Recruitment ‘08: from sand-shufflers to sailors

I still vividly remember my NUST tryout. I trekked to South Beach on a complete whim when now-teammate Teresa Fox invited me to accompany her to a tryout for a sport I’d never attempted. I nervously shuffled my feet in the sand while chattering with my future teammates, unaware these would be my eventual best friends. I knocked now-Commodore Dre Collier’s Oakleys into the abyss of Lake Michigan and I played up my summer camp windsurfing experience a bit too much. On the beach that day, we exemplified “freshmen”- enthusiastic but painfully awkward.

This fall, three years later, I got to experience the whirlwind of tryouts from the opposite side as co-recruitment chair with sophomore Eric Michel. In a process that lasted five solid days and included long hours, logistical nightmares and difficult decisions, we cut 150 hopefuls down to a class of 27. In NUST tradition, we selected this new class as a team, and every decision was agreed upon based on skill level, dedication, enthusiasm, team cohesion and athletic aptitude. Deliberations were tedious but ultimately very rewarding.

I couldn’t be more proud of the NUST class of 2012. They are vivacious, talented and cohesive. They’re excited about the team and they show enormous potential to take NUST to new levels in the MCSA and nationally. Oh yea – and they’re a whole lot of fun, too. I have faith that, just like my peers, this class will transform from sand-shuffling freshmen to dedicated sailors and I look forward to watching it happen!