Passionate about wind

Lindsay Sandham

A handful of high school students sailed into the harbor at the U.S.

Sailing Center in Long Beach, looking slightly disheveled and

wind-burned, but all with beaming smiles on their faces and nothing

but drive and passion for their sport of choice -- sailing.

It was the Calvary Chapel High School sailing team, which has been

practicing for the Interscholastic Sailing Assn. national

championship, which starts today in Port Angeles, Wash.

The team, one of five in its district to make it this far, is

preparing to compete among the top 20 teams in the country.

It’s a remarkable achievement, considering that a couple years

ago, there was no sailing team at Calvary Chapel.

This caused quite the conundrum for Balboa Island’s Blake Warner,

16, who had to choose between attending high school at the Christian

private school in Santa Ana or at Corona del Mar High School, which

is known for its reputable sailing team.

In the end, Warner decided to go to Calvary, to be with his

friends and to study in a more faith-based setting. But his desire to

sail at the high school level didn’t decrease, and he began seeking

others who shared his passion.

Shortly after his classes began in fall 2003, Warner met Garrett

Laudenback of Costa Mesa and discovered that he also enjoyed sailing.

They are now co-captains of the 13-member team.

“At first, we just wanted to start a team,” Warner said. “We

didn’t expect to get this far.”

Calvary Chapel’s team is coached by Peter Wells of Newport Beach,

who won the 2004 U.S. Olympic trials in the men’s Mistral class.

“As a coach, I don’t have to try and motivate them,” Wells said of

the team. “They’re really focused for their age. They’re just a great

group of kids -- really enjoyable to coach.”

The team, which also includes Costa Mesa’s Mike Arthur, practices

most Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Mike Segerbloom, executive director of the sailing center and

coach of USC’s sailing team, said that Wells is a terrific coach, but

it is the hard work of Calvary Chapel’s team that got them to the

nationals and that will help them succeed.

Because the team is so new, the sailors’ expectations for this

weekend’s championship aren’t too ambitious.

“We’re going to have a good time,” Wells said of the six members

who will compete in Port Angeles. “But these guys have worked hard,

so we’d like to finish in the top five or six.”