Wind in Their Sails: Three Eagles in Sailing Club Earn Honors for Academic Excellence

Most Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students are focused on the skies, but Timothy Dolan found his home on the water through the university’s Sailing Club.

Dolan is one of three of the club’s students, along with Zechariah Frantz and Paige Arneson, named to the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association of North America’s (ICSA) All-Academic Team.

“I started sailing just about every weekend and loved it,” said Dolan, an Aerospace Engineering student who is the Sailing Club’s president. “The Sailing Club at Embry-Riddle has taught me everything I know. I don’t know where I would be without it.”

Among 290 student-athletes named to the ICSA team, the three Eagles are the most students from Embry-Riddle to be selected for this distinction, according to Dr. Christopher Herbster, associate professor of Meteorology and the club’s faculty advisor. They join peers from elite institutions, such as Harvard University and the U.S. Naval Academy.

ICSA team members must be juniors and seniors who have participated in seven or more regattas and have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

“I don't think we have ever had more than one,” Herbster said. “It is difficult to attend enough events and maintain a high academic standard. I'm super proud of these students.”

Embry-Riddle Sailing Club members Paige Arneson, Tim Dolan and Zechariah Frantz have been named to the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association of North America’s (ICSA) All-Academic Team. (Photo: Embry‑Riddle/Tim Dolan)

Sailing as Sport and Stress Relief

Sailing is more than just a new hobby for many club members, who travel together to competitions around the Southeast, including as far as Oriental, North Carolina.

Competitive sailing can be a challenging mix of handling a boat in varying wind and weather conditions, as well as outmaneuvering opponents to complete the course in the fastest time.

“The team has an amazing sense of camaraderie. We travel around and compete with each other and grow as sailors together,” said Frantz, the club’s co-ed team captain. “It’s a diverse group of people from all walks of life, and we’re close because we all love sailing.”

Much like about 80 percent of the club’s members, Dolan, who is from Oklahoma City, was completely new to sailing when he joined the club his freshman year. But the student-run club, which has 18 sailboats and about two dozen active members, prides itself on being open to teaching all students how to sail.

Embry-Riddle Sailing Club member Tim Dolan had never sailed before joining the club. About 80 percent of the club’s members are new to the sport. (Photo: Embry‑Riddle/Alex Chidester)

Like Dolan, Arneson was completely new to sailing but fell in love with the sport.

“I tried sailing my freshman year, and I never looked back,” said Arneson, a senior Homeland Security and Intelligence major from Mesa, Arizona. “I love being outdoors and active, and I needed a stress reliever from school and work.”

Research has shown that physical and visual access to nature reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, balances circadian rhythms and encourages positive health outcomes, said Dr. Teresa M. Michaelson, director of the university’s Counseling Center.

“We commonly encourage students to engage in outdoor activities. Being so close to the beach, nature trails and water activities makes it easy for students to connect with nature and reap its benefits,” Michaelson said.

“When you are on the water, you feel in touch with nature, and you are generating all this power and speed from the wind,” said Frantz, a senior Navy ROTC student majoring in Mechanical Engineering who grew up sailing with family in Michigan. “It is absolutely a release from your stresses of school and whatever you have going on in your life.”

Frantz said the club has helped him grow his skills in racing, fleet maintenance and money management.

“The sailing team has also offered many unique leadership challenges and lessons that I would not have experienced otherwise,” Frantz said.