5/26/2023 9:15:00 AM | Sailing - Open & Women's, Peak Performance
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By: Justin Lafleur
Growing up in the remote town of Irvington, Virginia, Boyd Bragg of the Big Green sailing team was instantly hooked to Dartmouth.
"I had no interest in a city school at all," he said. "There are 400 people in my town. A school like Dartmouth in the woods, there are so many opportunities up here and it's such a competitive school.
"I loved it."
Flash forward a few years and although his road has been atypical, which included the COVID pandemic and a gap year, Boyd has continued to love Dartmouth. It has been a perfect fit for the Virginia native, who has enjoyed strong success, on and off the water.
Coming from a small town, Bragg had a small group of friends growing up. He often recharged by looking inward, but also from relationships with others.
Relationships are a big reason why Bragg took a modified gap year surrounding the pandemic and will be returning to Dartmouth for a fifth year in 2023-24.
"My college career has not been typical whatsoever," he said. "Right when I was getting into the groove of things in the spring of my freshman year, the pandemic hit."
When Bragg weighed the options of remote learning versus a gap year, the decision was clear.
"I really thought it wasn't worthwhile to spend a year at home or off campus learning online," he said. "I like the tight-knit community at Dartmouth and really wanted to preserve that for four actual years of college.
"My parents are very supportive of me," Bragg continued. "We talked about it and they supported the idea. It helped me preserve staying on campus, meeting people, creating contacts and preserving that college feel."
Another bonus was being able to use the time away from Dartmouth to learn and grow in multiple areas.
"I got my real estate license going into the summer right when COVID hit," said Bragg. "Our market was really hot in Virginia; people were moving from the city to the country and I thought that was a great way to make money, which helped support competitive sailing."
Speaking of sailing, Bragg and Dartmouth teammate Aisling Sullivan (who had also taken a gap year) sailed in the 470, an Olympic class boat, for the fall and into the winter term in New York.
"We were also lucky enough to train with the Olympic team prior to Tokyo 2020 in Miami," said Bragg. "That was a really cool opportunity. That summer, I started in Virginia, then went to New York to train, then Miami."
The opportunity in Miami began with Bragg and Sullivan reaching out to the coach in New York, who worked alongside the development team, all while hoping to receive an invitation to Miami.
"We were really unsure of what the path was at the time," said Bragg.
The path would led Bragg and Sullivan to the Sunshine State.
"I learned a ton," said Bragg. "World-class coaching down in Miami in the winter. You couldn't really ask for more, and it was a time when I could solely focus on training.
"I also did my best to help those guys (the Olympic team) prepare for a top-level regatta, and I learned from them day-to-day about their routine, how they practice and how they interact with their coaches."
As Bragg said, the experience "flipped the switch" for him, opening his eyes to the very potential and opportunity to sail beyond Dartmouth.
It made him seriously think about the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
"Los Angeles 2028 has always been in my head," he said. "But I haven't started a campaign yet. I got my toes wet in the 470, really enjoyed it, and that's something I might loop back to."
Bragg has shown to be an extremely successful in college, immediately winning NEISA Rookie of the Year in 2019-20. Earlier this month, he received first team All-NEISA skipper honors, helping lead the Big Green to a first-place finish at the Admiral Moore Open Team Race in March. Bragg was also nominated for this year's Alfred E. Watson Trophy, presented annually to Dartmouth's top male student-athlete of the year.
In addition, Bragg was recognized as an ICSA first team All-American skipper his freshman, junior and senior years (the Big Green didn't compete Bragg's sophomore year due to the pandemic).
"It is rare on our team for a first-year student-athlete to start, and even more rare for a first year to start A division," said Dartmouth head coach Justin Assad. "However, Boyd was that rare first year. Going back to 2010, the fall of 2019 was the first time we had a first-year skipper starting A at the Schell. Since then, Boyd has been a force on the water, consistently battling for the front and pushing his teammates to do the same."
This spring was actually the first time Bragg competed in the conference championship, due to the pandemic and injury.
Keep in mind, he's a senior.
"Three weeks leading up to last year's event, I suffered a really bad concussion, which took me out of the spring conference championship," he said. "This year was finally the first time I was able to compete at 100 percent."
This year, Bragg teamed with Drew Clutterbuck to win the A Division at the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association Open Fleet Race Championship, providing some great momentum for the rest of the season.
"We're pretty confident going into nationals," said Bragg.
Bragg's role in his pair is skipper (also called driver or helm).
"The skipper handles the main sail, which is the bigger of the two sails," he said. "There's a main and a jib. As skipper, you're calling tactics and working with your crew throughout the racecourse. There are two formats of sailing (fleet and team) but in both, you're looking for speed and staying sharp with tactics.
"The way I think of sailing is running while playing chess at the same time," Bragg continued. "It's very hard to juggle both of them — both maintaining communication with teammates, as well as driving."
Similar to the way Bragg feels recharged by two ends of the spectrum — both alone time and time around others — he also finds sailing calming and competitive at the same time.
"I love being on the water," he said. "It's been a part of my childhood [since middle school] and I've always loved it. It's a calming sport, but also super competitive.
"As a competitor, you want to reach the top in whatever you're doing, which keeps me going," Bragg continued. "Bringing Dartmouth a championship is something that drives me."
Where did Bragg's drive originate?
Bragg with two of his best friends from Virginia
"Going at it after school with my friends," he said. "No matter what we were doing, we were competing. I have a really competitive friend group. Pushing each other at a young age, the small group of us learning at a young age how to hold ourselves accountable and create something played an important role."
Boyd's competitiveness is infectious.
"Boyd pushes the other athletes, and they challenge him as well — both in practice and at competitions," said Assad. "This has created a positive feedback loop where both Boyd and his teammates are constantly competing and improving, looking to break through the next barrier or milestone."
One of Boyd's teammates is his sister Reese.
"While Boyd attending Dartmouth was not the primary factor in deciding to come to Dartmouth, his love for the school and sailing positively impacted my decision," said Reese. "I remember when we would catch up on the phone his freshman fall, he talked about all the amazing people he had met and how beautiful it was to sail on the lake with the foliage.
"His enthusiasm when talking about Dartmouth made me curious to see if it would be a good fit for me as well, and it turns out that it was."
Boyd and Reese aren't only at Dartmouth, but they're also making a strong impact.
The sibling relationship has remained strong, but has just shifted a few hundred miles north.
After winning the high school team race national championship
"Reese sailed with me in high school; she was my main crew there," said Boyd. "We actually won a national championship together. It doesn't feel any different from my entire life. We chat on almost a daily basis, but also give each other space to enjoy college without a sibling in your hair."
Reese will have her brother around for one more year in 2023-24.
"I love that I can continue to be on the same team in college and feel fortunate to have Boyd by my side for another year," she said. "Boyd has always been a great sailor, winning regattas for over a decade. Not only is he a great athlete and brother in my eyes, but also a friend who I can always depend on."
For Reese, having Boyd around makes the experience much more fun.
"I am grateful that he is with me at Dartmouth, especially being far from our parents and home in Virginia," she said. "I am excited to continue to watch Boyd shine for the rest of his college career and cannot wait to see what he does next."
Boyd's experience, combined with his strong desire to improve, means the sky is the limit — both at Dartmouth and beyond.
"I came in as a rookie with a ton of speed and not too much skill with the tactical side of team racing," said Boyd. "I've definitely improved my fundamentals. We have an elite coaching staff at Dartmouth and a really strong team from top to bottom."
Boyd has three stellar crews he works with, depending on the wind on a given day.
"Yumi Yoshiyasu came into college as a world champion already," he said. "I just won our conference championship with Drew Clutterbuck. And then Chris Long, who is my heavier crew, doesn't get to crew as much unfortunately. It has been lighter up in New England, but he's also stellar."
Stellar would be a good word to describe Boyd as well, along with the Big Green team as a whole.
"We are excited for the grand finale this season to see what Boyd, Maddie, Aisling, Yumi, Reese and the other standout athletes on the team can accomplish," said Assad. "They have poured their heart and soul into the team this year, and have much to be proud of as we take the water in New York [for the ICSA National Championships]."
Bragg and Yumi Yoshiyasu
For all of Bragg's successes, he remains confident, while also modest and humble.
"I really like learning," said Bragg.
Bragg also enjoys Dartmouth, and has no regrets about his decision to head to Hanover, New Hampshire, or take the modified gap year when he did.
"Dartmouth was a really good fit for me," he said. "You throw the COVID wrench into it, that was quite tough, but other than that, it has been almost perfect. There are opportunities on campus where you can remain social and also remove yourself from that."
"I really like the wilderness up here, nature hiking and doing fun activities outside," he said. "I believe there's a perfect balance at Dartmouth that allows me to achieve my potential."
Bragg's potential is certainly being reached, with much more to come.
