While many people think of sailing as a fun, leisurely activity for a breezy summer day, three district students think otherwise. For them, the sport is a lot more involved.

“A very common misconception is that we sail on these 30-foot sailboats with fancy clothes and that all you have to do is sit on a boat, but actually it engages a lot of your core as well as your legs and even arms,” said Alex Bonsager, an 8th grader at Chippewa Middle School.

This year, Alex, his sister Vivian Bonsager, a 7th grader, and Morgan TerMaat, 10, are a part of the Mustang sailing team, competing at competitions at the St. Croix River and around the metro.

For the Bonsagers, who began sailing around the age of five, their decision to begin sailing was most influenced by their dad. “My dad encouraged my sister and I to join because he sailed all through his life,” said Alex.

TerMaat, on the other hand, found out about sailing through a friend. “I had a friend who thought it would be cool to learn how to sail so she convinced me to take a class with her,” she said.

After a summer of lessons, TerMaat soon realized the sport was a perfect fit. “I didn’t feel this huge pressure to do well like I had in other sports, and I genuinely enjoyed it,” she said.

Sailing is the perfect sport for those with no prior experience. “To sail you don’t even need any knowledge of sailing,” said Vivian. “The coaches and teammates will teach anyone and they are really good at it.”

Although experience is unnecessary, teamwork is crucial in sailing competitions, known as regattas. With two people on the boat at the same time, sailors need to work together to achieve success. “When we sail we work together in order to keep the boat properly balanced and to maintain speed,” said TerMaat.

With little to no recognition for sailing from the school, the team hopes to make sailing an official Mounds View sport soon. “ I would like to see the sport grow in popularity enough for us to be recognized by MV as an actual sport,” said TerMaat. “If we were to get more people we would also be able to attend more training regattas which would be super fun.”

Students who are looking to support the team can attend their regatta this Saturday, May 21, in Lake Minnetonka at 10 a.m.