CHECKING IN WITH ... CAELAN DESMOND
(Editor's note: The Day will be publishing a profile of a spring athlete for each day the high school athletic season is suspended.)
School: Williams School Class: Senior Sport: Sailing Position: Skipper College choice: Wesleyan University Chosen major: Neuroscience on a pre-med track Favorite high school class: Latin, it was a small class and I think that the environment fostered the most interesting conversations I've had in my time at Williams.
Checking in with Caelan: "The Williams School has supported me academically and socially in ways incomparable to which I can imagine I would have gotten elsewhere . ... The community is incredibly tight and it is nice knowing that there will always be someone to stand by you when you need it."
What you need to know about Caelan: Because the varsity sailing team at Williams is only open to high school students, Desmond played lacrosse, basketball and soccer during her middle school years until she was permitted to sail. "I tried quite hard to weasel my way in there, but did not succeed," Desmond said. But sailing, which she has done competitively since she was 6, is Desmond's sport and she immediately earned a spot as a skipper her freshman year. "The Williams sailing team is so much fun and all of the sailors are passionate about the sport," she said. "This spring I was most looking forward to spending time with the team and enjoying the time we had on the boats. Since we're all friends and sailing relies so heavily on learning from others, we work really well on the race course." Desmond, from Stonington, first began sailing at what is now New England Science & Sailing and is also a member of the Wadawanuck Club in Stonington. She was one of the first members of the locally based MudRatz youth sailing program and has competed with them in Optimists, 420s, Melges 24s and J/70s, as well as sailing for the Special Olympics the last two years. "I love being out on the water and sailing has given me that while also giving me an outlet for competitiveness," Desmond said. "I find that I am able to bring things out onto the water and leave them there." She doesn't know if her ambitious academic undertaking will allow her to sail at Wesleyan, but she plans to return home to compete on occasion, including the Stonington Harbor Frostbite Series. Her favorite venue to sail has been at the Orange Bowl Regatta in Miami, which she attended in 2017, calling it "magical."