Allie Blecher

Classes were over, her degree in the bag and graduation slowly becoming a memory. Allie Blecher ’10, however, still had unfinished business at the College. Actually, it was unfinished business on Lake Mendota in Madison, Wis., where she and her College sailing teammates gathered in late May to compete for a national championship.

The breeze was faint that week, and algae in the lake further slowed the women’s sailboats. Beyond these less-than-ideal conditions, Blecher and her fellow Cougars faced stiff competition from Boston College, Harvard, Georgetown and other top sailing schools. But Blecher had worked four years for this chance at a championship, and she wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip away, especially when she and her teammates had come so close the year before, finishing second at nationals in a narrow loss to Yale University.

Unfazed by the light winds, Blecher and sophomore teammate Alyssa Aitken dominated the pack, coming in first or second for eight of their 10 races. Racing in the College’s other boat were Rebecca Bestoso ’10 and Shannon Heausler ’10, who performed nearly as well in their own races, making the College of Charleston women’s sailors the national champs for 2010. Even better, Blecher was named the Quantum Women’s Sailor of the Year, only the second time a Cougar has been awarded that honor, which is considered the equivalent of college football’s Heisman Trophy.

Blecher’s twin achievements at the Madison regatta punctuated the end of an incredible sailing career at the College. By her own estimation, Blecher arrived at the College as an unremarkable junior sailor. She had grown up outside Los Angeles and spent summers sailing with her parents and grandmother to the Catalina Islands off the California coast, but didn’t make much of a splash. At the College, though, her coaches saw her potential and encouraged her growth. By sailing almost daily, she became better and better.

“By the time I became a senior,” Blecher says, “everything just clicked.”

Critical to her success was her cool-headed sailing companion, Aitken, who trimmed the jib and spotted for Blecher. Aitken learned that when Blecher got riled or anxious during a race, she got quiet. So Aitken would spur Blecher to talk, about the shape of clouds, or life at the College – anything but dwelling on mistakes made in the water. That kind of reflection could wait until later, after the race was finished.

Alyssa Aitken and Allie Blecher

Alyssa Aitken and Allie Blecher

 

Blecher’s sailing technique is exceptionally smooth, says Ward Cromwell, the College’s women’s sailing coach. That finesse, as well as Blecher’s and Aitken’s small size, consistently made them one of the fastest sailing teams in the country, even when the wind was light.

“She actually taught me some things,” admits Cromwell.

Alana O’Reilly ’06, who is the only other Cougar to be named the Quantum Women’s Sailor of the Year (2006) and is now a sailing coach at Georgetown University, recalls watching Blecher sail with Aitken at the national championships in Madison and persevere through the difficult conditions. “She just dominated,” says O’Reilly. “Even if she had a bad start, she would fight her way back.”

When Blecher received her award in May, she took to the podium and thanked her teammates and competition. Then she said a few words to her coaches – Ward Cromwell, Nick Ewenson and Alice Manard – recognizing their role in getting her to the top of collegiate sailing: “I loved sailing for you for four years. It’s been a long road, and I enjoyed every minute of it.”