Junior Noble Reynoso first learned to sail at a fundamentals camp he was forced to attend during the summer after eighth grade. “I think [my parents] just wanted to get rid of me from nine to five,” Reynoso joked. “I hated the summer camp at first because I just wanted to hang out. I hated getting wet and I was afraid of drowning and sharks.” Years later, Reynoso’s feelings have changed and sailing now plays a significant role in his life.
After camp, Reynoso joined the sailing team at Redwood High School, where he attended his freshman year. Reynoso then joined the San Francisco Yacht Club C420 Race Team. On the club team, Reynoso races on two person club 420 boats. “You really need to be strong and have a lot of endurance because a race is about an hour and a half straight,” Reynoso said. “You also need to be smart and understand tactics because [you need to know] how to manage who you’re in front of and behind and how you’re going to get past them or stay in front of them.”
Reynoso recalls that his “breakout” event was during a club regatta in Texas, when he competed against Olympic development team members. “Usually those kids are in the top three percent of the event and they have the best funding and coaches and I was kind of the underdog,” he said, but Reynoso did win. After this victory, Reynoso’s coach spoke to the Olympic Development team coach and encouraged him to apply. He joined the team in February of 2015.
The Olympic Development team practices two to three times a month in Miami. “[We] get a lot of good input from the actual Olympians,” Reynoso said. He also will begin practicing with the USA International team in May of this year. Additionally, Reynoso sails on the Long Island Sound Olympic Team and practices with them in Miami on the weekends.
Because his sailing teams require a substantial amount of travel, Reynoso finds himself missing school regularly. “There’s a lot of work being done in the airport and hotel room which are not ideal places to study.”
Although the time commitment required of his sailing teams can be challenging, Reynoso credits his extensive traveling for teaching him to be self reliant and capable. “Sailing teaches you to take initiative and be independent, because you need those things to get better on your own time.”