Sarasota skipper named Young Woman Sailor of Year by Florida Women’s Sailing Association

Kay Brunsvold of Sarasota, a standout for the University of South Florida women's sailing team and a silver medalist at the Youth Sailing World Championships in 2021, last week was named Young Woman Sailor of the Year by the Florida Women’s Sailing Association.

But the honor, USF sailing coach Allison Jolly said, acknowledges Brunsvold's "interpersonal skills, attention to detail, work ethic, and positive attitude" as much as her athleticism and accomplishments on the water.

“Kay is an outstanding sailor but more importantly, a true team player," said Jolly, a 1988 Olympic gold medalist and member of the National Sailing Hall of Fame and Florida Sports Hall of Fame. "While her skill as a helmsperson is her strength, when the team needed her to crew she willingly stepped up into a less familiar position on the boat. She says, 'Put me in. I will do whatever is needed for the team.'

Brunsvold, a 2021 Riverview High School graduate, started her competitive sailing career with Sarasota Youth Sailing in 2013. She excels in several types of boats, including Optimist, Club 420s, multihulls, and Nacra 15. Her courage is equally impressive, according to Lisa Brown Ehrhart of the Luffing Lassies, one of the oldest and most active sailing groups at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron.

"For Kay to achieve status as a top female sailor, in 2019 she had to recover from a debilitating back surgery that kept her off the water for over a year," Ehrhart told the FWSA in a letter nominating Brunsvold for the award. "Kay planned and executed a complete personal training program that enabled her to achieve her goal of representing the United States in 2021."

At the Youth Sailing World Championships in Oman, Brunsvold teamed with Cooper Delbridge of Englewood to finish second in the Mixed Nacra 15 class.

“Kay is a remarkable young woman who has overcome challenging physical limitations to flourish as one of the best female sailors in Florida,” Ehrhart said.

Brunsvold, a sophomore, helped USF finish second behind nationally ranked Charleston at the recent SAISA Women's Fleet Racing Championships in Charleston, S.C. The effort earned an automatic berth in the ISA Team Fleet Racing Nationals on May 23-26 at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y.

Jolly has led USF to the national finals in seven of the past eight years.

“Kay is a leader off the water as well," Jolly said in an email. "She is on the USF Athletics Honor Roll, quite an accomplishment considering her engineering major; she has volunteered to represent the sailing team on USF’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council; and she is an acknowledged sparkplug for the team at the 6 a.m. strength and conditioning workouts.”

Brunsvold maintains a 4.0 GPA in USF's College of Mechanical Engineering.

"Kay is a role model for young female sailors across the country and globe and FWSA is proud to recognize her achievements and leadership," FWSA spokeswoman Pam Miller said.

The Florida Women’s Sailing Association, based in St. Petersburg, was founded in 1973 to encourage the growth of women's sailing groups along the southwest coast of Florida, including education and clinics. There are 10 member clubs with more than 400 women in weekly competitions. For information, visit fwsa.net.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Riverview HS grad, USF sophomore named Young Woman Sailor of the Year