Courtesy of Brian Beard

The chance to compete in a championship is something that idles in the back of every athlete’s mind, and right alongside that aspiration is the hope for the opportunity to call that contest a success. For Rebecca Schill ’27, both of those aspirations came true. On September 19, Schill finished fourth in the NEISA Women’s Singlehand Championship hosted by Boston College.

“It meant a lot to compete because I really love single-handed sailing, but there’s not a lot of opportunity to do it in college,” Schill said. “I grew up sailing. It’s also my senior year, and I was abroad last fall. So I knew I really wanted to make this one count. It’s just something I’ve been very intentional about and been training for.”

Despite being away from her team for this regatta, she didn’t feel like she was competing alone. The support and words of her teammates still found her as she prepared for the regatta.

“It was also different because it was just me and my coach, and so it was the first regatta where I was the only one on my team there,” Schill said. “But I also felt probably the most support for my team that I’ve ever felt. Everyone was still hyping me up and sending me messages.”

Sailing is something that has been a part of Schill’s life since her childhood. Her dad and his enthusiasm for the sport is what initially inspired her to start her journey with sailing.

“I began sailing when I was little, I think when I was eight years old. My dad had a passion for sailing. He worked in the maritime industry, and he fell in love with this world when he was younger, so he wanted to share that with me and my sister,” Schill said. “We just did a sailing camp when we were eight, and then I really enjoyed it, so I ended up racing.”

Schill has also coached kids learning how to sail in the past. Reflecting on the aspiring athletes she gets to work with, Schill is reminded of why this sport spoke to her all those years ago, and why it has continued to carry her to the level that she is competing at now.

“For me, it reminds me how much I love the sport and being able to share it with other people. When I coach kids, I like to see the joy that they have when they get something right or are just looking out in the water and they’re having a lot of fun. It reminds me of why I started,” Schill said.

The team’s training schedule consists of lift sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays and practices on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Practice often consists of two different styles of racing. In the fall, double-handed boats compete in regattas which involves a line with eighteen or seventeen other boats from different teams. In the spring, it’s team racing, or three versus three racing.

“My favorite is team racing. It’s just a lot more active, and you are also interacting more with other boats. It’s the fastest and most aggressive,” Schill said.

The team’s hard work has shown through their recent performances. The team brought home the Barnett Trophy at Harpswell Sound on September 19.

“I would say all of the hard work that we, especially the women’s team, and I put in, in the spring season [is something that has stuck with me] because we had a really good team racing season, and all the regattas … were super super competitive.” Schill said. “Then we ended up qualifying for team race nationals for the first time ever, and that was awesome. It was nice to see all of our work pay off.”

Now, Schill is ready to take advantage of her senior season and support her team.

“I also just want a good team environment and community, especially for the first years, and to also have a balance and be competitive,” Schill said.