SPRING 2014
COACH’S NOTE_________________________
Dear Parents, Alumni, and Friends of
Columbia Sailing,
The 2013-2014 collegiate sailing
year has officially come to an end with the
completion of the national championships
earlier this month in Maryland. The coed
team got back on track by making it to the
America Trophy, while the women’s team of
Meehan ’15 and Duggan ’15 in A and
Maranto ’14 and Quincy ’15 in B gave the
top dogs quite a scare by holding onto a
nationals spot through the first half of the
women’s qualifier. The team was able to
add some valuable depth this spring, which
showed in Columbia competing in three
intersectionals on the same weekend,
something we had never done before.
As many of you know this was my fourth
and final year coaching the team and in
many ways I, like the seniors, feel as
though I am graduating from the Columbia
sailing team. For the first time since I took
over in the summer of 2010, the team
enters the upcoming season with an
unknown, but with the many great students,
parents, and alumni who act as the driving
force for this team I know it will come out
stronger than ever.
IN THIS ISSUE__________________
COACH’S NOTE…………………..1-2
CAPTAIN’S NOTE………………… 2
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS………….. 3
EVENTS RECAP…………………. 4
UPCOMING EVENTS…………. 4-5
INTRODUCING: FCS 2.0 ………. 6
SENIOR REFLECTION…………. 7
2014 OFFICER BOARD………… 7
FUNDRAISING…………………… 8
COACH’S NOTE COnt.________________
The search for a new coach is well
under way. The incoming freshmen, while
still months away from the start of school,
cannot wait to get on campus and get
started. And the returning students are
taking advantage of their summer breaks
to enhance their skills for the fall. I am
sure they are excited to never have to hear
me say “boathandling day” or “conditioning
day” again.
CAPTAIN’S NOTE CONT.________
Thank you to all the parents, alumni,
and especially the students who made my
four years here so special. I know this is
only the beginning of great things for
CUST.
-William Brown, Head Coach
CAPTAIN’S NOTE______________________
By Catherine Duggan, BC ‘15
Spring 2014 was a very busy
season for CUST. Just 4 short months
ago in mid-February on a day best
described by the temperature, 30 degrees,
and the breeze, 17 knots, the team was
shoveling a path through the giant mounds
of snow at City Island Yacht Club to bring
our boats down to the water. One month
later, CUST held its spring break out of
CIYC for the first time in many years.
While Florida was missed, it was a
fantastic opportunity to practice in the big
breeze of Eastchester Bay that we would
experience at many venues across the
northeast and mid-Atlantic.
This semester CUST went
through many changes with the
introduction of mandatory workouts
and a minimum of attending two
practices a week. While this did
cause the team to lose a few
members, the eighteen that did agree
are stronger sailors and more
dedicated than ever. The team may
be smaller, but it is closer than ever
and I am confident in saying that the
seniors will be missed by all.
With Coach Will Brown
graduating from Law School, the
officer board, with the help of our
alumni board, Friends of Columbia
Sailing, is in the process of finding
our next head coach. I am certain we
will find a Coach who will continue
Will’s legacy of improving the team
on and off the water. I look forward
to the team’s fall semester and the
beginning of a new chapter for the
team.
Season Highlights CONT._____
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS_______________
The Lion’s season was kicked
off to a strong start when we sent
two teams to the ODU Spring Open
at the beginning of March. The two
A boats sailed by Conor Cashel ’14
and Katie Duggan ’15, and Mary
Margaret Meehan ’15 and Nico
Leeper ’14 had a strong showing,
finishing third and fifth respectively.
The same sailors, with Loren Myers
’16 as an additional crew,
performed extremely well at the
North Spring Qualifier, finishing
fourth overall and qualifying the
team for the America’s Trophy.
CUST also competed in its
first team race regatta in a few
years and sailed well despite the
tough competition. Other
highlights include Paolo Bertolotti
’16 and Nico Leeper ’14 taking
second place in B division at the
OCC Spring Open.
The team sailed against a
tough fleet at the America Trophy,
and unfortunately did not qualify
for national semi-finals.
We would like to extend
thanks to Chris Kinner, former…
Season Highlights CONT.____
…coach of Mary Margaret
Meehan ’15 from Cedar Point
Yacht Club in Connecticut for his
help coaching the team during
spring break. Break took place in
March, and was held at our home
club, City Island Yacht Club in City
Island, NY. Kinner’s guidance,
combined with numerous team
activities, made for a memorable
and productive break.
We would also like to thank all of
our alumni who volunteered as
regatta coaches or hosts this
season.
ALUMNI EVENTS RECAP___________
UPCOMING EVENTS_______________
On Friday, February 21, 2014 the
team was proud to host its second
annual winter fundraiser at the New
York Yacht Club. This year the club
focused on raising money to build an
endowment to support the club’s
future growth and operating costs.
Money will also be going towards the
hiring of a highly qualified new coach
this Fall. Overall the event was a
great success.
CUST’s second official Alumni
Weekend will be kicking off with the
2014 Hamilton Burr Regatta on
Saturday, September 6th at the
Hudson River Community Sailing
Center.
ALUMNI EVENTS RECAP___________
On Thursday, April 24, 2014 the
team joined CUST alums and alums
from the Princeton Sailing Team at
the Maritime Hotel in preparation
for this summer’s second annual
Hamilton-Burr Regatta. CUST would
like to recognize alums Marie
Johnson ’12, Becker Chase ’05 and
Will Hubbard ’06 for their work in
planning this event.
The Hamilton Burr Regatta is a
regatta raced between the Columbia
and Princeton sailing teams and their
alums commemorating the famous
duel between their respective alums
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
UPCOMING EVENTS_______________
The Hamilton Burr Regatta seeks to
support the two teams as well as foster
sailing in the NYC community. Tickets
are on sale now via the regatta website:
http://www.hamiltonburr.com.
The weekend continues on Sunday,
September 7th with the annual alumni
regatta where CUST alums will race for
the Hapgood Trophy at CUST’s home,
City Island Yacht Club. See the invitation
on the previous page or email Kelsey at
klb2167@columbia.edu for more
information.
Finally, CUST is pleased to announce
that the 2015 winter fundraiser will take
place on Friday, February 21, 2015.
GARY JOBSON_______________
The Columbia Sailing team is excited to
announce that Mr. Gary Jobson will be joining
us as our guest speaker for the 2015 winter
fundraiser at the New York Yacht Club.
Gary Jobson is a world class sailor, television
commentator and author based in Annapolis,
MD. Gary has authored 18 sailing books and
is Editor at Large of Sailing World and Cruising
World magazines. He is a Vice President of the
International Sailing Federation.
He has won many championships in one
design classes, the America's Cup with Ted
Turner, the infamous Fastnet Race and many
of the world's ocean races. In college at SUNY
Maritime he was an All American sailor three
times and was twice named College Sailor of
the Year. Gary is also an active cruising sailor.
He has led ambitious expeditions to the Arctic,
Antarctica and Cape Horn.
Jobson was inducted into the National Sailing
Hall of Fame (2011) and the America's Cup
Hall of Fame (2003) by the Herreshoff Marine
Museum. In 1999 Jobson won the Nathanael
G. Herreshoff Trophy, US SAILING's most
prestigious award. He was elected President of
the National Sailing Hall of Fame in January
2013.
th
On June 5 2014 members of the Alumni board, the
officer board and several dedicated alumni met to
discuss how the alumni body can best serve the team
and to officially reboot our board, Friends of Columbia
Sailing. The new board hopes to further the efforts of
our alumni who have been very active over the past
few years, and provide long term advising to the
team.
With a change in head coach approaching, we feel
that now is the appropriate time to kick off this new
initiative, and we welcome any support that you, the
alumni and friends of the team, might be willing to
offer.
The mission of the new board is as follows: Build an
Alumni organization that can provide reliable and ongoing support to the team by providing the financial
and moral support to allow them to attract and retain a
good coach, maintain and plan for purchasing boats
and equipment, creating an extended Friends of
Columbia Sailing network, and strengthen ties to the
Columbia Athletics Department, in order to assure the
success of the sailing program.
We are thrilled to announce that the new board will be
lead by Frank Rinaldi, SEAS ’99, who has been
serving on the alumni board for the past few years.
Under his leadership, the board looks to provide
guidance for capital investments, help maintain a
healthy relationship between the team and the
University, provide fundraising support, and expand
the current alumni network.
Other members of the board include: Jon-Claude
Zucconi, CC ’00, Marie Johnson, BC ’12, Becker
Chase, CC ’05, Justin Assad, CC ’03 and Will
Hubbard, CC ’06, with special contributions from Eli
Weinberg, CC ’58 and Conor Cashel, CC ’14. We
are very grateful to each for his or her participation
and we look forward to working with them over the
next few years.
Finally, the board welcomes participation from all
interested alumni and friends. All those who are
interested in becoming involved, or have any
questions, are encouraged to contact the team’s
Alumni Chair, Kelsey Burns, at
klb2167@columbia.edu.
SENIOR REFLECTION: NICO LEEPER
On May 6, 2014 we pulled the last FJ out of the water, took
down its mast, and placed it on the racks for the summer. My
time with Columbia Sailing as a collegiate athlete had come to
a close. As we drove the 12 passenger back to Columbia, the
song “Pompeii” came on the radio. As I looked at my fellow
seniors, neither had a dry eye; Lord knows I didn’t.
I didn’t feel vitally different now that my time with CUST had
come to a close. It felt like nothing changed at all precisely
because over the past 4 years, CUST had
changed everything, fundamentally altering who I am. CUST
was and always will be a part of who I am. I will always have
a love of sailing, will always have words in my vocabulary
that were born on the team (“duster”), and will always be able
to find joy in the lifelong friendships I found on the team.
When I joined CUST, I had zero sailing experience. Highlights
from my first regatta include throwing my weight windward
every time my skipper told me to go leeward. Although such a
kid wouldn’t even be allowed near the water in some programs,
CUST didn’t give up on me. Skippers and crews who could
have been focusing on their own development took the time to
teach me the basics, always enthusiastic to share their
knowledge, never once resentful. My story is not unique.
CUST’s “it takes a village” attitude has allowed novices such
as me to make leaps and bounds. The skill set CUST taught
me is one which I will always cherish and one which I and my
fellow seniors will not cease to continue to develop.
Yet sailing is only half of the story of my time on the sailing
team. A team is not defined by what it does but by who it is.
Sailing is a joy and passion. Sailing with the members of this
team has been a privilege. Both on and off the water, the
sailors I have been lucky enough to meet and call my friends
have been competitive, driven, and fun. More importantly
however, the members of this team have been open hearted.
We often joked this year, trying to decide who the “moral
authority” on the team was. Based on the way I’ve witnessed
this team stick up for each other, lend each other a helping
hand, and embrace each other with unconditional kindness, I
would say that each and every member of CUST is in the
running.
So, why would a song about an ancient Roman city and an
untimely volcanic accident be what finally brought the CUST
seniors to tears? The chorus begins with the line “And if you
close your eyes, does it almost seem like nothing’s changed at
all.” As the van rolled through Manhattan, a chapter in our lives
was closing. Yet, there was no sense of a severing of our ties
with CUST.
2014 Officer Board______________
Captain: Catherine Duggan, BC ‘15
Co-Captain: Paolo Bertolotti, SEAS ‘16
Treasurer: Yuval Millet, GS ‘16
Secretary: Mary Meehan, CC ‘15
Alumni Chair: Kelsey Burns, BC ‘16
Social Chair: Loren Meyers, GS ‘16
Each year, the Columbia University Sailing Team relies on the generosity of its members, alumni, friends
and family for financial support as it looks to grow and maintain its highly competitive program. The team would
like to thank the following individuals for their generosity in helping to do so over the past year. Without their
support, the team’s efforts would not have been so successful. Thank you.
Ben Barczewski, GS ‘12
Lauren Parmington CC ’05 and Daniel
Long
THE ROSENFELD FOUNDATION
Robert and Judy Hall, GP ‘14
Maureen Duggan
Dr. Robert Garris
Mark and Joni Croll, P ‘12
Richard Leonard, CC ‘67
Nick , CC ’73 and Jeannine Lubar
Arthur Ensroth, CC ‘72
Stephanie Hart, CC ’12, GS ‘15
Laura Rachlin
Alan and Karen Hart, P’ 12
Jennifer and Thomas Chang
Gwendolyn Foster
Giles and Catherine Harrison, P ‘16
John Rousmaniere, GS ’67, GF ‘68
Marco Salvalaggio
JEWISH COMMUNAL FUND
THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION
Dr. Sabine Kost-Byerly, P ’15
Eric Ploumis and Deborah Brown
Michael Fischman, P’ 15
Michael Barry
Hendrick Vandamme and Hollis
Deleonardo, BC ‘96
Eric Ploumis
Marie Johnson, BC ‘12
Rebecca Newman, BC ‘12
FIDELITY CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
Michelle Edelstein, BC ‘13
Alfredo Jollon, CC ‘94
Kelsey Burns, BC ‘16
Jack Koehler, SEAS ‘ 13
Adam Walpert, CC ‘09
James Price, GS ’13 and Allison Blake
Brendan Hannon, CC ‘11
Jon-Claude Zucconi CC’ 00 and Riann
Smith CC’99
William Hubbard III and Robin Hubbard
P’06,10,16
Frank and Megumi Rinaldi
SEAS’99, CC’99
Melissa Bermudez
Anna Hotter
William Hubbard IV
Alyssa Hubbard
Hallie-Nell Swanson
Bart Zelajtys
Jennifer McGovern Chang, CC ’99
and Tom Chang
Alia Winters, BC ’96 and David Greene,
CC
John Laing, CC ‘06
Eli, CC ‘58 and Audrey Weinberg
Paul Stegmann
James Stegmann
Josiah Hyatt
Arthur Ensroth, CC ‘72
Loren Myers, GS ‘16
Louis Potter
Weston Friedman, CC ‘08
Bruce Paulsen, CC ‘80
Chris Chan, CC ‘11
Dan and Silvia Leeper, P ‘14
Michael and Laura Cashel, P’14
Peter Rugg, CC ‘69
Becker Chase, CC ’05 and Annelise
Schantz, BC ‘04
Matt and Janice Meehan, P ‘15
Austin Lo, SEAS ‘12
Dan Nassar, CC ‘10
Charles, Mimi and Robert Quincy, P’ 15
Andre Bertolotti and Kirsi Tikka, P ‘16
Paolo Bertolotti and Ann O'Dell
Larry Clark and Maureen Duggan
Nancy Harris
Ethan Siegal and Priscilla Doris-Seigal, P’16
Dr. Katalin Polgar, P’17
Andrew Altamirano, SEAS ‘12
Dennis and Lenora Duggan, P ‘15
The Team would also like to thank Frank Rinaldi, SEAS ’99 and Megumi Rinaldi, CC ’99 for their thoughtful inclusion of CUST in
their bequest to the University. More information on their bequest can be found at
http://www.columbia.planyourlegacy.org/donor-frank.php.
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