Women’s sailing team is championship bound

Kate Bogart '05, left, and Elissa Leonard '07 were named to the Intercollegiate Sailing Association's All New-England team.

The 2005 Connecticut College sailing team has continued a tradition of success with another terrific season.

Under the direction of head coach Jeff Bresnahan, the Camels have had four sailors named to the Intercollegiate Sailing Association All-New England team. The Camel women, ranked #10 in the latest Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) poll, have qualified for the North American Championship. They will travel to Austin, Texas next month to compete with 17 other teams for the Gerald C. Miller Trophy.

The coed team continues to receive votes in the ICSA poll, which places them just behind the top 20 teams.

Kate Bogart ’05 and Pete Lelek ’05 have been with the program for the past four years. Bogart, a skipper from Stony Creek, Conn., was recently named to the ICSA All-New England team and will be headed to the Lone Star State for the championship. She is confident that her team can succeed on a national stage.

“Our team is very organized and professional,” said the anthropology major. “People have been putting in a lot of effort that has changed our team. We’re more focused now.”

Between Bogart and Amanda Clark ’05, the Camels will have plenty of championship experience at the helm. Clark recently completed an Olympic trial in the 470 division, a two-person boat. She previously won the 2001 Single-handed North American Championship.

This will mark Bogart’s fourth trip to nationals, experience that Bresnahan is counting on for a successful title run.

“Kate is sailing very well and I expect she is going to do very well at the national championship,” he said.

Lelek is an economics and sociology major from Fairfield, Conn. and also serves as president of the Student Government Association. He enjoys the time invested on the water with the team and has maintained a balance to stay on top of academics and other responsibilities on campus.

“We practice four days a week and compete for two days on the weekend,” he said. “We’re out there to have fun, but to win.”

The Camels sail against top-ranked teams almost every weekend. The team sails in the fall until late November and resumes training in February. While sailing has gained notoriety on the CC campus, there are some facts that need to be clarified by the student-athletes who compete every day.

“People ask us if sailing is a sport,” Lelek said. “It’s one of oldest sports in world. Sailing is extremely athletic, but also strategic. We watch film, we use the white board, ask questions about the rules.”

Bogart concurs with her teammate and believes that many may underestimate the athletic prowess needed to compete on the water.

“We are one of the most physically fit teams on campus,” Bogart said. “Everybody runs. You have to be conditioned to remain competitive.”

Bresnahan appreciates the dedication and hard work of Bogart, Lelek and his entire team.

“Kate and Pete have been very enthusiastic during their careers here at Connecticut College,” he said. “They both fought hard to be starters on a very talented team. They emerged as leaders and helped others around them.”