Amelia Keng, Web Editor–

Club sailing is a unique combination of sport and friendship that invites students of all levels. 

At Denison, club sports provide students the opportunity to engage in competitive, non-competitive, or recreational sports activities. Club sailing is one of the many club sports offered here at Denison.  

Griffin Conley ‘25 is the treasurer of club sailing. Conley decided to join club sailing because it was not a tough commitment.

“It’s not varsity level, so I like the balance that I can do with my academic schedule,” Conley said.

Club sailing is a great opportunity for students to learn how to sail whether people are new to the sport or experienced.

“We are currently not participating in a regatta, so it is mainly just an opportunity for people to get out on the water,” Conley said. “Whether you’re an experienced sailor just looking for a way to connect with the sport, or someone new that wants the opportunity to learn while at Denison.”

As someone who has been sailing for a while, Conley decided to join club sailing because he wanted to continue with the sport in college.

“I’ve been sailing since I was eight years old, and I really wanted the opportunity to keep up with it,” Conley said.

The club meets once a week on Wednesday afternoons. They depart for Hoover Reservoir around 4:30 p.m. and return four hours later. Each practice typically starts with pairings, where they try to partner someone who has experience with someone new. Everyone then starts preparing and rigging the boats. Rigging is a system of ropes, cables, and hardware that controls the sails and other parts of a boat.

“We’ll start off with pairings, typically, and then we’ll have the pairings, get the boards for the boat, like the rudder and tiller, and then also the sail,” Conley said. 

Prior to coming to Denison, Owen Tekelenburg ‘26, a member of club sailing, had never sailed before. However he always spent his life in and on the water as he was a competitive swimmer for 14 years and participated in crew.

“I reached out to one of my friends I knew had gone sailing before, and asked if I could join one week and learn,” Tekelenburg said. “From that first week, I knew that this was something I wanted to learn more about and increase my skills in the boat.”

One of Tekelenburg’s favorite memories from sailing was just being able to try something new. Tekelenburg believes that there is something special about being on the water when the air cools down and the sun starts to set. 

“It was when I sailed for the first time by myself,” Tekelenburg said. “Being that I had never done something of the sort, and then to teach others how to tack and rig, it was very rewarding and cool to see how much I’d learned.”

Students can sign up for the club’s email list on WhattoDU and everyone is welcome to join the club on their Wednesday trips to Hoover Reservoir.