NUST News

Team Race Nationals - Univ. of Wisconsin - May 29-31

2010-06-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

While most of the school was getting ready for the big spring concert weekend of Dillo Day, 10 of NUST’s finest traveled to Madison, WI for college team racing nationals. Geoff Pedrick, Michael Cornew, Tod Reynolds, Allie Gullquist, Andrew Wien, Kim Wieczner, Maija Mikkila, Nina Lincoff, Katherine Nickele, and Bryan Stenson were generously hosted by recent alumna Liz Hines and a transfer to UW, Rich Pang. The team woke up early on Saturday morning to register and then proceeded to wait around while the unseasonably warm weather kept the wind at bay. After a few false starts, our round robin eventually got going at around 3pm. After a lucky break in our first race, we were able to give our subsequent opponents hard fights including holding our own against Yale until eventually being unable to hold them long enough to win.

We did not beat enough teams to advance to Gold fleet the next day, so we had a relaxed morning while waiting for the Silver round robin on Sunday afternoon. The wind was stronger and shiftier than the day before and required more concentration to compete as well as the day before. Unfortunately, we were unable to continue our level of performance from the day before and finished with only two wins in Silver fleet and ended up 12th of 14 overall.

Despite finishing worse than we had wanted, we saw the level of competition that the best teams were capable of and how close our team is to being at that point. We look forward to competing again in nationals next year so we can continue to show our team’s abilities and hopefully finish higher than we did in Madison.

Geoff Pedrick
McCormick 2012

MCSA TR Qualifier - Univ. of Wisconsin - May 8-9

2010-05-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

The weekend of May 8-9th, ten Northwestern University Sailors and coach Arthur Blodgett headed up to Madison, WI to attempt to qualify for the ICSA Team Race Nationals. The conditions of first day of sailing were “not pleasant”. Sailors, volunteers, race committee members, and umpires endured very cold temperatures, wind speeds of 18-23 knots, large waves for lake Mendota, and two hail storms.

Seven teams competed and two round robins were completed on the first day. St. Thomas, Ohio State, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Notre Dame, University of Minnesota, and Northwestern were all present. In the first round robin, Northwestern won 4 races against St. Thomas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Minnesota. Northwestern unfortunately lost to Wisconsin and Michigan. In the second round robin, St. Thomas retired due to the cold, so Northwestern only sailed 5 times. This time, Northwestern only lost to Wisconsin and brought their total wins up to 8. At the end of the day on Saturday, Wisconsin was in first with 11 wins while Minnesota and Northwestern had 8 wins each with the tiebreaker going to Northwestern. Saturday was a long day and Northwestern was ahead by a sliver.

Sunday presented very different conditions. It was 60 degrees and there was no wind the entire day. Racing was postponed and the day of sailing was eventually abandoned at noon. With this end of racing, Northwestern officially qualified for the ICSA Team Race Nationals! The entire team got in a 420 for a celebratory photo. The team enjoyed Ian’s Pizza and the ice cream in the Wisco union before the car ride home.

Congrats to Tod Reynolds, Nina Lincoff, Kim Wieczner, Maija Mikkila, Michael Cornew, Geoff Pedrick, Andrew Wein, Noah Aldonas, Bryan Stenson, and Allie Gullquist for qualifying for Team Race Nationals!

-Michael Cornew, WCAS 2013

College Sailing Semifinals - CofC - May 1-2

2010-05-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

Less than 12 hours after receiving a call from our coach that our B skipper Geoff Pedrick hurt his knee playing beach soccer and would not be able to sail for Co-Ed Semis, I was in the car with my A skipper Michael Cornew picking up the rest of our team for the epic drive to Charleston.
As we made our rounds from house, to sorority, to dorm, the car was soon filled with Kim Weiczner, Bryan Stenson, Noah Aldonas,and our coach Arthur Blodgett, and we were on our way to Semis by 6 am Friday morning. We couldn't stop talking about our savior Andrew Wien, our new B skipper who was flying from Annapolis to meet us in Charleston, where we would pick him up late Friday night. The drive was rather roomy with one less sailor, and we arrived in Charleston in record time.

After reviewing strategy for the current in Cooper River, (a venue only I was slightly familiar with due to a Women's regatta there earlier this year) we went to bed in our hotel that was filled with other sailors from around the country. Saturday morning brought us beautiful 80 degree weather and heavy winds. We had a great view from the dock, where we could almost reach out and touch boats that were banging the corner. I sailed the first two races, then sat our the rest of the day, allowing heavy crew Aldonas to keep the boat flat. After a head injury to B heavy crew Stenson, Weiczner subbed in so we could make sure no serious damage was done. Sunday's conditiond were very similar with lots of waves, current, wind, and sun. Arthur kept our spirits high, talking with us about every aspect of the race - the line, body movement in the boat, the current, the waves, and how to adjust our mark roundings to the current.

As expected, the competition was tough, and unfortunately we were not able to make it in the top half of the fleet that were sent to Nationals. However, we improved tremendously over the two days and had a great time in Charleston. As a graduting senior, I expect that NUST picks up where we left off and makes it even furthur year after year.

-Maija Mikkila, SESP 2010

Intrepid Trophy - US Naval Academy - April 24-25

2010-05-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

The new thing in college keelboat sailing is match racing, and after our successful trip to Sheboygan in the fall, we decided to continue our match racing schedule with the Intrepid Trophy at the end of April. Tod Reynolds, Nick Campbell, Joe Teno, and Geoff Pedrick – the four sailors who made up the sloops and match race team in the fall – went to Annapolis to compete against 11 other schools at the US Naval Academy. We were postponed for a while and had our first match against Navy in their boats and their home waters. That race didn’t really go well for us, but we quickly were able to apply our match racing experience in later races and win against some of the harder teams at the regatta. We got halfway through the round robin before dusk and set aside the rest of the races for Sunday.

On Saturday night we met up with a few current seniors and a few recent graduates who were chartering a boat in the area. Good times were had by all.

Sunday morning brought with it a rather unpleasant absence of wind and we were again postponed. The race committee decided on a different format for the remainder of the regatta so we were able to fit in all of the races we needed to accurately rank everyone. We ended up in 6th after two poor starts that day but came away with valuable match race experience that will help us next fall when it becomes the new sloop championship format.

-Geoff Pedrick, McCormick 2012

MCSA Women's Qualifier - Univ. of Illinois - April 24-25

2010-05-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, five of the Northwestern female sailors traveled to Champaign, IL, along with coach Arthur Blodgett, to compete in the women’s qualifying regatta for either Nationals or Semifinals. There were a total of seven teams at the regatta competing for the top three finishes, and we ended up fourth overall. Northwestern A Division skipper Allie Gullquist and crew Olivia Green finished fourth, and B Division skipper Sarah Hughes and crews Carolyn Fallert and Lauren Radomski finished fifth.

The weekend dawned warm, but cloudy, with threats of thunderstorms. Racing started a little late on Saturday, but we were able to get through six races in the A division and four races in the B division before thunder and lightning stopped racing for the day. It was quite different sailing on a small lake when we’re used to the huge Lake Michigan; the ever-present shifts and puffs were a big change! Apart from the shifty wind; however, had a steady breeze, which only increased as the thunderstorm rolled in. Soon after coming off the water, we learned that there would only be one set sailed this weekend (a total of seven races for each division). Going into Sunday, we were several points out of third place, and had only four races to catch up. The day dawned a little colder, but with a much steadier breeze. B division started off with a set of two races, followed by a half set for each division (one race for As, and one race for Bs). Although we were able to catch up, unfortunately it wasn’t enough, and we finished fourth. We look forward to (hopefully) qualifying next year!

- Allie Gullquist, WCAS 2013

Three-Way Regatta - Univ. of Wisconsin - April 24-25

2010-04-27T05:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend seven Northwestern University sailors traveled to Madison, WI to compete in a 3-division regatta hosted by the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Northwestern competed against 8 other teams in 420s and Tech dinghies. A full regatta with 9 races in each division was planned and completed by 1pm Central time on April 25th with Minnesota taking first overall.

Northwestern’s A division sailors, Eric Michel and Katherine Nickele, represented the team well and placed fourth in their division! Despite some unpleasantly cool weather, all sailors enjoyed their stay in Madison. Regattas like this make us remember how much fun sailing in the MCSA can be. This regatta was particularly fun because it involved sailing Tech dinghies, a boat practically nobody in the MCSA has any experience sailing. Competing in a tech dinghy, which I would liken to a grown man’s optimist, was certainly a very interesting experience. Special thanks to the organizing committee from U of Wisconsin for putting on a great regatta! The Northwestern University Sailing Team looks forward to returning in a few weeks for Team Race National Qualifiers.

-Justin McMath, McCormick 2011

MCSA Co-ed Quals - Notre Dame - April 17-18

2010-04-26T13:25:00.001-07:00

Friday evening, April 16th, seven of us, six sailors and coach Arthur Blodgett, headed east to Notre Dame for MCSA co-ed qualifiers. We were warmly welcomed into team member David Harris’ home where we were graciously housed for the weekend. We woke up early Saturday morning and headed to the regatta site on Eagle Lake, just over the Michigan border. The forecast had predicted high winds, but Michael Cornew, our A skipper, went out with Maija Mikkila, his lightweight crew, for the first set. The wind seemed to build before our eyes, so for the B set Geoff Pedrick went out with Bryan Stenson, his heavy crew. A sudden capsize sent Geoff and Bryan’s mast into the mud, and caused an unfortunate last place finish, but after a rocky start, both Michael and Geoff worked their way up the rankings throughout the day, accompanied by heavy crews Justin Cohler and Bryan. Maija and I spent most of the day cheering on our team through the heavy wind, and working on a one thousand piece sailing jigsaw puzzle in the warmth of the sailing club. At around three or four in the afternoon, races were called for the day, the wind having steadily increased. After exploring the Notre Dame campus and getting a good night sleep, Sunday’s light wind conditions allowed Maija and I to sail. We continued to sail fast, finishing in third place overall and successfully qualifying for semifinals in Charleston May 1st and 2nd.

- Kim Wieczner, SoC 2012

Rainier Cup - Cascade Locks, Oregon - April 17-18

2010-04-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

Max Clemons, Andrew Wien, Joe Teno, and Steve Blackman arrived in Cascade Locks, Oregon for the Rainier Cup Regatta at around 1:00 a.m. early Saturday Morning on April 17th. We set up our tent and quickly went to bed. We woke up to find ourselves in a valley next to the Columbian river surrounded by snow-capped mountains. We had a delayed start for sailing because the wind was so light that the current of the river was more powerful. Fortunately the wind quickly picked up and we sailed from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday. We sailed in FJs against multiple West Coast schools such as the University of Oregon, University of Washington, and Portland State. The wind started off light but rose to around 12 knots and beautiful sunny 65 degrees for most of the day. We sailed all right, nothing too special and ended up in the middle of the pack. That night all the schools camped out by the water and had a BBQ, which was a really nice time. Sunday we started sailing at about 10am. We got to truly see why Cascade Locks is one of the windsurfing capitals of the world as the wind was blowing a constant 15 with gusts up to 20 or 25 all day. We did a little bit better today and ended up getting 5th out of 16 overall. The Regatta ended at 3pm and we were able to spend the evening and the next day exploring a local town Hood River, venturing to the Pacific Ocean, and spending an afternoon in Portland, all before catching our redeye flight back to Northwestern Tuesday morning.

-Max Clemons, WCAS 2012

Buckeye Intersectional - Ohio State University - April 10-11

2010-04-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Destination: Cleveland, OH

NUST Representatives: Brett Herda, Brit Hvide, Sharon Lo, Justin McMath

Arrival Time: 2:00 AM Central

Upon arriving at Justin McMath’s friendly abode, the parental units were already sleeping and we were instead instantly greeted by the comfort that was suburbia. The next morning Justin’s mother had already prepared a lovely breakfast that was healthy and quite delicious. It was at breakfast that I was then informed that today was not a 420 sailing day—no, no—it was FJ sailing day. Coming into college with no sailing experience, I was a worried. My skipper reassuringly told me that he had never sailed an FJ either so surely we would dominate in the races.

Surprisingly, Justin was right. Although we did not dominate, the other Northwestern boat (Brit and Brett) did extremely well and I realized sailing an FJ really was no different than a 420. I could not have asked for a more beautiful day or setting to learn a little bit more about a sport that was very new in my life. I felt like I was cultivating an everlasting friendship.

It was pretty apparent that the sailors had gotten a bit of sun that day. Everyone was nice and flushed…except me of course. In any cause, the first day of sailing was in very light wind and fairly warm weather. The regatta was run very well and we were able to get 4 full rotations in. We didn’t have as much luck on the second day since there was zero wind. We waited two hours or so and the regatta was called off.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Buckeye Regatta and was really pleased that I had the opportunity to go. A short road trip and relaxing weekend was just what I needed to end my week.

-Sharon Lo, SESP 2012

Wet Your Willie - Northwestern University - April 10-11

2010-04-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

On the weekend of April 10th and 11th, NUST held its annual Wet Your Willie Regatta. Twelve other MCSA schools participated in the quite anticipated regatta adding to a starting line of 19 berths, including 3 from Northwestern. The weather was fairly cooperative—with almost summer-like temperatures, the grills were pulled out and a barbeque awaited sailors off the water. Chicago, however, did not let its nickname (the Windy City) down and winds picked up to 27 knots in the early afternoon. By the time A’s went out for their second set, the strong winds and gusts forced racing to be called off for the remainder of the day.

Although partly cloudy on Sunday, NUST-ers filled the lawn playing bags and helping the regatta run smoothly. While not as warm as Saturday, the winds were calmer at 8 to 10 knots and sailing fortunately continued. The A division completed four windward-leeward races and the B division finished 6 races. NUST sailors certainly took the home advantage. In the A division, Northwestern 2 placed first, with Northwestern 3 in second and Northwestern 1 in seventh, respectively. In the B division, Northwestern 3 earned third place, Northwestern 1 had eighth, and Northwestern 3 ninth. Overall, Northwestern 3 took first and Northwestern 2 took fourth place.

-Katherine Nickele, WCAS 2012

Ted Ferrarone TR - Roger Williams University - April 3-4

2010-04-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

The weekend after our delightful trip to Miami for spring break, NUST sent Andrew Wien, Bryan Stenson, Geoff Pedrick, Nick Campbell, Lauren Radomski, and myself to Rhode Island.

We went to test out our new team-racing skills on the East Coast at the Ted Ferrarone regatta. The teams came mostly from the Northeast with a couple from the South as well. Most had already been sailing for a month while we had just had finished our second week of practice. Their time spent on the water together practicing certainly showed.

I learned more from this regatta than I did from any regatta before. The teams that knew which plays to go for and how to protect their leads won their races.

We stayed with Geoff’s parents in Newport and they treated us to wonderful food, lodgings, and a historical tour of Newport. We even got to see the Puma boat from the Volvo Ocean Race in 2008.

The most amazing part of this trip for me was seeing a culture of the sea that I had never been a part of before. Newport runs on the sea. Without the ocean running around the city, Newport would be just another old, New England town. The sea breeds industry and manufacturing, and gives food. Most importantly to me the ocean provides a hobby or a sport.

The oceans provide a way to travel across the world. There’s something seductive about the sea and large bodies of water that sweeps me into a 420 every day and to continue racing around the country whether we win or lose.

- Noah Aldonas, Medill 2012

Jeremy McIntyre TR - Stanford University - March 6-7

2010-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

McIntyered (of Cold Chicago Weather)

The weekend of March 6th, Michael Cornew, Tod Reynolds, Geoff Pedrick, Kim Wieczner, Nina Lincoff and myself, Mallory Usen, set off for the McIntyre Team Race at Stanford. After a cozy 4-hour flight, California sunshine, picturesque San Francisco bridges, and the charming Lincoff family warmly welcomed us. Well-fed and rested, we were eager to get into boats after a four-month cold spell in Chicago that had frozen over Lake Michigan and prevented all sailing practice. The breeze filled in late in the day, confirming that even California weather was more relaxed about sailing. Exhausted from sailing, we ate dinner with the other teams, quickly ventured to Yogurtland in Berkeley, and settled in for the night. The next day, the breeze filled in quickly in the morning and we won the majority of our races.

Though a bit rusty in our general boat handling and limited in FJ experience, we were well versed in the team racing handbook and had 7 wins out of 12 races over the course of the weekend. There was even a family face-off with Geoff’s older brother, Ben, who sails for Stanford’s varsity team. Stanford’s boathouse was phenomenal and their boats were all in pristine condition. The benefits of being a varsity team were tangible. After a delightful weekend at Stanford filled with family, sailing, and In-And-Out burgers, we retuned to Chicago excited for Spring Break sailing in Miami and the upcoming Spring season.

-Mallory Usen, SoC 2011

Eckerd Intersectional - Eckerd College - March 6-7

2010-04-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

The ice on lake Michigan was finally melting, and the four of us had not been in a boat in 4 months. While we were still experiencing freezing temperatures in Chicago, schools in Florida had been practicing for the past six weeks. So to get an early start on the spring season, Andrew Wien, Spencer Powell, Noah Aldonas, and Steve Blackman hopped on a plane and flew to St. Petersburg, Florida for the Eckerd Intersectional at the alma mater of our coach Arthur Blodgett. On Saturday the breeze slowly built from 5 knots in the morning all the way to fifteen in the afternoon. The wind was very shifty and halfway through the afternoon they had to restart the race after a 120 degree shift. On Sunday, the wind was much more consistent but not as strong, blowing 8-10 knots all day. While Northwestern was a little rusty from the winter, we showed steady improvement throughout the regatta. Arthur was able to watch all of the races on the water, and we got instant feedback after every race. We finished 8th out of 11 teams, but the regatta was a great way to start our season earlier than the rest of the teams in the Midwest.

- Andrew Wien, McCormick 2010

Charleston Women's - College of Charleston - March 6-7

2010-04-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

On March 5th, Sarah Hughes, Frankie Ferrero, Maija Mikkila and I shed our drysuits and road-tripped to sunny South Carolina for a Women’s Intersectional Regatta at the College of Charleston. We had fantastic weather: about 60 degrees with a steady breeze. Coach Arthur frequently sailed at this site when he was at Eckerd, and he was able to give us some excellent advice about the tricky current in Charleston’s channel.

We sailed some great races and steadily improved throughout the regatta, however the competition was very tough. Some of the best women’s teams were there – Georgetown, Yale, Navy, Eckerd, Old Dominion and St. Mary’s, to name a few. It was really exciting to have the opportunity to compete against these teams. By the end of the regatta, Frankie and Maija were finishing in the middle of their B fleet. Although the overall results were less ideal, this competitive intersectional regatta prepared us for spring break training in Miami and a spring season full of competitive women’s sailing.

- Olivia Green, WCAS 2011

Boudeman Cup - Western Michigan - Oct. 17-18

2009-12-16T09:48:00.000-08:00

Joseph Teno, Bryan Stenson, Chris Bohl, and Noah Charles drove out to Western Michigan to compete in the Boudeman Regatta October 17-18. Of seven teams, NU came out in third (second in A's, fourth in B's). Wind was great on saturday allowing for 8 races per division, but unfortunately there was no wind on sunday and no races were completed. The team had a great time and the Bohl/Charles team had a great first regatta. Everyone was pretty happy with the outcome of the weekend.

-Joe Teno

North/South Intersectional - UCSB - Nov. 14-15

2009-12-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

On the weekend of our annual fall regatta, Timme’s Tune-Up, five Northwestern sailors left school for the warmth and sun of Santa Barbara and the Pacific Coast Championships. Nick Campbell flew out first, got a car from his house nearby, and picked up the rest of the team – Tod Reynolds, Geoff Pedrick, Maija Mikkila, and Noah Aldonas – when we got to the airport. From there, we traveled to UCSB where we met up with our host from the UCSB team and instantly proceeded to fall asleep.

Saturday morning we woke up and drove to the sailing site, got our charter boats all sorted out, and rigged while enjoying the plentiful sunshine. One thing I learned that morning: PCCSC kids are very slow (“laid back”) riggers. By the time we had our skippers’ meeting and got on the water, it was already 11am. We sailed out to the race area and practiced boathandling while waiting for the races to start. Since we were sailing FJ’s and we only sail 420’s in the Midwest, this practice time as crucial. Despite apparently blowing 30+ a mile offshore, the wind on the race course was very light and shifty all day. This suited Tod and Maija, who sailed his way to three respectable finishes in A fleet before our lunch break. Geoff and Nick did not do quite as well in B fleet and Lasers, respectively. After our lunch break, Lasers sailed their third race of the day in a quickly dying breeze and the two FJ divisions were sent in when it became apparent that it was not going to build again. In-N-Out was the universally agreed upon dinner choice, giving both Geoff and Maija their first experiences eating there.

Sunday brought another day of warmth and sun, but with the pleasant addition of good breeze. We got racing earlier than on Saturday and fit in eight races by the end of the day for a total of 11. The wind was much more consistent and noticeably stronger than it had been on Saturday, letting Geoff and Noah place regularly in the top five all day, including winning the last race before lunch. Unfortunately Tod struggled in A fleet for a good chunk of the day and Nick was still learning many of the intricacies of Laser sailing as it was his first regatta in the boat.

Ultimately, the team ended up just above mid-fleet against some very good west coast competition and got to enjoy some great sailing and some great weather. This will certainly be a regatta to keep in mind for future years.

-Geoff Pedrick

Chief Illiniwek Memorial Regatta - U of Illinois - Oct. 10-11

2009-11-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

Just a few weeks into fall quarter, Justin Cohler, Emily Giudice, Rufus Urion, Jennifer Kim, Kim Wieczner, Michael Cornew, Shannon Oliver-O’Niel and Eric Michel traveled to the University of Illinois at Champaign to compete in the Chief Illiwinek Memorial Regatta, comprising two teams for Northwestern. It was a chilly fall weekend and Saturday morning brought very little air. After each rotation, though, the wind picked up and finished the day at around 20 knots. Sunday brought light wind once again, this time holding steady throughout the day. Northwestern 1 sailed strongly: Cohler finished 2nd overall in the A division and Cornew got nothing but first place in 8 races in the B division, leading Northwestern 1 to win the regatta. Northwestern 2 sailing strongly as well, finishing 4th overall. Arthur Blodgett, the team’s new coach, joined the team for the weekend and offered valuable coaching and advice.

-Emily Giudice

Wisco Women's - UW Madison - Oct. 17-18

2009-11-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

It was a fairly chilly but nevertheless sunny morning on October 17th, the start of a weekend of sailing up in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin for the Women’s regatta. Arthur may have felt just a little out of place driving up with two full cars of NUST girls! Northwestern was able to send two teams; 1A sailed by Sarah Hughes and crew Olivia Green, 1B sailed by Allie Gullquist and crew Hannah Schriesheim, 2A sailed by Amanda Snyder and crew Nina Lincoff, and 2B sailed by Rose Conry and crew Maija Mikkila. We were even able to send two alternate crews: freshmen Martha Koch and Katie Cannady. Saturday was marked by a shifty yet fairly strong breeze, and everyone sailed consistently. The day was cut a set short after the As sailed, which was a bit disappointing yet relieving to our tired team. After regrouping, we were excited to have dinner with team member Justin McMath and alumna Liz Hines.

Sunday the 18th may have been a bit warmer than Saturday, however the breeze did not let up. It was once again shifty, but with strong puffs. Although the conditions were challenging and required full concentration from both skipper and crew, Northwestern had another successful day on the water. The same pairings stayed together for Northwestern 1A and B, but the alternates were switched in for the day, with Martha Koch crewing for Amanda Snyder in 2A and Katie Cannady crewing for Rose Conry in 2B. Bs started off the day sailing, and we were able to fit in a few more rotations before finishing for the weekend. Northwestern made a strong appearance in Madison, placing first in 1B and third overall. We can’t wait to return next fall!

-Allie Gullquist

Alumni Dinner - Northwestern - Oct. 24

2009-11-27T07:42:00.000-08:00

On October 24th, Northwestern Sailing hosted our annual alumni dinner. This year, it took place at Sheridan Shore Yacht Club, a beautiful setting a few miles north of campus and overlooking the Bahai'i Temple. The night started off with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and mingling. We also had a raffle for sailing gear and gift certificates. This year had the best turnout ever, with nearly 40 alumni and friends attending!! It was really incredible for team members to get to speak to alumni and hear about the history of NUST, as well as discuss ideas for our future.

Our Alumni Chairs Tod Reynolds and Carolyn Fallert planned the event, but relied on many team members to pitch in. Some spent the entire day cooking an exquisite dinner (chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan, and caesar salad), and others volunteered to wait on our alumni and friends. Dinner was complete with a slideshow of past and present photos of the team, stirring up many hilarious stories from alumni. Many alumni got up to make speeches and toasts to NUST.

The night would not have been complete without dancing and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert!

Ultimately, it was a fun night for all. Everyone enjoyed great food, good company, and great dancing. Thanks to all of the alumni and friends that came out. It was especially exciting for the team members to meet alumni and friends, and we hope to have even more alumni and friends attend next year!!

Davis Cup - Iowa - Sept. 19-20

2009-11-27T07:39:00.000-08:00

On our last summer weekend of 2009, John Bere, Tamu Christ, Francesca Ferrero, Lauren Radomski and Maija Mikkila drove to Iowa City for the University of Iowa's annual Davis Cup. We woke early in the morning to find the sun brightly shining on the beautifully tinted forests on our drive down to the lake. It was warm and still September day, something we would get very used to that weekend.

The A boat was Ferrero/Mikkila and the B boat was Bere/Radomski. Christ switched out with Bere/Radomski throughout the weekend. The morning started late, due to lack of wind, but the sun was shining and it was warm, so the wait was relatively bearable. It was exciting to get on the water in FJs, an opportunity we rarely have. The whole weekend was very light and shifty, with the wind often dying down to leave our boats bobbing in the water. There was a brief moment on the second day when crews had to sit on the rail, but the wind quickly died again.

Northwestern did well, consistently placing in the top third of the fleet. We got third place in As, third place in Bs, and fourth place overall (we were only a couple points out of third). We had a very fun and relaxing weekend before the beginning of school, and a solid start to our season!

-Maija Mikkila

Fall Fury - UW Madison - Sept. 12-13

2009-11-27T07:37:00.000-08:00

Well over a week before classes commenced, Sarah Hughes, Tod Reynolds, Maija Mikkala and Olivia Green ventured up to their favorite Midwestern sailing locale in Madison, WI for the Fall Fury Regatta. Despite a constant stream of warm sunshine over the weekend of September 12th and 13th, the wind was nowhere to be found. Unlike Sarah and Olivia, Maija and Tod actually got in a boat, and won the one and only race of the weekend. However, despite the lack of sailing, the weekend was a lovely way to reunite with other MCSA sailors after the summer and gear up for the fall season.

-Olivia Green

MCSA Singlehanded Qualifiers - Marquette/UWM - Oct. 10-11

2009-11-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

On October 10th, the sun rose on a cold Saturday morning in Milwaukee as Marquette University and UW-Milwaukee kicked off the Men’s and Women’s Singlehanded Championship at the South Shore Yacht Club. Men sailed full-rig Lasers and women sailed radial rig Lasers. Teams from Minnesota, St. Thomas, Wisconsin, Iowa, Toledo, Bowling Green, Purdue, Michigan State, Marquette, and Northwestern competed. Temperatures stayed in the high thirties and low forties, and the wind began at 13-18 knots. After completing two races in the morning and eating lunch, many sailors remained ashore as the wind picked up and the regatta officials warned sailors to only continue if they felt comfortable.

In the afternoon, men’s division fit five races in, and the miserable and cold women’s division banded together to force a stop after four. Sunday morning proved to be much calmer and colder, with temperatures in the low 30’s and winds of 5-10 knots. The men’s division raced four times, and the women’s three, before sailing in. In the men’s division, first place went to Matthew Thompson from Minnesota, second to Charlie Igo from St. Thomas, and third to Andrew Fox from Wisconsin. In the women’s division, first place went to Christina Porter from Wisconsin, second to Lauren Knoles from Michigan State, and third to Natalie Simms from Minnesota. The top three men and top two women qualified for Laser Nationals in Corpus Christi, Texas in November.

Everyone witnessed a shining example of selflessness on Sunday when Lauren Knoles’ mast snapped during the first race of the day, and Meg Six from Wisconsin immediately sailed over and handed her boat over to allow Knoles to stay in the running and finish second overall. Northwestern sent three sailors to the regatta: Tod Reynolds, John Hodges (a Milwaukee native himself), and Max Dantowitz. Reynolds placed fourth, narrowly missing nationals qualification. Hodges, who kept sailing on Saturday afternoon despite extreme conditions, placed 11th. Dantowitz placed 18th, having dropped out of the races after Saturday morning. All the sailors were overjoyed at the end of the regatta to pull off their frigid drysuits and try to revive frozen limbs with hot showers and hot chocolate.

-Max Dantowitz

MCSA Sloop Qualifiers - Detroit YC - Sept. 19-20

2009-10-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

Tod Reynolds (driving), Geoff Pedrick (middle), and Joe Teno (front) went to Detroit Yacht Club to try and qualify for Sloop Nationals this year. On Saturday, the wind was as shifty as ever. 3 knot current running with the wind made upwind beats near impossible at times. We were constantly ready to toss the anchor (though we never had to) if we ever got moving backward. Every race was a new story, starting out with looking far upwind for more pressure and picking what we thought the best side of the course was – which was often opposite the previous race. Racing was close throughout the day, with Toledo far in first but everyone else constantly swapping second through fifth places. NU ended the day with a great race and our only 1st. The wind completely died for those who went the wrong way, and those boats barely beat the hour race time limit.

Sunday was a bit windier and more constant. Unfortunately we were surprised with the only once-around of the regatta first thing that morning, and finished badly because of it. The rest of the races were very close, with second place still within reach. Knowing who we had to beat going into the last race, we did all we could to put boats between us. In the end, we decided to split off the group and try our luck at going opposite the rest of the pack. It did not play out, and Northwestern ended up 5th in the regatta. Though we were all disappointed, the regatta was still a great experience and we saw some of the most competitive racing around in the MCSA.

-Joe Teno

Harken Clinic - Northwestern - Sept. 26-27

2009-10-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

On the weekend of September 26, 2009 the Northwestern Sailing Team hosted the Harken Clinic. Twenty-four sailors from across the midwest attended the team-racing clinic in glorious Evanston. University of Wisconsin, University of Michigan, and Northwestern each had one full team of three boats, while Miami of Ohio, Michigan State, and Toledo each had one boat to round out the twelve-boat fleet.

The clinic started on Saturday morning with a chalk talk led by locals Joey Harris and Andy Graff. The breeze was very light, ranging from less than five knots up to about eight in scattered puffs. Saturday was great practice for light-air boat handling and working out strategic kinks after the off season. Frustrating winds made mark-roundings an unwieldy challenge, and mark traps were long and rough. From there sailors worked through boat handling and team racing drills, familiarizing themselves with the other boats. Bryan Stenson provided delicious cold cuts and cheese for lunch.

On Sunday Andy was replaced by Jacob Karlin, another Chicago local, and sailors cycled through team races. The breeze was much heavier, hovering steadily around 20 knots and building through the afternoon, foreshadowing the gale force winds on Monday. Wisconsin solidly dominated the conditions, while Northwestern and Michigan went back and forth. The day finished in the early afternoon with two fleet races and a numerically sailed line that was epic. Overall it was a great weekend of solid sailing and learning, and it was nice to start off the school year hanging out with twelve great boats.

Nina Lincoff

Streufert Team Race - Minnesota - September 26-27

2009-10-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

After the first week of classes, the Northwestern Sailing Team was ready to get away for a weekend of sailing. Six of us, Justin Cohler, Joe Teno, Sarah Hughes, Kim Wieczner, Mallory Usen, and Carolyn Fallert, made the long journey to Minnesota for the Streufert Team Race in Wayzata, MN. Saturday the sun was shining, but the wind was hardly blowing, so the regatta was postponed until the afternoon. Luckily, the wind filled in, and we were able to start the first race at 1:15. We got off to a good start taking a first win against Iowa, and after four races, we had won three. We went into our last race of the day against the home team, Minnesota, and although it was close, we lost in on the downwind. We waited for protests to be settled after realizing that we were stuck in a three way tie for second place. We did not make it into the qualifying round, but Sunday was beautiful with a lot more wind, and we got in another great day of sailing. We won some, we lost some, but overall it was a great way to start off the school year, and everyone came home smiling.

Kim Wieczner

NU students get chance to 'Sail with a Sailor'

2009-05-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

By: Mina Shankar

Northwestern students took to Lake Michigan this weekend for free, thanks to the NU Sailing Team and the Residence Hall Association.Students went sailing for Sail with a Sailor, sponsored by the RHA and NU's Sailing Team. From Saturday to Monday, students were treated to "free sailing rides, free BBQ and fun" on the shores of Lake Michigan.Held at the South Beach Boathouse, the sailing weekend was the team's third annual Memorial Day event and one of RHA's two spring events. While last year attendees were charged $10 per boat ride, this year's event was free due to the RHA's sponsorship. The idea arose when Sailing Team and RHA member Ben Prawer, a Medill freshman, suggested that the RHA co-sponsor the event as it drew a good number of students in past years."The RHA exec board really wants to work on getting our name across campus so that residents would know who we are," said Vice President Candise Hill, a SESP sophomore.According to Sailing Team Captain Sarah Hughes, the team recorded "well over" 200 attendees this weekend.Approximately 61 of the 68 members of the Sailing Team were involved in the event through advertising, sailing or grilling.Participants were taken on a boat cruise that lasted about a half hour. Hughes said sailors aimed to give riders a taste of sailing by having them help "trim the sails" if it was windy and through teaching them how to take care of the smaller sail. "It's hard to get a lot across when you're just out there for a half hour, so you just want people to have as much fun as possible and get a feel for what it's like to be out there on a boat," said Hughes, a Weinberg sophomore.Hughes said the event was a "chill grill out" for the Northwestern community. The team originally considered advertising at local schools to make the event more targeted towards the Evanston community, but decided to "maintain a relaxed atmosphere" and have RHA sponsor the event.Among the participants was Adrienne DaGue, who looked into joining the Sailing Team earlier in the year and said she attended to experience sailing and talk with someone on the team."It was also really relaxing and it was an opportunity to take a break from reading," said the Weinberg freshman. "It was a good time to chill with my friends and procrastinate."DaGue said she would "definitely" consider participating in more RHA activities after this weekend.Hughes said the event provided a good opportunity to let students experience Lake Michigan."I hope they just have a nice time on the water and are able to enjoy the lake that I think people don't get enough of," Hughes said. "We get to be out there almost every day, so it's nice to share that with other people."

See Complete Article here

Rainier Cup - Oregon - April 18-19

2009-04-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

Andrew Wien, Tyler Lorenzi, Joseph Teno, and Steve Blackman flew out to Portland Oregon, rented a car, and drove to Cascade Locks (at The Gorge) to sail in the Windsurfing Haven of the USA. The A boat was Wien/Lorenzi and the B boat was Teno/Blackman Team members from throughout the NWICSA were awaiting our arrival as we drove into the campground. They were all very welcoming and happy we came from afar to their regatta.

The area was beautiful. Mountains in the background and trees everywhere – nothing we find in Chicago. The sailing, however, was not the best. With a current of probably 5 knots in the same direction as the 5-10 knot wind, it made sailing upwind nearly impossible. Racing went back and forth between postponed and not the first day, finishing with only 4 races sailed per division. During those races, we saw multiple 180 degree wind shifts and anything from 0 to 20 knots of breeze. Sunday, the A division raced one race before the day was ended due to not enough wind to fight the current. With only 4 races per division, we finished 5^th overall – 6^th in A and 5^th in B. There were 15 boats in the fleet, and none of us had sailed FJ’s in a very long time. Judging by the names of sailors at their Coed qualifier regatta, we raced against some of the division’s top boats. We hope to go back next spring, and with more races to prove ourselves, win!

Joseph Teno

Dave Perry Visits Northwestern

2009-02-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, February 20th, I joined a number of local college and high school sailors, and local boat owners in a classroom at Northwestern University for a rules seminar hosted by Dave Perry, author of Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing. The seminar was sponsored by Hedlund Marine and Laser Performance, and focused specifically on changes to 2009-2012 Racing Rules of Sailing.

Sailors of all levels listened intently as Perry covered each of the significant changes in detail, answering questions and clarifying points along the way. After the lesson section of the seminar, Perry opened the floor up to more general questions about situations that may occur on the racecourse and how the new rules might affect their outcome in coming years. Perry brought a high-energy attitude to a subject that most might consider dull at best, and had the entire audience, certainly myself included, eager to get back out on the racecourse as soon as possible.

Justin McMath

Reynolds Recieves MCSA Student Leadership Award

2009-02-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

Ever since I got my first ride on an E-scow at age 6 I knew that sailing was for me and when it came time to pick colleges I looked for one with a sailing team. I found everything I could have ever asked for at Northwestern- a group of highly motivated students who share my passion for sailing. I grew up watching my father organize the Junior Olympics and Special Olympics for sailing so taking a leadership role in the team was second nature. Over the next two years as captain I worked to grow the program and improve our racing team. Receiving this award is truly an honor because advancing college sailing in the Midwest has become one of my major goals. I hope to continue to provide leadership to my team and district in the coming year as I serve as the MCSA Commodore and Alumni/Friends chair to NUST.

Tod Reynolds

Costakis Named to 2008 All-District Team

2009-02-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

Despite a challenging fall class schedule, I made a conscious decision to put forth a strong effort this sailing season. Sailing at Cary-Price intersectional, Laser qualifiers, Area West, and the Timme Angsten regatta, I was travelling almost every weekend. It was my last fall, and I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to sail. The season was very competitive. But despite a disappointing performance at Timme’s, I was really happy with my sailing. I finally qualified for Laser Nationals, and won Area West – the first regatta I ever won my division in.

The spring had been really fun as well – we traveled to USC for Semi-Final nationals, and sailed well at Team Race qualifiers. In total, I knew it had been a good year for me. But many other sailors had sailed really well in the past year, and the pool for All-Conference skipper was competitive. I didn’t expect to be named to the All-Conference team, but I really hoped I would be. By some stroke of luck, the selection committee decided I made the cut. I was surprised, and very happy. Congratulations to all the other MCSA All-Conference sailors!

Jimmy Costakis

Sailing, Hawaii, and Disney: What could be better?

2008-11-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

NUST has done some pretty amazing things for fundraising this past year. We have taken people out on Lake Michigan in 420s for Sail with a Sailor, we have written hundreds of letters for Northwestern’s Thank-a-Thon, we have thrown our alumni a formal Alumni Dinner and Regatta, as well as done the vending at concession stands for Northwestern football games. However, our most interesting fundraiser to date has been the Disney’s Morninglight Chicago Premiere.

On November 13th, 2008 NUST hosted the premier in the Chicago area of the movie Morninglight, a documentary on the youngest crew to complete the 2007 Transpac, a race spanning from Los Angeles to Hawaii in 10 days. The event was held at the Evanston Century Theatre. Along with the movie premiere, the team also brought Captain Ed Furry for a question and answer portion of the night, hosted a raffle with donations from local sailing and retail stores, and had drink specials in the Rhythm Lounge of the theatre. The event was a big success for the team. A lot of local Chicago sailors and Northwestern alumni came and proceeds from the ticket sales and the raffle went to the team. In the end, we raised over $1,000 dollars for the NUST, which will help us be able to become a more competitive team and get a full time coach for the spring season.

Everyone who came to support the team seemed to really enjoy the event. The team members also really enjoyed the movie and the talk with Captain Ed Furry, after which there was much mumbling about wanting to sail long distance races in exotic places. One highlight of the film is when the team meets up with their biggest competition in the middle of the ocean and the pressure to win becomes very intense. It was a very inspiring film and the bonding of the crew reminded us all of how sailing brought us together. Overall, it was a successful and fun evening that ended up being very beneficial to the team. Go NUST!

Sixth Time Is The Charm: Senior Jimmy Costakis goes to Singlehanded Nationals

2008-10-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

It had long been my dream to qualify for Laser nationals. Every fall since sophomore year of high school, I would drive to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, or Chicago to compete in the Midwest qualifier. Each time I would fall short. But for me, the sixth time was a charm.
As a senior, I had one last chance. The qualifier was in Milwaukee in early October. After two days of extremely close racing, under conditions varying from drifting conditions to a stiff sea breeze of 15 knots, I clung to a qualifying spot by one point. I was on my way to nationals!
I arrived in cold, overcast Ithaca, New York on October 23rd. The next morning, a stiff breeze greeted the 18 men and 18 women sailors who had qualified for the event. Our brand-new boats were neatly arranged on the grass, dew trickling down their sides. After an hour-long procession, we obtained our sails, rigging, and spars, and got to work flipping, rigging, and inspecting the boats. Soon, all 36 of us were on the water, surrounded by pleasant fall foliage. I was very glad to be there.
But Friday’s five races would put that positive attitude to the test. In the first race, I fought my way to the first mark in 12th, but finished 16th after capsizing three times. The second race saw the same finish, as I sailed tentatively downwind, avoiding capsize. Exhaustion began to set in. In the third race, I capsized once, falling from 14th to 16th.
Then, in the fourth, I could no longer keep my composure. The upwind legs were endurance races: with winds above 20 knots, it was all I could do to keep my boatspeed in the same ballpark as my competitors. The air was cold, the water colder, and each
capsize brought me closer to exhaustion. As I rounded the weather mark, my boat hopped up onto a plane. I smiled. But keeping the 130 pound boat stable as it flew downwind was no easy task for me in my fatigued state. I capsized twice. Then, as I capsized a third time, I was thrown from my boat while grasping the tiller defiantly. I heard a cracking sound. But as I slowly crawled back into my righted boat, nothing appeared to be broken. I grabbed the tiller and sheeted in. I was no longer steering the boat – only half the tiller was in my hand: I was waving it through the air as the other half steered the boat toward a fourth capsize. I got control of the boat and sailed in toward shore. I had broken my own carbon tiller, but I had a backup on shore that
LaserPerformance had provided the boats. Helpful Cornell sailors held my boat as I grabbed the backup tiller and quickly swapped out my broken one. Another men’s division sailor was having trouble, so the race committee started the women’s division while I sailed quickly back out to the race course. I made it out to the course for the next race, but struggled with the shorter tiller, capsizing twice and finishing 18th. I finished the day 2 points out of 16th place.
Saturday was rainy and not as windy, but I was still thoroughly tired from Friday. I struggled to get off the starting line with my competitors. I would set up well, but sheet in a second too slowly, or hike a little too late. I remained in 17th place after Saturday.
Sunday I finally felt as though I was competing competently. The air was warmer and dry, and the wind had calmed a bit. In race 15, I gybed outside near the finish to catch a puff, narrowly passing 2 boats and finishing a regatta-best 15th. I was still not satisfied. In race 16, I saw a right favor, and won the boat. I hiked hard, sailed smart, and rounded the weather mark in 6th. After a mediocre downwind leg, I rounded the wrong gate, and stayed out left too long on the beat – I fell to 17th in a single leg.
This would be the pattern for the day – strong first beats, mediocre downwind legs, and poor decisions on the second beat.
In the next race, I rounded the weather mark in 7th after a bad start. I nearly pinched off Thomas Barrows, a sailor from Yale who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the Laser. But again, I rounded the wrong gate, tacked off a lift, and fell to 16th.
As the warning sounded for the final race, I decided that I was not satisfied with my performance. I would sail my very hardest. A tricky start left me in the second row, but I hiked as hard as I possibly could, squirting out to the right with Billy Martin from Boston University. For several minutes we battled for first, trading positions with each header and lift. My legs burned. After two tacks in, I was in first by a hair, only 10 boat-lengths from the mark. Unfortunately for me, a lefty snuck in, winding six competitors inside of me at the mark – I rounded 7th. Again, the wrong gate, the wrong way on the second beat, and I fell to 16th. But now I was happy. Now I knew I could hang with the fastest college Laser sailors in the country.
I just have to learn how to sail downwind.
Special thanks go to the University of Wisconsin sailing team, and the Porter family. They were kind enough to offer me rides to and from the sailing venue and the airport. We ate meals together, and John Porter, a Wisconsin alum, helped me rig a sweet system using the stock LaserPerformance setup. John and his father helped coach me at the event.

Homecomings Old and New

2008-10-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Homecoming weekend at Northwestern is a busy weekend for everyone. There is a pep rally, a parade, fireworks, and of course a football game. However, on Saturday night after the game one could find sailors young and old gathered at The Mallinckrodt Center nearby in Wilmette for a delicious dinner and night of fun. The team left their drysuits back at the boathouse for one night and donned their finest attire, hardly recognizable with dry clothes and hair.

It was a true homecoming with NUST alumni returning to spend the evening reminiscing with old teammates. They had wisdom and stories to share with the twenty-seven new little mateys on the team, and fit right into the Northwestern sailing family. They sat down together and feasted on lasagna, chips and salsa, and a whole lot of delicious homemade guacamole. Nothing could wash this down better than the shockingly delicious purple sherbet punch. Who knew something that strange a color could taste so good? There were toasts, many a photo, and then the dancing ensued, all while the faithful Bostonians cheered the Red Sox to a win. The night flew by, and all were sad to see it end, but the end to one fun night was in no way an end to the fun.

Recruitment ‘08: from sand-shufflers to sailors

2008-09-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

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!

National Dream Deferred

2008-09-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Sloop Qualifyers was held out of Detroit Yacht Club Sept. 20-21, 2008. Out of an expected 15 schools, 14 showed to sail Flying Scots. Tod Reynolds skippered, Liz Hines was on Jib and Spin trim, and Joe Teno worked the foredeck. Our only preparation for this regatta was two days of boat handling practice out of Sheridan Shores the week before.

Racing was postponed both Saturday and Sunday, but 9 races still took place between the two. NU got off to a rocky start due to the light air and strong current and were 3 min late to the start of the first race. Determined to place better the second race Tod tried to win the boat and again, thanks to the current, got hung up on the Committee boat and had to do a spin. There were lots of nerves at work on the NU boat. However, with lots of racing left Liz and Joe were able to refocus Tod and get him sailing well again and NU finished Saturday with a 2nd a 4th. While other schools were also inconsistent, we knew that we had a lot of work to do going into Sunday. Thanks to NUST alum Cliff Harding who was housing the NU team for the weekend, everyone was able to relax for the night and prepare for the next day.

Sunday brought a different wind direction and different NU results. Sticking to the original game plan of conservative sailing and minimizing mistakes NU was able to go 1, 2, 2, 3 in the first 4 races of the day. This left us 1 point out of first, and two points ahead of 3rd going into the last race. On the start of the last race, Tod shifted his mindset to match racing the top two boats in order to secure a spot at Nationals. Sure enough, the third place team presented themselves on the starting line and NU went in for the kill drawing a penalty. NU went on to place second in the race and won the regatta on the water.

Unfortunately, Tod decided that although NU had won the regatta, the sportsman like thing to do was follow through with the protest against Owens that had come about during the last race, and through some twisted turn of fate NU ended up getting disqualified. Tod, Liz, and Joe left Detroit disappointed in the decision to protest and upset that they would not be going to Nationals.