ICSA Hall of Fame inductees Reynolds and Capper

by Jan Harley on 11 Jun 2010 The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) recently acknowledged the contributions of two individuals to the sport of college sailing by inducting them into the ICSA Hall of Fame. James Tod Reynolds (Summit, N.J.) received the Student Leadership Award and Holland C. 'Cappy' Capper (Wayzata, Minn.) was recognized with the Graham Hall Award for Outstanding Service by a College Sailing Professional.

The ICSA Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to acknowledge the competitive achievements of undergraduates as well as the service contributions of individuals whose efforts helped in the establishment, growth and development of college sailing. In recognition of their significant service to the organization, the names of these inductees will be added to the permanent ICSA Hall of Fame display located in the Robert Crown Sailing Center at the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Md.).

Graham Hall Award - Holland C. 'Cappy' Capper (Wayzata, Minn.) has been honored by ICSA with the Graham Hall Award which recognizes organizers, administrators, advisors or coaches who have served the best interests of
college sailing at the club/team, conference or national level.

The nomination for Capper noted that he was 'an outstanding college sailing professional as an educator who provides insight, skill development and motivation to sailors and coaches alike.'

In addition to holding positions as head coach for both the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.) and University of Saint Thomas (St. Paul, Minn.) Sailing Teams, Capper is Director of the Wayzata Community Sailing Center (WCSC). Since arriving in Wayzata in 2005, his strong emphasis on sailing in the community has fostered the growth of WCSC into a nationally-recognized program. A 2008 article in Sailing World categorized Wayzata as one of 'Five Great Sailing Towns You May Not Know About' and cited the sailing center, which teaches hundreds of children to sail each summer, as playing a big part in receiving that designation. Last summer Capper started an adaptive sailing program at WCSC - which included blind sailors and wounded warriors - with a goal of fielding a competitive disabled sailing team within three years.

Capper is considered an integral resource by the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association, one of the seven conferences that make up the ICSA. By offering guidance and encouragement, he has influenced other teams in MCSA: while running events he has allowed students the opportunity to take a leadership role, and he has encouraged his assistant coaches to help other teams and serve on ICSA committees.

Born in Chicago, Capper's first sailing experience was racing in a Sunfish at age five, with his father, on Lake Michigan. They finished second 'and I was hooked for life,' said Capper. He has two sisters who are also avid
sailors, and he credits his seamanship skills to his Dad [Holland Capper of Manistee, Michigan]. 'We did a lot of cruising before we got into racing. Dad was a self-taught sailor and we weren't let out of the cockpit unless we
learned a new knot. We learned how to hang a fender, drop an anchor, and anything that went overboard was an excuse for a man overboard drill. I never felt like it was a bad thing, it taught us the importance of why you
do things, and do them properly. There was always a purpose and value. Recently I realized what a good teacher he had been.'

Capper picked up another 'family sport' at age three - skiing. He would go on to compete as a youth in amateur competition on the FIS North American Tour. He pursued an Olympic ski campaign and also competed on the Peugeot Grand Prix Professional Ski Racing Tour. He also gives back to that sport - as a Level 1 Certified Coach for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.

At first, teaching sailing was just a summer job. But it became a career. He was the Sailing Master at Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago for 10 years, during which time he met and married Martha with whom he has two teen-aged
sons. Capper then became Executive Director of the Lake Minnetonka Sailing School in Minnesota and during his 10 years at LMSS he ran three different facilities at three different yacht clubs, managing 28 instructors and over 100 boats owned by the school.

Over the years Capper has provided the tools for sailors of all levels to advance their skills and develop their love for sailing. A US SAILING Level 3 Certified Coach as well as a Master Instructor Trainer, he co-authored the Level 2 Coaches Manual with Betsy Alison. He has been conducting certification for coaches at the ICSA winter meeting and approaches the process in a way that makes sense to the professionals who may think they don't need to be certified since they are already college coaches. 'I bridge the gap between professional college coaches and the US SAILING
certification program, and I'm really proud of that,' said Capper.

'Last year I crashed in a mogul field skiing and broke my neck in three places, both arms, had massive internal injuries and spent nine days in intensive care. I had to fight my way out of that to get back to walk and coach again. The kids that watched me go through that to coach again at a national level. I think that gave them the idea [to nominate him for the award]. And then I started getting congratulations,' explained Capper of the surprise that he was the recipient of ICSA's Graham Hall Award.

'It's an amazing honor. As an athlete you watch all these pro sports and you see the top people being inducted into the Hall of Fame. It makes you feel like you are at the pinnacle of the sport to be inducted. My dad wanted to know if they gave me ring.'

Student Leadership Award - James Tod Reynolds (Summit, N.J.), a graduating senior from Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.) has been honored with the 2010 James Rousmaniere Award for Student Leadership which recognizes an undergraduate whose efforts have made a significant contribution to the development, progress and success of his or her club or team, conference, or the ICSA.

Reynolds has been a consistent leader throughout his career in college sailing, starting in freshman year when he was elected a Captain of the Northwestern University Sailing Team (NUST) and organized a 27-person spring training trip to Texas. Splitting time between coaching three days a week and his own practicing and racing, he propelled his teammates to both theICSA Women's and ICSA/Gill National Championships in 2008. His impact helped swell the team to 67 members.

During Reynolds sophomore year he orchestrated the purchase of 12 new 420s to replace the team's existing fleet, and implemented a replacement program which ensures the team will receive new boats every four years. In his
junior and senior years, Reynolds expanded his service to college sailing by serving on the MCSA Executive Board. As MCSA Race Chairman he organized the first MCSA Match Racing event at Sail Sheboygan, a US Sailing Center, and worked with teams to develop new events.

Elected MCSA Commodore, Reynolds also worked with Chicago Yacht Club to strengthen the Timme Angsten Memorial Intersectional, laid the ground work to create the MCSA Foundation, and served on the ICSA Board of Directors where he played a major role in revamping the ICSA Sloop National Championship which will become a match racing event when it is held in the fall of 2010.

The nomination for Reynolds noted that what made him unique was his 'dedication to high standards, well researched and informed thoughts, consistency, and ability to run meetings. He demonstrates professionalism,
objectivity, and passion that excites and motivates others to be better sailors and leaders. His efforts have led to the success of others. Tod has not only accomplished goals and tasks as a college sailor, he has used his skills and talent to better his team, conference and college sailing.'

Born and raised in Summit, New Jersey, Reynolds grew up in a sailing family and is a member of Island Heights Yacht Club. 'There are a bunch of great local clubs and good sailors that came from that area. We pushed each other to do well. I did a little sailing in high school. The team was me and my brother, and any two girls we could find to sail with us. We even made it out of our district a couple of times.' Reynolds, whose father Buzz was nationally ranked in the Finn class, acknowledged having briefly thought about his own run in that Olympic class boat. 'I got a little taste for that kind of competition at the worlds, but I have other interests.'

Explaining that he has been match racing with fellow college sailor Taylor Canfield, Reynolds said he can see himself going on the world match racing tour some day. For now he plans to put his engineering degree to work - come October he will start control system design for nuclear subs at Electric Boat in Groton, Conn. - and see how things work out.

'For me the most significant part of college sailing was seeing NUST become more consistent and progress as a team. My focus was to lay a foundation where it will continue to grow. I founded an alumni board and while
students will always be in charge with the day-to-day operations, the alumni can help so there isn't a huge learning curve every year. In the University's eyes it also gives more confidence that there is something behind the team, that it's more than just a group of undergrads.'

'It's pretty cool,' said Reynolds of the Student Leadership Award. 'I had an awesome four years in college and I really enjoyed trying to grow the sport. It's nice to be recognized for it.'

Finalist for the 2010 Rousmaniere Award: Seth Whitmore, Queen's University '10.

Intercollegiate Sailing Association - ICSA is the governing authority for sailing competition at colleges and universities in the U.S. and some parts of Canada. It is divided into seven conferences that schedule and administer
regattas within established geographic regions: Middle Atlantic (MAISA), Midwest (MCSA), New England (NEISA), Northwest (NWICSA), Pacific Coast (PCCSC), South Atlantic (SAISA), and Southeastern (SEISA).

For more information, please visit www.collegesailing.org