Luckily for boating enthusiasts on The Plains, the Auburn University Sailing Team is such a club.
"I love the flexibility of the sailing club," said Lauren Jennings, junior in marketing. "The more you want to be involved, you can, and if you are busy or things come up, it's not a commitment that will take over your life."
The team meets at the Dixie Sailing Club outside Alexander City, between the Kowaliga Bridge and Ridge Marina.
"I joined the team my freshman year just on a whim during O-days on the concourse," said Claire Ritchey, senior in horticulture. "I was just browsing through all the club booths, and when I saw the sailing team's booth I was immediately enthralled."
The team participates in the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association, which hosts events for similar organizations through the winter and spring.
"The club goes to as many SAISA events as it can," said Sammy Hodges, sophomore in wildlife sciences and the club's commodore. "Between football games and other events around Auburn, it's hard to get a full team to go to all five events each semester. The spring semester is the main season, and my goal is to go to all five regattas in the spring."
Competitively, the team has participated in several contests, including the 2009 Charleston Open Regatta, in which the team took 11th place overall, with two members of Auburn's A Division placing in the top 10.
"I would have to say my favorite part is getting to represent Auburn at SAISA Regattas," said Logan Little, junior in electrical engineering. "It's so fun to have the opportunity to go to other schools around the South and race. At the same time, I have met so many interesting and fun people from schools all around the South."
Hodges said he plans on the team attending two more regattas this fall. Venues for competitions include Rollins College in Florida, Charleston, S.C., and the Tennessee Concord Yacht Club.
"Traveling to Regattas held at different colleges around the Southeast has been a great experience for me," Ritchey said. "The sailing team's first priority is to have fun at these regattas, and I think we've accomplished that every time."
One factor the team seems to agree on is the amount of camaraderie and fun had by each member.
Though some, like Hodges and Little, have family connections to the sport, others on the team say it's the lasting friendships that keep them sailing.
"I love the people I've met by being a part of the sailing team," Jennings said. "You can never really guess what is going to happen but you can be sure that it will make memories."
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