Surf & Turf: Four Days with Jack Parkin

While oil and water are immiscible, senior Jack Parkin proves soil and water can be an excellent combination. In late October, Parkin, a member of the U.S. Junior National sailing team, raced in the ISA high school singlehanded national championship in Galveston, Texas. The following day, he was competing for Brunswick’s cross country team in the FAA championship. In both events, Parkin finished in sixth place overall.
 
Throughout the fall, Parkin split his time between running with the Bruins cross country team and training for the singlehanded (solo) championship at the Riverside Yacht Club. Parkin was a key contributor to this year’s undefeated cross country regular season, finishing in the top 10 in each race against a consistently strong field.
 
In September, Parkin won the New England singlehanded sailing championship. The victory allowed the Brunswick senior to race in the high school national sailing championship in Texas. The 18-race, weekend event was scheduled for October 22-23. The following Monday was the FAA championship for the cross country team.
 
His four day, two-sport, 3,000 mile saga began on Friday, October 21 as he arrived in Texas late in the day, missing pre-registration for the championship. Parkin, traveling alone, stayed with the family of his U.S. Junior National sailing partner, Wylie Rogers, who lives in nearby Houston.
 
On the water, Parkin had a dozen top-10 finishes and six top-five finishes in the 18-race championship in the waters off of Galveston, including a clear win in the 11th race.
 
In his winning race, Parkin broke to the left end at the start line. While the other 17 boats tacked left and right, Parkin assessed the risk of staying to the left of the other boats on the way to the windward mark.
 
Parkin’s wind calculation paid off as he built a commanding lead heading into the leeward turn, sailing to a comfortable 15 boat-length victory.  
 
After the sailing championships, Parkin arrived back in Connecticut around 1:30 a.m. on Monday morning.
 
Nine hours later, Parkin and his Brunswick cross country team left school for the FAA championship at Waveny Park in New Canaan.

“I was pretty tired,” reflected Parkin with a grin. “But I was looking forward to the race.”
 
Parkin finished the FAA championship race in sixth place (18:10), just a shoulder behind teammate Andres Jasson, as the Bruins clinched their fourth-straight FAA championship.
 
At first glance, sailing on the water and running on a trail seem to be different experiences, but Parkin sees it otherwise. Parkin noted a good running time for him is about 18 minutes, while a sailing race takes roughly 20 minutes “if the wind cooperates.”
 
According to Parkin, both sports have to do with focus and evaluating risk.  

“You have to be mentally prepared for both sports,” said Parkin. “You have to be totally focused on what you are doing for every moment.”
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