Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Zen and the Art of Sailing: USI’s Sailing School offers life lessons
 Sailing School, taught since 1975 by Dr. Thomas Rivers, is perhaps the most unusual class at USI. Offered both as a noncredit and a physical education course, the class also provides lessons in “foreign language” or sailing terminology, philosophy, and theology.“Sailing invites reflection about life. It’s not just technical,” Rivers said. The course is taught at Kentucky Lake in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. Rivers calls the lake “one of the most remarkable places in the middle of farmland in the Midwest. It’s lovely to sail on.” A professor of English and director of the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program, Rivers grew up on Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont, and has been around sailboats since he was a child. When he was in middle school, he began working as a “gopher” for skippers. (He admits that though he grew up in Vermont, the first time he ever snow-skied was at Paoli Peaks in Paoli, Indiana.) Rivers has been with the University since 1968, but took a two-year hiatus to finish his doctorate at University of Michigan. When he returned to USI in 1974, he bought a sailboat and asked if anyone was interested in learning how to sail. At first, the course was strictly noncredit, and lasted a week. Now, participants have the option of taking the class for one physical education credit hour, and the class lasts a weekend. “In the early years people were allowed to bring their own boats,” Rivers said. And they brought boats in a wide variety of sizes. “If they had a boat they brought it - it was pretty wild. Now we use cruising sailboats of 35 to 40 feet or more for each class.” One of the lessons Rivers teaches during the course is on what it is to be “tactful.” “One of the major terms in sailing is ‘tacking,’” he said. “You cannot sail directly into the wind and must learn to tack in order to get anywhere.” Playing off the similarity in the terms "tack" and "tact," Rivers noted, “You can’t get anywhere in life unless you’re tactful.” Rivers said that though the class is kept busy with sailing instruction, it still offers the opportunity to learn about the students and their career goals. "I’m in teacher mode all the time. Sailing involves a great deal of activity but we also have time to sit and talk, and philosophize. ” A cancer patient taught Rivers that his instruction in Sailing School could be every bit as influential as his teaching in the traditional classroom. “His mother brought him; the class was a present for him,” Rivers said. “We did all we could to make it an enjoyable week for him. When the class ended, I had to go back to Vermont, and when I came back a few months later, he had died. I went to the funeral and the pastor spoke about how much that class meant to him. I never forgot that.” As an English teacher, Rivers said, “I never thought about this part of my job being teaching in the sense that I was accustomed to. Even though this class is not what I think of as my job, it’s still an opportunity for teaching something. Teaching is built into everything." The course has turned out to be ultimately related to what Rivers does as a teacher, he said. "I’ve made it more than a course in sailing. Sailing is a powerful metaphor for how to live.” Sailing School is for beginners or experienced sailors. The first course in 2006 took place May 20-21. It will be offered again June 3-4 and October 7-8. For other dates for noncredit students only, contact Rivers at 812/464-1753. The registration fee is $225 noncredit. The course also is offered as one hour of physical education credit, including a lab fee of $210. EDUC 163: Beginning Sailing partially fulfills the University Core Curriculum Health and Fitness category. Call Extended Services at 812/464-1989 for a detailed brochure. |
Copyright © 2013 University of Southern Indiana. All rights reserved.