Sydney Bolger
Sailor of the Week: June 7-13
Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.), a graduating senior from Georgetown University and A-Division Women’s skipper, was crowned the 2012 Quantum Women’s College Sailor of the Year last week in Austin, Texas at the ICSA / Sperry Top-Sider Women’s National Championship. She was named an ICSA Women’s All-American Skipper all four years of her collegiate sailing career.
“It is a tremendous honor to be named the 2012 Quantum Women’s Sailor of the Year, as it is something I have aspired to achieve since my freshman year. This was clearly my final opportunity to fulfill this longtime personal goal, however I was equally focused on winning a Women’s National Championship because I felt that we as a team had a tremendous shot at doing so. Unfortunately, we fell just short of that achievement this year,” said Bolger.
The Georgetown Women’s Sailing team finished fourth overall at Women’s Nationals, but merely 14 points behind winner, Boston College.
Bolger won the award over finalist, and last year’s winner, Annie Haeger of Boston College. It was noted that Bolger’s record in Women’s Regattas gave her the edge over Haeger, winning almost every event that she competed in, including an A-Division title at this year’s Women’s Nationals.
Bolger gave some tips and insight into making the transition from high school sailing to the collegiate ranks. “Soak up all of the tips, strategies, and advice you can from your coaches and fellow competitors. Also, never be satisfied with performing below your potential and recognize that the only way to compete at your highest level is through dedication, commitment, and practice,” she said.
Bolger is an aspiring Olympic Sailor, and is currently a member of the US Sailing Olympic Development Team. She is focused on capturing Gold in Rio de Janeiro at the 2016 Olympic Games. She sails the 470 with crew Nancy Hagood, Georgetown teammate, and B-Division women’s skipper. Following college, she plans on training for the Olympic Games full-time in Miami. She will likely square off against Haeger over the next four years for the coveted birth to the 2016 Games.
“My experiences training and competing with the US Sailing Team has been fantastic. The team members are so supportive of one another and there is a good balance of competitive energy and fun. I am really looking forward to increasing my role on the team and commencing my campaign for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,” she added.