Members of the Illinois Sailing Club walk around campus sporting T-shirts that have boats going through cornfields.

When people think of sailing at a Big Ten school, most think of UW-Madison or Northwestern because of their proximity to large lakes, said Commodore Katie Anderson, junior in LAS. Students may not be aware of it, but the University does have a club dedicated to sailing that is quickly growing in numbers.

The club attends regattas across the Midwest and is a member of the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association. Anderson said the club is a mix between a competitive sport and a social outlet.

“We do focus more on getting out there and having a good time,” she said. “You get to know people very well after sitting on a boat with them for several hours.”

The club is only four years old and is quickly recruiting more members.

“We are always looking to grow,” Anderson said. “We are trying to focus on getting people out there and trying to teach people to sail. We had 150 people show up last Wednesday to the info meeting.”

This semester, the club is scheduled to participate in six regattas. The club practices at Clinton Lake, about 45 minutes west of Champaign, and competes against all of the other schools in the Midwest with sailing teams.

“There is no better practice than racing,” said Anderson, who devotes entire weekends to traveling to and from races.

Race Chair Brian Shaw, junior in Engineering, said the races are what you make of them.

“No one will kick you off the water because you’re not sailing fast enough,” he said. “On the other hand, there are many established programs and exceptional sailors in the Midwest, and the competition at the top is fierce.”

Shaw said he learned to sail about eight years ago and for him the competition is part of the fun.

“I always tell our team to slow down if they’re not having fun, but immediately afterwards discuss conditions and tactics,” said Shaw.

Along with races and practices, the club holds training sessions in which they learn more about the strategies and procedures of the sport.

“Our race captain holds educational meetings after every practice about everything from knot tying to race tactics,” Anderson said.

Shaw said last year the training focused primarily on safety and boat handling, and this year they will gear it more toward racing, maneuvers and weather.

In addition to races and classroom training, the club hosts a variety of social events throughout the year.

“We have creative events year-round, on and off the water,” Shaw said. “Overall everyone is very active and ready for anything from a cook-off to a scavenger hunt.”

As far as dues go, members have to pay $35 a semester, or $60 for the year. The club receives money from SORF, but still has to conduct fundraisers throughout the year in order to pay for all of the race and training fees.

“It is a little tough for us because SORF will only fund six trips,” Anderson said.

Meanwhile, the club is going strong with what it has, improving and growing every year since it began.

“Our team is pushing into that upper echelon, steadily improving our standings while keeping the mood lively,” Shaw said.