Student Senate grants $5,000 to URI Sailing Team, group prepares for competition in Marseille, France

9/17/09 - The University of Rhode Island's Student Senate approved the sailing team for a $5,000 grant yesterday.The sailing team will travel to the Collegiate World Cup and requested money to cover the costs of this event. The team plans on going to the event for two weeks in October, which will be held in Marseille, France. The team's hope is to bring the world cup to the university.

According to Jesse Fielding, skipper of the URI world cup racing team, the sailing team spent the entire summer fundraising for their upcoming trip.

"It means a lot to go to France," Fielding said.

The sailing team, which currently ranks higher than the sailing team of the United States Naval Academy, is "the only U.S. team ever to win an event before the '90s," Fielding said.

Along with the seven men who are going to France, two women will attend.

"Sailing is a co-ed sport and this event honors that," Fielding said. "We appreciate them coming with us. Without women's sailing, we wouldn't have the sport we have."

Fielding said the team needed the money because it's very expensive to send nine students to France. Their biggest expenses include money for airline tickets and hotel rooms.

According to the finance committee Chairman Allen Petit, the team received a $6,000 loan last spring to cover a damage deposit for the boats in France. Petit is assuming the boats will not be damaged during the trip. "In the past, nothing bad has happened," Petit said.

He added that it is a great way to represent the United States. In the past, he said, the team has placed more often than not in this event.

President David Bedard urged the senate to approve the team's grant.

"This is a huge opportunity for URI," Bedard said.

Fielding said this is something he has grown up wanting to do. "It is a dream come true."

He's excited for the trip. "There is a great group of people going," he said. "It got me more involved in the community of the university."

"It made me something more than a student-athlete."

Seventy-five percent of the $40,000 budget was collected through fundraising this summer, Fielding said.

The team wrote about 150 letters to sailing alumni asking them to donate money.

They then broadened their spectrum and invited sailing and URI alumni, important people in the state and people of the marine community for a night at the URI Foundation building. Approximately 100 people attended the event where Fielding and other sailing members talked about international competition. Guests were asked to donate in order to attend.

Fielding said it was the team's "coming out party" for the community.

Last semester, the team showed the newest sailing film, "The Morning Light," which features some URI men. They charged $10 for students and $20 for non-students, which helped the team raise $1,000 that night.

They have also sold T-shirts this week for $12 for students and $15 for non-students.

In other news:
-Giana Prata was elected Cultural Affairs Chairman.

-Joelle Harrington was elected elections committee member.

-Vidhi Shah is the Student Senate Homecoming queen nominee.