Riordan Sailing, which recently has been recognized as an official sport at Riordan, has been crushing waves throughout this season dominating other schools around California. Sailing is only in its second season as an official sport, but started at Riordan in the 2019-2020 school year.

Last year, Riordan was ranked 33rd out of 75 in the state. Head Coach Parker Colantuono said that his goals for the team this year are to continue improving every year and grow the team.

Parker said, “I think the team can become a top team in the Bay Area in the next few years. They need to focus on recruiting and building a strong team framework to ensure their success for years to come.”

Sailing has a small, but feisty roster, only consisting of six people: Jai Walthew ’27, Nolan Balocki ’27, Kaia Burris ’27, Paige Walsh ’27, Elizabeth Walsh ’26, and team captain Eva Bennett ’25. Since the sailing team is small, there are a lot of challenges to overcome. Even so, the team is dedicated to the sport putting in the time and effort into becoming better. 

So far, the sailing team has participated in six regattas (competitions) and has done relatively well, placing top 10 out of 30 in two regattas. At the Anteater Regatta in Newport Beach, California, sophomores Walthew and Balocki placed 2nd in their first rotation, bumping up Riordan’s overall score. 

The sailing team practices at St. Francis Yacht Club near the bay. Practices are done with other schools in San Francisco.

Burris said, “I love being part of the community, all the SF high school teams are really tight, when we’re competing out of town together we always have each other’s backs.”

“It’s fun but can be stressful. Windy days can be a little scary because the chances of capsizing are higher, but you get to hangout with friends and meet new people,” Walthew said.

Riordan sailing has a bright future with how fast they have been improving and growing.