Page 58 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2019

SPORTS & OUTDOORS we are the champions
SET SAIL story by A.J. Giardina
Saint Stanislaus Navigating Success on the High Seas
photos courtesy of Saint Stanislaus High School
A talented Saint Stanislaus sailing team captured the 2018 Mississippi High School Fleet Racing Championship last November at the Gulfport Yacht Club. The win propelled head coach Dan Zwerg and his Rockachaws to a fourth consecutive state title.
During the same weekend, the Bay St. Louis Catholic boys school sailed to back-to-back Gulf Coast Fleet Racing Championships with 46 points. Fairhope High School placed second with 70 points. Fort Walton, St. Patrick, and St. Michael High School of Fairhope, Alabama, rounded out the five teams competing.
Coach Zwerg said, “It’s a big accomplishment. The team worked hard and showed up every single time we sailed. It made a big difference.”
Saint Stanislaus won first-place in all three divisions, 420A, 420B, and Laser. In the single-handed Laser Division, sophomore skipper Michael Burns won all ten of his races. “It takes time to be good at it,” Burns said. “Since most of us grew up on the water, it helped us become a great team. I feel like we can do it again next year.”
The majority of sailing events are open to males and females competing together. A few years ago, Saint Stanislaus welcomed students from Our Lady Academy to join the Rockachaws sailing team. OLA is an all-girls Catholic high school in Bay St. Louis.
Sophomore Claire Housey was a member of the first-place 420A Fleet team. “St. Stanislaus is generous enough to let OLA students participate,” she said. “It made for an enjoyable experience.”
OLA senior Hanna Dawley said, “Saint Stanislaus has a huge reputation for being the best sailing team on the Coast and we enhanced that reputation in November.”
Saint Stanislaus junior Joshua Grumme said, “OLA doesn’t have enough sailors to make a big team. I think it’s useful for them to be able to join our team.”
To help ensure the future of the team, coach Zwerg allows younger sailors to skipper the boat. “If you want to win consistently, you have to develop your younger sailors,” he said. “Those younger sailors will become your future champions.”
Joshua Grumme and Claire Housey
2018 MS High School Fleet Racing Championship
Michael Burns
58 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • February 2019
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