On the water, they’re gladiators.
For the University of Miami sailing team, wrestling water, air and sails is as much of a discipline as it is an art form.
Sacrificing comfort to compete against the best programs in the country, the UM Sailing team has long operated at the same level as any varsity program. In 2023, the team asked for that acknowledgement.
When the team made its long-fought bid for NCAA varsity status — a chance to be fully recognized, funded and protected like the athletes they already were — it was denied by UM’s athletic department.
In a 2023 article by The Miami Hurricane, Athletic Director Dan Radakovich dismissed the team’s request, comparing it to “the debate team,” a line as inaccurate as it was insulting.
These athletes don’t argue in air-conditioned rooms, they defy the elements. Each practice on Biscayne Bay is a battle with wind, bruised legs, torn hands and weather that doesn’t permit negotiations — day after day, they break down their bodies and rebuild them again for a sport that demands everything.
Being a club program doesn’t make it any less competitive than the football or basketball teams; it simply restricts the resources available.
But within those constraints, Miami Sailing has done what so many teams with far more support fail to do: compete, excel and build a formidable national reputation on grit alone.
Last season, the Canes finished 11th in the nation. This year, they’re ranked inside the top 25 — ahead of programs with exponentially more funding, staffing and institutional support.
“No matter how cut short we are, we still come together as a team,” junior Brianna Hummel said. “We’ve continued to do well, despite all the hoops we’ve had to jump through.”
Though the team has seen more financial support in the past few years, it’s still a fraction of what its competitors receive. At the national level, that difference isn’t cosmetic — it’s functional. It shows up in the gear they can’t afford, the travel they patch together and the compromises no varsity program ever has to consider.
Sophomore Nathan Long even cited a nearby sailing team having a Xbox in its team van, fully-funded by its school’s athletic department.
“We’re in the club sport van that doesn’t have AC half the time,” Long said. “[These other teams] have the advantage.”
And yet, year after year, Miami Sailing competes at that level, challenging the nation’s top varsity teams.
“It would be great to get out of this sort-of ‘debate team’ stigma we’ve been locked into,” sophomore Chris McCollum explained. “This isn’t your average club sport practice; it takes time to rig these boats [and] we work over the weekend.”
They sacrifice several hours each day for their sport, contorting into impossible positions and fighting waves constantly trying to throw them off balance.
Your hands burn and thighs shake, all while your brain tries to determine wind shifts and right-of-way rules. There is no bench nor breaks. Every second is a tactical calculation made at full speed.
“You have to want it,” McCollum said.
And while the sport demands individual precision, success depends on collective trust — the people braving the water with you.
“We have to build on each other in order to succeed,” sophomore Jadin Gonzalez said, looking at a teammate rigging a boat. “I think we do a great job of that.”
But this team’s undeniable nerve, tenacity and inspiring optimism doesn’t erase its uphill battle.
Even though Miami Sailing competes against the nation’s best varsity teams, defeating many of them, sophomore Luca Webb explained recruits are still hesitant to come to The U.
“Kids don’t want to take the risk — even if they think UM is where they want to be,” Webb said.
Captain Steven Hardee has seen this firsthand.
“If you want to be a top team in sailing, you’re going to need to be varsity,” Hardee said. “As soon as you make this team varsity, it’s going to be a top 10 team — a top five team.”
From the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix, Hardee competes internationally, having raced at ten World Championships, the Pan American Games and even campaigning for the 2024 Olympics under its banner. With 14 years of competitive sailing experience, Hardee is no stranger to sailing’s physical, mental and emotional toll.
“The tactics, fleet management — there are a lot of things that go into it,” Webb said. “People don’t understand the dedication we put into this.”
And that commitment isn’t abstract. It’s tied to the school stitched across their chests, even when that loyalty isn’t returned.
“We love this school,” Gonzalez said. “We want to feel the love we give it.”
At some point, the question stops being whether Miami’s sailing team have earned recognition and starts being why they’re still waiting for it.
After watching them in motion, any reason not to take them seriously stops making sense.
You can call them just another club or compare them to the debate team if you’d like. But watch them race. Watch them turn the ocean into an arena — then try saying it again with a straight face.
Because when the wind whips the bay into shape and the boat tries to throw them overboard, they rise anyway — hungry, faithful and unrelenting.
And if that’s not varsity, then the word means nothing.
