2010 Classic Snipe Rally Know Your Trophies Strategies for the ...

An Interview With Laura
Stamets
By Julia Marsh
At age 20, Laura Stamets is an energetic,
motivated, up and coming Snipe sailor
originally from Berthoud, Colorado who grew
up sailing with Fleet 210 in Denver. Having
competed in her first Women’s Nationals in
2004 at the age of 14, Laura is a great example of how
to stay motivated and maintain a great attitude on and
off the water. Now in college, Laura has been training
and competing on the Texas A&M sailing team for
two years. She and her boyfriend/crew Dan Dalgleish
also have been sailing with the Dallas Snipe Fleet
this summer and working to save up enough money to
make the trip to the 2010 Nationals in Annapolis in
August. One thing is for sure, the Snipe Class will be
seeing a lot more of this young lady…
When did you first start sailing?
My parents sailed pretty much all of their lives. When I
was really little, I didn’t like sailing. I was bored and I would
drag my hand in the water. Then I started going to a junior
camp where I started competing and doing well. That’s when
I started to like sailing more. I started off in a Sunfish. Then
one of the juniors bought a Snipe and then all the other juniors
got interested in Snipes. My dad asked me if I wanted to be
competitive, and I said that I did so he got me a decent boat. It
was a bit nicer than the other Snipes. It is Ed Adams’ old boat.
Then, all of the other juniors got tired of Snipes and switched
to 420’s, but I stayed with the Snipe. I was really lucky that
my parents were so supportive of my sailing. When I was 14,
my mom flew me to California to do the Women’s Nationals,
and I was so upset because I was in last place and I felt awful.
Then I came back to Colorado and raced in the local fleet and
I did a little bit better. I always look at every event as a step
towards improving in the boat and as a sailor.
What was your first major Snipe regatta?
The first Nationals that I ever went to were the Women’s
Nationals in 2004. It was a huge learning experience and by
that I mean that we did terribly, but everyone was so nice
and so helpful that it made the regatta a lot of fun. All of the
Nationals I have gone to have been the same way, a valuable
learning experience!
The 2007 Nationals were held at your home club in
Colorado. How was that event?
A lot of planning went into the regatta. I helped out and
volunteered a lot of time. My results were better at that
Nationals because it is where I am from and I’m a better lake
sailor than ocean sailor. I felt like we were in the competition
a little bit more instead of just trying to survive and get around
the racecourse.
Laura and crew Dan Dalgleish at the 2010 Firewater Regatta
in Lincoln, NE.
How is college sailing going for you?
It is definitely a challenge. I have to plan all of my classes
around practice, which is from 3:00-6:00 everyday and I
travel pretty much every weekend. Texas A&M is the only
school in our region that has a coach, so we do well in our
area. Our district is not as competitive as some of the others,
like the Northeast. The time on the water is really great and is
improving my sailing.
With your busy college schedule, do you still find time to
do any Snipe Sailing?
Practicing is every day for three hours and traveling to
regattas every weekend doesn’t leave a lot of room or time
for Snipe sailing. My boyfriend Dan and I really wanted to
get ready for Nationals, so in order to get ready, we went to
Nebraska and did the Firewater Regatta, then some weekends
12 www.snipeus.org
Donna Gustafson