Sunsets reflecting off the new John Hancock building; snow-covered peaks in the distance in Seattle, Washington; waves crashing on the shore in Corpus Chriti, Texas; lunchtime conversations on the docks with opponents and teammates; talks with my coach, Mike Horn, between races; sailing at Harvard-Radcliffe was about a lot more than just racing. It provided me with opportunities for travel, for interactions with many different people, and for personal growth that I would not have had had I not done a sport at Harvard-Radcliffe. I appreciate having had the opportunity. Learning from the best: I sailed against some of the best women sailors in the world (a few have gone on to sail in the Olympics and at least one has medalled). From the time I joined the squad in my sophomore year I was able to learn from my teammates and my competitors. They gave me the chance to hone my skills and build my self-confidence, and self-confidence that carried over to other areas of my life. Making life-long friends: Sailing is unusual because every weekend we sailed against many of the same competitors in a large fleet. This meant that I got to know some of my competitors well. I am fortunate to be able to count among my closer friends a few of the people I met through sailing. Learning about life and about myself. Getting to know my opponents well on and off the water gave me the opportunity to see different competitive styles. Some had a hard time losing, others were gracious. Some socialized, others didn’t. There were as many different styles as there were people. From my coach I learned to expect the most of myself without demanding more than I could give. I learned that I had limitations as a competitor and sailor – not something that was easy to accept. I see now, in retrospect, how much I got out of my experience sailing for Harvard-Radcliffe.