh sailor, that is, anyone in their first year of college. (There are no freshman rankings.)

O.K., so where do I bring my boat?

College sailing is made as simple as possible by design. Host schools provide all of the necessary equipment (except for personal gear such as life jackets, boots, and spray suits). All the collegiate sailor has to do is show up! This means that the top college sailors can hop onto any boat -- in any kind of weather, on a pond or on Long Island Sound -- and make it go. One weekend, you might sail on the Chesapeake Bay, in a 420 at Navy, and the next weekend you could find yourself in a Flying Junior on the Thames River at Connecticut College. Talk about challenging!

I hear all sorts of crazy terms! What’re they all about?

Like any sport, sailors have their own unique language. Some of the most important terms for a spectator to remember include:

Double-handed - A two-person, high-performance, centerboard dinghy. Most boats have two sails (a main and a jib). At USMMA, we have two different classes of dinghies: Flying Juniors ( FJs) and 420s.

Singlehanded - A one-person high-performance sailboat (no one else to yell at). The most common vessel used is the Laser, one of the Olympic classes. This is usually a physically-demanding sport.

Sloops - A three-person keelboat (no centerboard), usually with two sails and spinnakers (the lightweight balloon sail). The most common classes include J-24s, J-22s, Etchells and Shields.

Skipper - The "captain" or person in charge of the boat, who drives and makes the tactical decisions.

Crew - Anyone else in the boat besides the captain.

Round Robin - This refers to the swapping process whereby boats are rotated amongst competitors between races. This eliminates inequality between one boat and another, to ensure fair sailing.

Are there different levels of competition or disciplines?

Yes. In college sailing, there are six National Championship disciplines. These are:

Co Ed Dinghy - This is the premier class, where the top sailors compete. The skipper and crew can be both men, both women, or mixed (men and women).

Team Racing - In this event, two colleges compete with teams of three boats each. Sailors use a combination of speed and tactics to block opponents, to achieve the best combination of finishes (for example, a 1-3-4 combination will beat a 2-5-6). This is also a co-ed event.

Women’s Dinghy - Similar to the Co-Ed event, but with women skippers and crews.

Co-Ed Singlehanded - This is the premier single-handed event, with male or female sailors.

Women’s Singlehanded - One woman per boat.

Sloops - Keelboats with co-ed crews.

Wait a minute, this sounds like a lot of people! How many events are there?

On an average weekend, as few as two or as many as ten regattas may be scheduled. This is one of the most exciting things about college sailing: everyone -- not just the rock stars -- get a chance to sail and not just once or twice, but quite frequently! Of course, money is always the last word, and going to regattas can take lots of it! So, the bigger your budget, the more regattas you get to attend.

How does a typical regatta work?

The number of entrants and races are determined by the number of boats owned by the host school. For instance, Kings Point has three fleets of 20 boats ( FJs, 420s and Lasers). Therefore, a regatta at USMMA could have up to 20 colleges competing, with over 100 sailors. Most events are scheduled over two days, since you need wind to compete. The goal is to complete a full round robin, that is complete as many races as there are schools.

Generally collegiate regattas have two, double-handed divisions: A-division and B-division. The top sailors on a team will sail in A, with the second best in B. (Some large regattas may have three or sometimes four divisions; these additional divisions are usually single-handed divisions.) There is a three-minute starting countdown, and all the boats have to be on the proper side of the starting line when the whistle blows. Race courses are usually triangle shaped, to give sailors different kinds of conditions.

At USMMA, we have two fleets of double-handed boats, so we can sail both divisions on the water at once. At other schools, the two divisions will take turns sailing: first A sails two races, then B sails two. The divisions keep switching back and forth until each school has sailed in every boat thereby eliminating any chance that the boat and not the talent of the team will determine the outcome. Finally the scores from each division are added together and the team with the lowest combined score wins.

How does a college team prepare for weekend regattas?

Although every team is different, a typical week of practice might go like the following: All circuits practice together as one team. Each day has a new theme which is emphasized through a variety of drills thrown in to keep practice exciting, spontaneous, challenging, and fun. A typical collegiate practice is rigorous. The coach will start out with a drill which help warm up boat handling skills and get the skipper and crew working together. It takes time to get the sailors minds off schoolwork and into sailing; these drills facilitate such a transition. Think of them as both physical and mental exercise. (Such drills include rudderless sailing, blindfold sailing, constant gybing/tacking, figure eights, etc.) One day each week is devoted solely to racing and practice results are tabulated to help determine the starting sailors for the upcoming weekend’s events. One of the most helpful drills is the "crew race" - where the skipper and crew switch places; this is very successful and popular because each person learns to appreciate the difficulty and expertise it takes to succeed at their partner’s job.

Practice runs Monday through Thursday (Friday is reserved for traveling), from 1545 until sunset. The season is active in the Fall from Labor Day until Thanksgiving, and in the Spring from February 1 to mid-June (when the Collegiate Nationals are held).

Who determines the National Rankings?

The rankings are determined every two weeks, and posted on the ICSA web site. They are determined by a panel of three coaches. During the season these coaches assess the performance of teams and rank them accordingly, one through twenty (for varsity) and one through fifteen for the women.

Who selects the All Americans?

A committee is established by the ICSA, who votes on these positions each year. Each year, there are: twenty Co-Ed All American Skippers and ten Co-Ed Honorable Mention Skippers; a total of twenty Women’s All American or Honorable Mention Skippers; and twenty All American Crews. The All American Committee also selects the College Sailor of the Year. USMMA is the only school in the country to boast six College Sailors of the Year: Jonathan Wright (1970), Alex Smigelski (1979), Morgan Reeser (1983), Morgan Reeser (1984), Jay Renehan (1985) and Bill Hardesty (1998).

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