Sailing to Success

After some twists and turns, a coach tacks back to find her dream job

Coach Stephanie Doyle of USF's first varsity women's sailing team, smiles proudly while she sits upon one the competition boats at USF.

Photo by Cortney L. Hill

By Cortney L. Hill, Staff Writer

“When I am out on the ocean sailing, I am at peace and all of my problems left on land seem to disappear,” says Stephanie Doyle. Her greatest passion is sailing. She has fond childhood memories of sailing with her father, with the wind zipping through her hair, the sun smiling on her face and her boat soaring against the blue waters of the ocean. In those memories, she felt one with nature, happy and powerful, as if she could do anything on this earth.

Doyle knew she was born to sail. But she never thought she would be coaching the first women’s sailing team at the University of South Florida at St. Petersburg.

Doyle finally has a job she loves and is one of the few female sailing coaches in the nation.
Doyle’s main goal is to develop women sailors who compete on and off the water. When going to competitions, the other team coaches, who are usually older men, are often shocked when they see this petite, high school-looking 24-year-old coming through with her all-women’s team. The coaches don’t know whether to charm her or humiliate her, but they almost always underestimate her.
“I come across many coaches who try to intimidate me by teaching me things I already know, like I’m a kid and new to the game,” Doyle says. “What I do is just smile and nod.”

Sailing used to be known as the “rich man’s sport” and has been dominated by men for many years. Even though sailing isn’t offered at many universities, those that rank high in sailing are private schools such as Harvard University, Tufts University, Dartmouth University and Georgetown, the schools USF must compete against.

When Doyle accepted the position as coach, she was well aware that she was entering a profession that was historically dominated by older, wealthy white men. She knew that her age and gender would be an obstacle, so she had to think of a plan for catapulting her women’s team to success. But she also had to face being only one of two female coaches in her South Atlantic Conference and the youngest in her district. She is one of four female sailing coaches in the country. Her strategy: beat the odds on water, not land.

They call themselves the “Flying Juniors” and they’ve only been established for one year. Of the 15 women on the squad, only two had experience in sailing. Doyle knew right away that to develop a great team she must attract not only the talented women, but women who wanted to accept the challenges of learning. Being that she is only five years older than her youngest sailor, she wants her coaching to be strong and tactful. Her method: teaching from within.

“Any girl can sail, as long as they have the desire to want to learn,” Doyle says, explaining her coaching philosophy. “Sure they will be intimidated by the male sailors—I certainly was starting out—but this gives them the chance to build their self-esteem, overcome their fears, boosts their confidence and a chance to become good sailors.”

In many cases, Doyle sees herself in the sailors and is more than just a coach. She is a mother, friend, sister and even a preacher. But most of the women refer to her as “Mama Doyle.”
“The girls need special attention,” Doyle says, “and I will provide that for them. When things are bothering them, it can become a big distraction and take their mind off of sailing.”
Many of the women’s greatest fears are capsizing and sailing in windy conditions, but “Mama Doyle” just showers them with the motivation and support they need and pushes them to move forward.

“I always tell the girls the story of when I capsized when I was nine years old and how I stayed away from sailing because I thought I was a failure,” she says. “I regret doing that, and I want the girls to know that things can happen but they can’t let that get them down.”
The St. Petersburg native worries about bringing her state university team into the country’s top 20 sailing teams. To do that, the team must practice tirelessly three days a week for three hours each by running up to three miles, going through strenuous drills and mentally preparing to be focused on sailing.
“These girls are so dedicated. They put themselves under tremendous pressure by coming to practices each week and carrying a full class load. They also face maintaining a 3.0 GPA while working to make ends meet,” Doyle said. “But they have to be tough and because sailing isn’t on any kind of scholarship, they have to be dedicated.”

Alison Deese, voted most valuable sailor, admires Doyle for her hard work and dedication to the team. “Steph has done so much for the team since she has been with us. She is very patient and always makes time for us. She is a great mentor and role model.”
Genoa Griffin, an FJ member who just finished her junior year, knew Doyle growing up and thought that USF made a great decision hiring her as the coach for the new sailing team. “ ‘Mama Steph’ is so supportive and helpful. She cares a lot about us and she really tries her best to bring new members on to the team. I’m glad we have her.” Griffin, who had been sailing since she was a child, transferred from Florida Atlantic University to USF just to be a part of the sailing team.

Doyle has been sailing since she was 8 years old. At the age of 9, her boat capsized because it didn’t have enough weight to stand upright against the wind. After staying away from sailing for four years, Doyle returned to the water. Once she got back into it at the age of 12, she became a member of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and raced in the largest boats across the country.

Doyle attended the University of Notre Dame. She was on the sailing team for four years, was captain for two and was elected president of her Midwest district. Once she graduated with her degree in English, she pursued a career in advertising. But she realized that the job did not fit her personality and found herself working seven days a week, which left no time to sail. In the midst of her unhappiness, her parents told her of a sailing-coaching job at USF on the Internet. Wanting to be closer to home, Doyle looked into it and would find herself awarded the position three months later. A mere dream comes true.
“The planets are running things and we are just here doing our jobs, powerless against nature. My philosophy: No matter who you are or what you think you are capable of doing, I want the girls to have fun and learn about a sport they can enjoy forever.”

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