Credit: Katie Collett

As spring sports pick up, so does the demand for facility use and time. This spring the sailing team will relocate to the Wayland side of the Cohituate Lake, where the crew team also practices.

On March 17, spring sport athletes began practicing for the upcoming season. Multiple sports have to share the Wayland High Schools (WHS) facilities like the turf and surrounding fields. For other sports, they have a whole lake to themselves.

The Wayland-Weston crew team has held daily practices on the Wayland area of Lake Cochituate for 25 years, while the sailing team has been working on the Natick side of the Cochituate State Park. Recently, the sailing team made a switch in their after-school location, moving to the Wayland site of the lake.

“I proposed [moving locations] in the fall, and I sent it to Wayland Athletics,” sailing head coach Sean Chase said. “Wayland Athletics then had to run it by the Wayland Parks and Recreation Department, and then they had to approve it.”

The body of water that will hold both of the teams practices in the spring is narrow and just over a mile long. One of the worries being discussed was if there would be enough space for the two sports.

“It will be interesting to see how the two teams will work together on the lake,” crew team member senior Felix Kissell said.

Collaborating with each other will become a large part of practice as the coaches guide their teams to safe water time.

“We [crew coaches] will need to be in communication with the sailing coach on a regular basis, both on and off the water,” crew coach Beatrice Sims said. “Each sport has its own challenges, and sharing water space needs to be done in a safe and considerate way.”

Crew boats tend to look for the still water on the lake for a smoother row, while the sailing boats need the wind in order to steer.

“There’ll probably be days in which crew won’t even have practice because it’s too windy, but we’ll be out there.” Chase said.

One concern amongst the teams is that the fast-moving crew boats would come in contact with the sailing boats as they are harder to sail and steer in a shorter time. There is a specific traffic pattern set up on the lake so that this is avoided, which will help with the situation.

“I expect rowers to show the same courtesy and respect to other boats as they do to their own boats,” Sims said. “Coxswains and bows will have to be extra aware of the extra traffic.”

Nevertheless, both teams need to practice after school to be ready for their regattas throughout the season. Being courteous to surrounding boats will be necessary for both teams.

“I’m excited to share the lake with the sailing team as long as it doesn’t disrupt our practice,” Kissell said.