North Cook News

Former Loyola Academy athlete Clare Perry is making quite a collegiate impression after a successful freshman season.

For those who don’t follow collegiate sailing, the College of Charleston in South Carolina had a successful season, finishing fourth in the Sailing World College Rankings. Perry played a vital role in securing that fourth spot and is just one of a number of talented sailors who make up the College of Charleston squad.

“The CofC sailing program has been a great experience for me this past year," Perry told the North Cook News.  "I honestly could not ask for better teammates and coaches. Not only has the team helped me improve my sailing skills, but also has supported and welcomed me in my freshmen-year transition.”

Perry is relatively new to competitive sailing compared to some of her teammates. She didn't truly learn to sail until her freshman year at Loyola Academy in Wilmette. 

Sailing is a skill that came to Perry almost as a mistake. In her first year at Loyola Academy, she initially played for the volleyball team, but after an unfortunate series of events led to her exit from the team, she needed another athletic outlet.

“I wanted to find a way to get actually involved in something at a very big high school," Perry said. "My dad suggested the sailing club. My family has always enjoyed sailing, and we often rented boats in Chicago during the summers. Joining the club team with barely any background or knowledge of sailing was a whole new experience for me."

After joining the sailing club at Loyola her freshman year of high school, her love for the sport only grew. What had first been a hobby now became a competitive outlet.

In her junior season at Loyola, Perry’s team made it to nationals in both team racing and fleet racing.

“I love being on the water and really like competing,” Perry said. “My coach in high school, Zac Hernandez, saw this. During my freshmen year, he moved me from the club team to the junior varsity team and then to the varsity team.”

Perry went from having limited experience with competitive sailing to being co-captain of Loyola’s varsity squad her senior year. This kind of exponential growth in a limited period of time is not something that occurs often in competitive sailing, and college programs began to take notice.

Perry chose the College of Charleston, and her coach could not be happier to have her on the team.

“She's a great girl, good sailor and a super asset to our team,” Coach Greg Fisher said.

Where Perry goes, success tends to follow. After great team accomplishments at Loyola, she was witness to the College of Charleston’s run at nationals.

Perry did not sail in nationals, but the team preparation was something she had not experienced before.

“At the end of the school year, practicing for nationals with the team had been a blast,” Perry said. “Learning from the upperclassmen and seeing them strive for success was a very valuable experience.”