By a Lake Forest Love Writer Lake Forest Sailing made history at the singlehanded High School Sailing Nationals. It was the first time that a single high school had four sailors qualify for the Cressy Trophy. Lake Forest High School sailors Henry Scholz (’23), Tristan McDonald (’24), Charlie Gish (’24) and Owen Kohut (’25) qualified by finishing top three at the Midwest Qualifier in Cleveland in September.
Tristan McDonald (foreground) and Charlie Gish were among four Lake Forest High School sailors in the top 15 at the High School Sailing Nationals. The 2022 competition was held in Norfolk, Va. at Old Dominion University on Oct. 29-30. Day 1 provided strong, shifty winds and flat water. Day 2 was slightly less windy but still windy enough for fitness to play a leading role. At Nationals the sailors compete in 18 back-to-back races that each last approximately 20 minutes. “It is full-heart-rate sailing for all 18 races, especially with the breeze we saw,” said Coach Will Howard. “If you make one small error, you’re in last place; the fleets are extremely competitive and every point counts.” Henry Scholz finished 4th overall, Tristan McDonald 5th, and Charlie Gish 9th. Owen Kohut finished 14th in the Radial Fleet and won the final race with a massive lead. “For all four sailors, this is a rewarding achievement earned through a lot of hard, year-round training and competition,” Howard said. “As I always say and have proven every step of the way, the best is yet to come!”