This spring, 47 kindergarten to seventh-grade students signed up for an exciting and unique opportunity: learning to sail. The sailing program, hosted by Charleston Community Sailing (CCS) and supported by volunteers from Ashley Hall and the Charleston Yacht Club, brought together a group of enthusiastic girls eager to develop skills on the water. From overcoming fears to learning new sailing techniques, these young sailors experienced growth, teamwork, and a sense of accomplishment that will stay with them for years.
Confidence on the Water
One of the program’s most inspiring outcomes has been the participants’ development of confidence. Sailing was a new challenge for many of the younger sailors, especially those in the “guppy” class (kindergarten and first grade). At the beginning of the sessions, some were hesitant to get on the boats, unsure of what to expect. However, as the weeks passed, those same children were eager to hop aboard each week, smiles wide as they sailed confidently on the water.
Experienced sailors also played a significant role in helping their peers. The older and more experienced participants took on leadership roles, assisting the younger sailors with everything from rigging the boats to showing them how to steer. This peer-to-peer support created a positive, encouraging environment where everyone could learn together.
Overcoming the Water Comfort Test
A critical aspect of the program involved a “water comfort test,” designed to help students feel at ease in the water. The girls had to get into the water, which was colder than expected for the program’s start. There was some initial concern among parents about the frigid temperatures, but the instructors assured everyone they had experience managing these situations. The girls showed remarkable resilience, with many facing the chilly water without hesitation.
Throughout this challenge, the instructors emphasized the importance of staying calm and composed, even in less-than-ideal conditions. Learning to take deep breaths and remain steady in the water became an important lesson that translated into increased confidence both on the water and in their everyday lives.
The Life Skills Gained from Sailing
While sailing is undoubtedly fun, the lessons learned extend beyond just how to handle a boat. Independence and perseverance were key themes of the program. Sailing requires participants to leave their comfort zones, deal with wet clothes, and manage unpredictable weather conditions. For many, these were new and challenging experiences. But as the weeks passed, the girls learned to embrace these challenges, pushing themselves in ways they never thought possible.
By the end of the program, the young sailors had not only learned the technical skills of sailing, like how to steer the boat and adjust the sails, but also developed valuable life skills. They became more independent, learning to take responsibility for their actions on the water. This independence, combined with the ability to overcome adversity, is something they will carry with them long after the sailing sessions are over.
Acknowledging Volunteers and Support
The success of this program wouldn’t have been possible without the support of many dedicated volunteers. Special thanks to Windy Key and Caroline Main from CCS, and to Jeffrey Stasz, an Ashley Hall parent, who all played pivotal roles in organizing the program. Also, thanks to Ashley Hall faculty member Mia Smith, who has been instrumental in helping the younger sailors. Smith’s sailing experience and familiarity with the students made her an invaluable resource in guiding them through each lesson. Additionally, Walker Ewing ’32, a junior instructor and Ashley Hall student, was invaluable with the youngest group, demonstrating key techniques to the girls and serving as a role model for leadership and teamwork.
Parent volunteers also played an essential role in the program’s success. They supported the program in various ways, from helping with logistics to cheering on the kids from the Burgie Bar at the Charleston Yacht Club. Their involvement made the program more enjoyable and created a supportive community around the sailing experience.
A Bright Future for the Program
Looking ahead, the sailing program’s future is promising. There are discussions about expanding it to a twice-yearly offering—both in the spring and fall—which could provide more opportunities for young sailors to gain exposure to the sport. With the recent hiring of a new executive director at CCS, there are high hopes for the program’s continued growth and development. Sailing is not only about the technical aspects of the sport but also about the personal growth and life lessons that come along with it.
Overall, the spring sailing program was a huge success. The confidence, independence, and sailing skills growth have been remarkable, and the feedback from participants, volunteers, and parents has been overwhelmingly positive. As the program expands and grows, the hope is that even more children will have the chance to experience the life-changing benefits of sailing. Whether they go on to pursue sailing further or carry the lessons they’ve learned into the future, these young sailors are already equipped with valuable skills that will serve them well in life.
Looking ahead, there’s hope for a fall program as well. This would provide another chance for students to return to the water and build upon what they’ve already learned. Expanding the program to two seasons—spring and fall—would allow even more kids to enjoy the benefits of sailing and develop key life skills in a fun, supportive environment.
To all the volunteers, parents, and participants, thank you for making this experience so special. We look forward to seeing what’s next for this incredible program!
This spring, Ashley Hall is joining a new rec-level youth lacrosse league – and there was a new face on campus at the start of the year to let students know what it’s all about.
For two weeks in January, Director of Lacrosse at South Carolina Youth Lacrosse Taylor Blenckstone joined Panthers in grades 2-6 as a guest coach during Physical Education classes to share her love for lacrosse. Originally from Maryland, Blenckstone played Division I lacrosse at Longwood University in Virginia. She’s been coaching ever since. “Coming from Maryland, lacrosse is huge,” Blenckstone says. “But my goal in coming here is to make it as big in South Carolina as it is there. I hope to help grow the game as much as possible.”
Since joining South Carolina Youth Lacrosse in November, she’s hit the ground running to sign up students in local schools to play this spring in a league she’s building from scratch, and getting into classrooms was step one. “Young athletes are just so willing to learn, and they love to do new things,” Blenckstone says. “That’s why you start in P.E. I’ve found that every time a new kid gets a lacrosse stick in their hands, they’re hooked.”
From grip to cradling the ball with confidence, students spent the first few days learning the basics of lacrosse. Soon they were learning how to pass in three basic steps: step, release, and follow through. “Then in week two, I made it a little more fun and interactive,” Blenckstone says. “I wanted to see if they retained what we did and could apply it to certain drills and games.”
The verdict? The Panthers passed with flying colors. “Seeing them catch their first ball or get a really good pass and be excited about it, that means everything,” Blenckstone says. “That’s exactly why I’m doing what I’m doing – to see their excitement and see their engagement in something new and hopefully have them stick with it.”
As a student-athlete, Ashley Hall athletic trainer Julia Lener never wanted to see her high school trainer. “I was that stubborn athlete who didn’t want to go into the training room,” Lener says with a laugh. “When I got hurt, I always tried to avoid it as much as possible.”
But when she got tendonitis in her rotator cuff playing softball her senior year, things changed. “I had a trainer who took the initiative, and it made all the difference,” she says. “He took me out which was mentally really tough on me, but the relationship I ended up building with him was so important to me at that period of time in my life. Honestly, that’s what pushed me to athletic training. I knew how much he cared about me, and I wanted to give that to someone else.”
In August 2023, Lener joined Ashley Hall as the School’s first-ever full-time athletic trainer. “As our athletic trainer, Julia will play a vital role in supporting our athletes and coaches,” says Assistant Athletic Director Christian Alcantara. “She will work closely with the coaching staff to develop comprehensive training and conditioning programs, provide immediate medical attention during practices and competitions, and assist in the rehabilitation of injured athletes.”
As she gets settled in her new role, we sat down with Lener to hear more about her background, where her focus is as she works with athletes, and why she chose to join the Ashley Hall community.
Preventing injuries
Last year, Lener worked with the University of Alabama’s men’s and women’s tennis teams where she earned her master’s degree in health studies. “Working in tennis last year at the collegiate level, we were very focused on preventative and functional assessment,” Lener says. “That’s what I strive to do here because I feel like if we have that in place, we’ll see great results when it comes to decreasing numbers of injuries.”
Lener also stresses the importance of working with students before a season starts, especially when it comes to supporting young athletes starting a new sport. “A lot of training is knowing what to expect,” Lener says. “It’s about giving them guidance of what a sport entails strength wise, how you should train, etc. Once we inform them of how the sport works, it’ll not just educate them on how to play the sport itself, but build a sense of confidence, too.”
Building trust
“People stereotype athletic trainers as the people that take you out of the game,” Lener says. “So nobody ever wants to come to us, but taking an athlete out of competition is never our goal whatsoever. So that’s why one of my goals is to build relationships. Trust is everything.”
One way Lener is building those relationships already is her open door policy that encourages athletes to come see her even if they are not injured. “I’m not here to make changes in your life unless you want to make them,” Lener says. “I’m here to give you advice and support, so you don’t have to come to me if you just have an injury. You can come to me for nutritional advice, hydration advice, equipment training, things like that. It’s about having the door open.”
Supporting students through injuries
While playing softball at Southern Connecticut State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in athletic training, Lener was misdiagnosed with an injury for about a year. The injury finally led to surgery and rehab. “I felt very alone when I was in rehab,” she says. “I just wasn’t getting the support I needed, and you’re at a very vulnerable point in your life.”
Knowing firsthand how important a strong support system is for athletes working through injuries, Lener chose Ashley Hall. “Something that drew me to Ashley Hall was the athletics staff,” she says. “They are just truly incredible, and feeling confident that I have a support system is exactly how I want our athletes to feel. I want them to know I’m gonna guide you through any injury, or if you’re not comfortable with me guiding you, we’re gonna find somebody to help you through this, whether that’s PT or an outside referral. That’s my biggest thing.”
Ashley Hall is pleased to announce that three members of the Class of 2023 will be continuing their sport at Division Three universities next year. These student-athletes signed their letters of intent during a ceremony on February 1, 2023, with excitement in front of family and friends.
Ashley Hall students continuing their sport in college include: Ailish Ward ’23 who will run cross country at Tufts University; Ellerbe Mendez ’23 who will play lacrosse at Swarthmore College; and Mary Ella Predergast ’23 who will play tennis at Connecticut College.
“Ashley Hall has a strong tradition of having our student athletes continue on at the collegiate level,” says Athletic Director Franny Slay ’80. “It’s really exciting to see these three reach their goals that they’ve worked so hard for.”
In December, Ward was also recognized by the Post and Courier as the 2022 All-Lowcountry Runner of the Year.
At Ashley Hall, athletics have always been more than just a game. Student athletes become both team and campus leaders, as well as part of a legacy left by a long line of women in sports who have been competing for the School for over a century. To support its athletes on and off the field, this fall Panther Athletics launched a new year-round strength and conditioning program aimed to not only change the way they play, but live.
“Dynamic athletes require dynamic programming,” says Assistant Athletic Director Christian Alcantara. “Now our athletes will be able to work year round to improve their game. This will not only help prevent injuries, build endurance and stamina, but it will also give them more knowledge on how to care for themselves day in and day out.”
Led by Coach Beatrice Puiu, Ashley Hall’s strength and conditioning program offers off-season and pre-season training programs, as well as in-season sessions that compliment regular practice schedules. Puiu will also be at the school during set hours of the week so anyone who is free can go see her for a workout.
With the goal of supporting all Ashley Hall sports teams, Puiu designed the program in a way that allows her to cover all her athletes needs, plus sports-specific needs separately. “The program covers the entire body,” Puiu explains. “The main goal is for each athlete to get stronger, more powerful, and more explosive. Strength training protects your joints from injuries, maintains muscle tissue, and improves overall life quality.”
As strength and conditioning coach, Puiu understands firsthand the science behind the female athlete’s body. A Romanian native, she has competed in international and national Track and Field competitions as well as European Championships and the 2018 Winter Olympics. Over the past 10 years, she’s been awarded 15 national titles with her strongest events in hurdles, high jump, and shot put.
“Now it’s my turn to educate Ashley Hall student athletes,” Puiu says. “My job is to work with anyone who shows up to a training session and share the best habits for the best version of themselves. In my perfect world, this program would be required for all girls. Even if they are not interested in sports, the human body was created to move. The skeleton needs strong, lean muscles. We can work and prevent abnormal positioning of the spine, prevent muscle fatigue, decrease the risk of back pain, increase energy, and increase confidence – correcting your posture can impact the way you feel about yourself!”
Puiu first joined Ashley Hall in 2017 as assistant coach of Panthers Track and Field, and returned to coach the team last year. As both Track and Field coach and strength and conditioning coach, she understands how the new program will support the entire athletics department. “It will take a lot off the coach’s shoulders, explains Puiu. “It helps so they don’t have to spend more time in the weight room and can use that time for the game plan.”
While supporting the coaching staff and giving Ashley Hall athletes an elite advantage through strength training is exciting, that’s only part of the big picture for Coach Bea, as her athletes call her. “Believing, encouraging, educating, and leading our girls into the future is the most exciting thing for me,” she says. It’s lifelong learning and development. We will be surrounded by strong young ladies inside and outside. Strong is beautiful!”
Ashley Hall is thrilled to announce that it will host youth sports for the first time in the School’s history for the 2022-23 school year. The new CUBS program will expand the Athletic Department’s sports offerings to students in grades pre-kindergarten through fourth who would like to participate in practices after school, and its designed to teach fundamental skills and PQV spirit to future Panther athletes.
“It’s so important for kids to explore athletics at a young age,” says Ashley Hall Assistant Athletic Director Christian Alcantara. “I can think of no better way than to provide them the option to try new sports in a fun, supportive environment that mirrors our EEC and Lower School programs.”
The program will kick off with volleyball, tennis, and soccer. The spring semester will offer basketball, lacrosse, and golf. Each semester will offer two 6-week sessions, and programming will include one lesson each week organized by grade level. All practices will start 15 minutes after school dismissal and take place on Ashley Hall’s campus. Program fees vary based on the sport.
“Our coaches coming in are all professionals and everything for our Panther CUBS will be held on campus,” Alcantara says. “The ease of having the program right there for our students will hopefully also make it easier for our parents. It’s going to be a wonderful extension of our School and mission.”
The exciting addition of youth sports at Ashley Hall comes on the heels of a 2021-22 school year that saw State Championship wins, Johns Island Sports Complex facility upgrades, and Nike brand partnership news. “We’ve been busy elevating Ashley Hall’s athletic program offerings to the next level,” Alcantara says. “And the momentum continues.”
Stay tuned for how and when to register for the Spring Ashley Hall CUBS Program
Ashley Hall is a K-12 independent school for girls, with a co-ed preschool, committed to a talented and diverse student population. We consider for admission students of any race, color, religion, and national or ethnic origin.