Wilmette sailor Maggie Shea explains the edge of Lake Michigan – NBC Chicago

Maggie Shea is one of those tough sailors from the Midwest.

As a child, Shea played with her cousins ​​by tipping over boats and swimming under them. She went to regattas in her parents’ green Suburban with a boat tied to the roof. And she laughs every time someone comes to Chicago and stares in awe at Lake Michigan, thinking it looks like an ocean.

Shea grew up in Wilmette, where her family introduced her to sailing. For years, her grandfather John would sail his boat, the Wind Dancer, while her grandmother would cook casseroles and the whole family would come aboard. It was something of a thing that happened every summer.

“It was a big family affair,” Shea said. “We really celebrated every part of it.”

Shea attended New Trier High School, where she and her two siblings were on the sailing team. The three were also members of the Chicago Yacht Club.

Shea called Chicago an incredible place to learn to sail, from the benefits of freshwater to the sailing community. She said they “have it good here.”

According to Shea, one of the things that makes the community so great is the enthusiasm that skyrockets in the summer because sailing is not possible during the winter months.

“In areas where you can sail year-round, there is not as much activity at the docks during good summer months,” Shea said.

Coming a little “late to the game,” as she put it, didn’t stop Shea from giving it her best. She fell in love with the challenging aspect of sailing, the idea that the race is different every day, even when you’re in familiar waters.

“That’s the only constant,” Shea said. “You don’t know what to expect.”

As a young sailor, Shea was fascinated by the independence the sport required and her love of being on the water. The long hours on the water helped toughen her up, even if she didn’t realize it at the time.

“You’re the captain. You have to make a lot of decisions and deal with a lot of adversity,” Shea said.

She continued her sailing career at Connecticut College. After graduating, she plunged into the world of professional sailing, teaming up with a former rival who is now her long-time partner in the sport: Stephanie Roble.

When two people work together to steer a boat, communication is important. During training, they practice speaking while solving math equations. When it comes to competition, the two rely on “choreographed communication” and their routine checklists.

“It’s like a ‘marriage.’ Our schedules are so intertwined that we all have to commit to the same level of commitment,” Shea said. “It just requires a lot of communication.”

Aside from the competition, Shea says the two support each other and learn a lot about each other. She also says they try to laugh as much as possible.

“We’re more successful when we find something to be silly about,” Shea said.

Shea and Roble compete in the 49erFX sailing class, which means their races last 30 minutes and they compete in a 4.9-meter boat with a lightweight platform specifically designed for speed.

“It’s a very unstable platform designed for high speeds, which makes it physically demanding. It’s literally hard to balance on it,” Shea said.

Roble and Shea often have to hold on to the side and reach speeds of up to 22 miles per hour.

The sport has led them to compete all over the world, typically staying in one place for two to eight weeks. In addition to sailing, they also do everyday things: going to the gym, the grocery store and using public transportation.

Shea said this allows them to truly immerse themselves in different cultures.

“Plus, the sailing community is international and very close. You kind of feel at home in most yacht clubs around the world,” Shea said.

The two competed together at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but things didn’t quite go according to plan. Shea and Roble finished 11th after a problem caused them to spin and both fell into the water.

“No matter how hard you try to prepare … I’ve learned that you can’t fake experience,” Shea said.

Tokyo may have been their first Olympic Games together, but it won’t be their last. The team is officially traveling to Paris.

Shea said to be a great sailor you need a lot of physical strength and explosive power. Now, in the lead-up to the Games, she is training several hours a day, both in the water and in the gym.

The team has done some things differently in this last three-year cycle compared to the previous five years, and Shea said she’s excited to see it all come to fruition in Paris.

Shea also expressed her joy that her family was able to watch her compete in the Olympics, as they had played such a big role in her involvement in sailing.

“I hope they can come and enjoy what they helped me accomplish,” Shea said.

Although her goal is to bring home a medal, Shea said it would be even better to be proud of the accomplishment she and her teammate accomplished.

“That’s what this second attempt is all about: trying to get things done in a way that we’re proud of the process,” Shea said.

Shea said she is not sure what career she wants to pursue after her sailing career, but she would like to work as a coach.

“I really hope I can help the next generation of skiff sailors in the States,” Shea said.

Shea isn’t the only Olympic sailor from the area. She said she’s seen a rise in sailors from the Midwest, many of whom grew up on lakes with unpredictable winds that give them a unique perspective on the sport.

“‘Sea sailors,’ as we call them, have a special talent for certain sailing techniques,” Shea said. “That shows how tough the sailors in the Midwest are.”