Fresh out of the water, the Riordan sailing team sailed to victory in multiple regattas this year. Small but mighty, the team only consists of five members: Leon Tan ’29, Charlie Petty ’29, Kaia Burris ’27, Jai Walthew ’27, and Team Captain Nolan Balocki ’27.

The team competes against different schools from all over the country, ranging from ones in Illinois to Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Led by Coach Brent Harril, they come together to strive to be better, learning strong techniques and practicing mental toughness.

Coach Harrill said, “My coaching philosophy is to help each one of the sailors that I work with become the best individual that they can be. This is achieved by not only pushing one’s physical abilities but challenging them to personally grow.”

He added, “We have an amazing program that allows seven teams to train together, which allows the sailors to self-reflect and collaborate to learn from one another.”

Through the harsh windy conditions and the high stakes, it takes a lot of strength to be in the right mindset to sail.

“Sailing is a very challenging mental sport in that we have to deal with an ever changing ‘field’ with factors that are constantly changing and never the same, so understanding how to refocus and adjust to changes is a very important part of the sport,” said Coach Harril.

Clearly, their hard work and dedication has paid off. This season was one of the most successful they have had since their 2021 Championship win. During the SF High School Championship, they pulled through and placed 3rd overall.

As this season comes to a close, the team looks forward to an even stronger season next year.

Team Captain Nolan Balocki ’27 said, “Next season our goal is to have a larger team, a more competitive team and to keep climbing up the ranks statewide.”

Balocki added, “We are currently 29th in the state and this is the first time Riordan has ever been top 30. We hope to keep climbing.”