When a team has a streak so long that most members have forgotten when it started, it’s probably doing something right.

Most members of the Wisconsin Sailing Team, in fact not even the coach, could name the last time they didn’t send the co-ed, team and women’s squads to ICSA Nationals. It’s an impressive streak given the hardships that come with running the program. But that streak was put to test two weeks ago as the Wisconsin Sailing Team hosted MCSA Team and Co-ed qualifiers April 15-17 on Lake Mendota.

Sailing: Wisconsin completes treble, continues streak that predates memory

As a wind-pattern from the south and southeast blew over the city, it created a challenging environment, which head coach Dave Elsmo described with a hint of exasperation.

“The wind we had was coming straight from the capitol,” Elsmo said. “It’s pushing you [toward Picnic Point] and so you’re fighting against the most imbalanced wind because it has to go over and around all the structures on the isthmus. Then it finally drops onto the water and it’s by no means going straight over the water. It’s like when you see smoke coming off of a bonfire.”

There was no consistency in wind patterns across the course, which forced sailors to make near constant reads on wind shifts. But as longtime sailors of Lake Mendota, Wisconsin was able to make the correct calls and overcome the conditions they’ve dealt with for most of the year.

But the weekend did come with some struggles, as the team had only put the dock in that Thursday and hadn’t practiced in some time. In team races, Wisconsin finished the first round with a 5-2 record after losses to Minnesota and UW-Milwaukee on the first day of sailing.

As women’s and co-ed skipper Kate Klement pointed out, there was still plenty of work left for the team to do.

“There were definitely times when we struggled getting back into the swing of things,” Klement said. “Our boat speed and maneuvers [during the events] were definitely down from what we usually perform at. It was frustrating going into an event and not performing 100 percent … but we realized that if we kept working together things would eventually click and by the end, we were getting back into it.”

When that first day ended, there was a five-way tie for first place that needed to be broken. But by the end of the second day of racing, Wisconsin overcame its early struggles and came out in first place.

Wins over Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern and UW-Milwaukee, a clean sweep of all second day races, gave the Badgers first place and a berth to ICSA Nationals semi-finals in San Diego in late May. Much like their dominant performance in team races, co-ed went much of the same, with Wisconsin taking the race by a healthy margin to qualify for San Diego as well.

None of the races were easy, but the team showed its character and maturity by coming out on top, co-captain Katrina Debbink said.

“It was challenging conditions,” Debbink said. “The wind was very shifty out of the south which meant that if you were on the wrong side of a shift you were done for. A couple of times we were on the wrong side of the shift which didn’t work out well, but overall our teams really showed … they were sailing smart.”

Adding to the two berths in co-ed and team racing for the Badgers at nationals, the women’s team also locked down important wins at its qualifying tournament in Denning, Ohio the following week.

The team took another comfortable win in hearty wind but, like the co-ed and team race teams, its members are well aware that it’s best at the moment is not enough to come out on top at nationals, senior Katie Hall said.

“The competition that we’ll see in San Diego will be much more intense, so it’s going to require a lot of different tactics,” Hall said. “We’re going to have to work to make those adjustments to stay competitive against the top schools in the country.”

With nearly a month separating the teams from sailing in San Diego for the nation’s top prize, there is plenty of time to rectify their mistakes. The rough conditions may be a blessing in disguise, for sailing in extremities put the team at its limit and showed areas it needed to work on.

The team is preparing for the competition it has competed in for many years prior with great enthusiasm. The streak does not take away from the excitement, there are no jaded members to this team — only a group of sailors looking to prove Wisconsin belongs in the water with the nation’s best.