CASTINE, Maine — Maine Maritime Academy sailing head coach Patrick DiLalla shared his thoughts on the Mariners' upcoming 2025 season.
The Mariners return to action in 2025 looking to build on the success of their 2024-25 season, bringing back a large core of last season's roster along with a talented incoming freshman class expected to make an immediate impact.
Eight Questions with Patrick DiLalla
What are you most excited about for the upcoming season?
I'm most excited to get to know all of the first-year sailors and to see the upperclassmen lead.
How will you look to build off the success of last season's team and continue to develop a young and talented group?
We're looking to build on the good practice habits and positive vibe that we established last year. These things are at the core of what we do. Practice is something everyone looks forward to because it's fun and we get something out of it every day.
How will the makeup of your schedule both challenge and prepare your team for the championship portion of the season?
We've added some regattas this year that will give us a taste of tougher competition before we get to the championship events. Going to a couple of these events early in the season will give us a sense of the pace and boat handling of the top teams in the country. Then we can use that experience to inform how we practice.
What are some of the biggest strengths of your team heading into the season?
We have several freshmen and sophomores who are determined to get to the top of college sailing during their time here. That level of motivation is a huge asset to our program.
We also have a group of captains with a lot of experience in the ups and downs of competing at a high level. They are a huge asset because of their maturity, willingness to lead and desire to leave a legacy. I think our captains have a great perspective, which I hope they pass on to the underclassmen.
How do you design practices to challenge your team and prepare them for the season?
One nice thing about sailing is that the wind and water provide a new challenge every practice. Our challenge as coaches is to hold the sailors to the highest standard of excellence and to teach them the right approach. By that I mean eliminating mental laziness and fostering relentless attention to detail.
You brought in a large incoming class for both men and women. How do you develop the youth of your program to build for the future?
This is what we are here to do. We use our fleet of boats and our ideal sailing area to develop young talent into national contenders.
Building off the youth of your program, how will the upperclassmen carry on the tradition of MMA sailing and how do you motivate them to mentor the underclassmen?
What I've said to our upperclassmen is this: "Remember the juniors and seniors when you were a freshman, and what they meant to you. Remember the impact they had on you. Now make the most of this opportunity to lead. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it's special."
Closing:
Maine Maritime opens the season at home Sept. 6-7, hosting the Penobscot Bay Open and the Harman Cup beginning at noon.
