CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — For the first time, there is a high school sailing team in Corpus Christi.
An experienced sailing instructor at Corpus Christi Yacht Club is teaching high school kids across the Coastal Bend how to compete on the water.
"They're not just learning a sport," U.S. Sailing Instructor Joe Hanko said. "They're also learning how to deal with somebody else on the boat—because it's a two-person sport—how to deal with stress, how to make all the calls on the water."
Hanko has decades of professional experience sailing and teaching. His previous sailing program was one of the largest in the nation for high schoolers.
Corpus Christi Yacht Club hired him to build a junior sailing program, and the club is providing coaching, boats and more to do it.
"All the things that it takes to run these regattas, we're doing it. So, really, we're just having the high schools form the teams up," Hanko said.
Different Coastal Bend schools will have club sailing teams. Hanko said London and Flour Bluff High Schools formed their teams.
Flour Bluff High School Freshman Caroline Levandowski has been sailing since she was seven years old. She said sailing might seem hard, but you begin to love it quickly. She explained how Hanko's experience helps her learn when she is on the water.
"It helps so much. I've learned so much over these last, like, five months," Levandowski said. "I wouldn't be at the level I am without Joe."
Amariz Rand, also a freshman at Flour Bluff, is new to sailing. She is Levandowski's partner on the 420, which is the boat high schoolers and college students use.
She said working with her sailing partner and having Hanko as an instructor helped her improve since she started. She explained what advice she has for someone who is just learning to sail.
"For a new person starting off, it's just, keep doing it," Rand said. "It was scary at first, but once I started doing it more and more, it became so fun."
Hanko said Incarnate Word Academy and Port Aransas High School are also forming teams, and Corpus Christi Independent School District has approval from the superintendent to form teams at its schools.
To be ready to compete, he said students need to learn about boat speed and handling. He explained they also need to learn tactics and know the rules well, since they will not be able to talk to their coach while they are racing.
"I know what they're up against," Hanko said. "I've had five girls nationals teams in the last six years, and I know where they need to be and we're going to get them there."
The sailing teams practice on Saturdays and will eventually add two weekday practices. Hanko said he hopes to have teams completely up and running by Fall.
Regattas start in March with a season opener and girls regional championship.