Michigan State’s club sailing team offers students a chance to learn the sport, compete against other universities and travel across the country, even if they have never stepped on a boat before.
With a consistent group of members each year, the club welcomes a wide range of students, from experienced sailors to complete beginners looking to try something new at MSU.
“We have about 30 to 40 members, and we have three separate memberships,” said Talena Monasmith, a senior environmental engineering major and team’s commodore.
Those memberships allow students to choose their desired level of involvement. Some members join primarily for social events such as bowling nights, formals and team gatherings. Others participate in regular practices, while the most committed members compete in regattas against other schools.
“If you’re a brand-new sailor and you’ve never sailed before, we teach you how to sail,” Monasmith said. “And if you grew up sailing or have been sailing for a few years, we try to refine your skills.”
Practices are held at the Michigan State Sailing Center, located in Haslett on Lake Lansing, where the team trains multiple times each week. The club has access to more than a dozen boats through both the team and the university’s sailing program, allowing multiple sailors to practice at the same time.
Experienced sailors on the team often help guide beginners during practices, showing them the basics and helping them build confidence on the water.
“Half of our club are people who have never even been on a boat before,” said Ryan Dodge, a senior applied engineering sciences major, who is an E-Board member and former club commodore. “So you have a handful of people with experience who are just there to help you learn and get comfortable out there.”
Competition is also a major part of the club’s schedule. Throughout the fall and parts of the spring, members travel to regattas hosted by other universities across the Midwest and beyond.
“Every weekend in the fall and for part of the spring, we travel to different Big Ten universities,” Monasmith said.
Past trips have taken the team to schools such as Ohio State, Wisconsin and Indiana, along with competitions in states including New York, North Carolina and South Carolina.
While some regattas are highly competitive, the club also focuses heavily on introducing new students to the sport.
“We’re more interested in getting new sailors out there and teaching people how to sail than being overly competitive,” Monasmith said.
That balance between competition and accessibility has been a key part of the club’s growth in recent years. Many members arrive at MSU with no sailing background at all, something the team embraces as part of its culture.
“You’re only in college once, and sailing will only be this affordable once, so you might as well give it a shot,” Dodge said.
Dodge joined the team during his freshman year after growing up sailing in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a popular sailing destination on Lake St. Clair just outside of Detroit. Within months, he stepped into a leadership role helping run practices and organize competitions.
“I started as a freshman and was elected race practice captain that fall, helping organize practices, competitions and getting people out on the water,” Dodge said.
Despite the club’s competitive opportunities and travel schedule, the program operates entirely as a student-run organization.
“Michigan State doesn’t recognize sailing as a varsity team, so we have to fund the entire club ourselves,” Dodge said.
Fundraising plays a major role in helping the club offset those costs. One of the team’s largest annual fundraisers takes place each summer in Port Huron, where members sell merchandise during a major sailboat race.
“Every summer we sell our merch in Port Huron for the big sailboat race, and we usually make $4,000 to $5,000 from that,” Monasmith said.
The money raised helps support the team’s travel and keeps participation costs manageable for students.
For many members, however, the most memorable part of the club is not the races or the fundraising, it is the experiences and friendships built along the way.
“One of my favorite things has been traveling to other campuses and seeing how different everyone’s college experience is,” Dodge said.
Competing at regattas also gives sailors a chance to meet students from across the country who share the same passion for the sport.
“As long as you keep an open mind, you meet really cool people you can stay connected with for four years,” Dodge said. “That sense of community is really special.”