Samantha Osborne often spends her Friday evenings in the Chesapeake Bay against the backdrop of fresh air and rippling sails.
Osborne is one of dozens of members of the University of Maryland club sailing team. The team competes in the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association while teaching inexperienced members how to sail during weekly practices.
“A lot of times people are like … ‘I didn’t even know we had a sailing club,’” Osborne, a junior public health science major and club officer, said. “It’s a unique skill.”
Osborne had no sailing experience before joining the team, she said. Sailing was an opportunity to try something different, Osborne added.
For Osborne, the sailing club provides a sense of freedom and an opportunity to disconnect from other responsibilities for three to four hours each week.
Sailing team member Sophie Grigg, who joined this semester, said the sport requires strong core muscles for hiking — leaning out of a boat to adjust the weight distribution — and arm strength for sail adjustment. Sailors often balance between physical sport and strategic challenges, she added.
“What are the other boats doing on the race course? Do I need to avoid someone? Is there something in the water?” the freshman computer engineering major said. “There’s a lot of mental multitasking you gotta do.”
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Grigg said her grandfather gave her family a boat when she was about 4 or 5, and she later joined a local sailing club. But Grigg highlighted that the sailing team helps make the sport accessible to everyone, alluding to the team’s diverse levels of experience.
Jared Cohen, a senior computer engineering major, began sailing in middle school after a two-week sailing camp.
“That was the first time in my life that I just really had freedom to just go where I wanted to be,” Cohen said .”
Teamwork is a crucial part of sailing, Cohen said, which ranges from carrying boats to ensuring they don’t tip over during competitions. Working with teammates ensures a successful culture, he added.
Osborne said the teamwork required for sailing has helped shape her identity. Sailing’s dynamic nature has helped Osborne build trust with others and become more adaptive in changing conditions, she explained.
“Just being able to visualize something bigger, because it’s not just you in the boat,” Osborne said. “You have your other person with you, you’re trying to sail a course.”
