Hoofer Sailing team places 1st and 4th at Harry Anderson competition
By Katlyn Putney
Hard work and dedication has more than paid off for the Hoofer Sailing team this fall. After coming in 1st and 4th at the Harry Anderson sailing competition, this Midwest sailing team has proven they have the talent, skills and competitive drive to compete with East Coast champions. But the road to victory wasn’t easy as the Hoofer Sailing team journeyed to the Harry Anderson competition in September. Their success would ultimately make them the 10th ranked sailing team in the nation.
Because of tougher restrictions on travel, the team would have to leave sooner than originally planned to attend the Harry Anderson competition at Yale University in Branford, Conn. Luckily, four individuals were able to make the trip. Senior athletes Joe Kutschenreuter, Meg Six and Molly Forbes, as well as sophomore prodigy George Kutschenreuter, could attend. Justification for missing other regularly scheduled activities was simple. They all figured winning such a difficult and prestigious regatta would make it all worthwhile. The trip out to the coast went smoothly, and the team arrived in Connecticut 24 hours after departing Madison.
Conditions the first day were light and shifty, and the warmth of the sun decided to greet grateful competitors at Yale Corinthian Yacht Club on Saturday. Joe and Molly proved to the A division fleet they were no joke, starting off the day with two bullets in a row, as well as sailing smart and fast for the rest of the day. George and Meg also sailed quite well, racking up only 31 points in 6 races on Saturday. After day one, Wisconsin was first in A division and held second in B division. Wisconsin was winning the Harry Anderson by 2 points.
Day two brought with it a heavy breeze and a few upset stomachs. It was something they ate, of course, because it couldn’t be nerves; it’s a team of Badgers, after all. With all possible heavy crews hundreds of miles away, the odds were now stacked against the Badgers. Joe and Molly coped well with a solid first set. Shortly thereafter, the team of 135-pound George and 125-pound Meg sailed outside of the breakwater in 15+ mph breezes and decided they were done making excuses.
50 minutes later, they sailed back in to the rotation dock placing third and fourth with no more oxygen left in their legs. Joe and Molly followed up with an under pressure and overpowered second place, finish. After that, they say the rest is history.
4th place in A Division
1st place in B Division
Wisconsin Badgers,
Harry Anderson 2011 Champions
Check out this article about the Hoofer Sailing Team on Sail1Design.com:
Sail1Designer of the month: University of Wisconsin, Madison by Martha Pitt
