CBA sailing team looks to navigate its way to further success
September 6, 2024 at 7:00 a.m.
In scouring newspapers and websites, it’s not easy to find stories on high school sailing. But in a sport that’s not well known, Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft has a well-known team thanks to its consistent success.
Since 2016, under coach Jason Lutz, CBA has won two state championships, five league titles and six prestigious BBYRA Invitational Rooster Flags.
In addition, the Colts qualified for the 2017 and 2024 Doublehanded (two sailors in the boat) National Championships. CBA has also had three Singlehanded (one sailor) National Championship qualifiers, four New Jersey High School Sailor of the Year winners, and 37 all-state selections under Lutz's direction.
Sophomore Cole Buczkowski returns to the CBA sailing team after serving as a skipper for last year's state championship squad. Larry Levanti photo/CBA Athletics
Sailing is held in the fall and spring, with fall being “slightly less strenuous” according to Lutz. “The fall features more open regattas, in which we technically aren't contending for any big championship. The spring features the state championship and, ultimately, the national championship.”
Lutz noted that the fall season is akin to spring training in baseball or pre-season camp in football.
“Fall and spring are separate in terms of scoring, but the fall is the perfect time to find good combinations and gain synergy between teammates,” he said. “As a coach, I use the fall to pair up different sailors together to see if those pairs could potentially work down the line in a championship event.”
The Colts are coming off an outstanding spring season. They won their fifth straight BBYRA Invitational and claimed the program's third state championship along with the Spring Fleet Championship. CBA was one of 20 teams to qualify for the Nationals, finishing 12th in that event in Charleston, SC.
“Sailing is unique, where it has a regional and national ladder event structure,” Lutz said. “You advance from your league to your district to the national events.”
CBA competes in the New Jersey Interscholastic Sailing Association (NJISA), which consists of between 20 to 25 schools in the state.
And while looking to see what combinations will work well this fall, there are also competitive races Lutz and the Colts will strive to win.
The main event is the Fall Fleet Championship, a two-day regatta in October that serves as the NJISA fall championship and is the qualifier for the Mid-Atlantic District Championship. The Mid-Atlantic District features schools from New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Virginia. There is also the eight-week Toms River Fall Series held Wednesdays at Toms River Yacht Club.
Each boat is doublehanded, with a skipper, who steers the boat and controls the mainsail, and a one-man crew, who controls the jib and helps the boat’s speed with weight placement and technique.
“We are lucky to have some young talent on the team returning from last season,” Lutz said. “I am really excited for sophomore Cole Buczkowski to take a leap between freshman and sophomore year. He was one of the few freshmen who was a skipper at last spring's national championship. That experience will be invaluable.
“We have great senior leadership from captains Kyle Lombardino and Donald Johnston, who I will rely on to mentor the younger sailors. We also have talented crews such as Matthew Dupree and Alton DeOliveira, who I expect to play a big role in our success this year.”
It is a cast that the veteran coach expects to continue CBA’s winning ways on the water.
“We fully expect to contend in every major event this year,” Lutz said. “Our goal remains the same – win the state championship and try to qualify for the national championship again.”
A graduate of CBA and the College of Charleston, Lutz has coached sailing for the last 15 years. He has remained an active competitive sailor, most recently winning the 2024 International Lightning Class North American Championship. He is on a number of youth sailing committees, and is assistant director of the NJISA, which governs high school sailing in the state.
Senior Kyle Lombardino is one of four veterans returning from a talented CBA sailing team. Larry Levanti photo/CBA Athletics
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In scouring newspapers and websites, it’s not easy to find stories on high school sailing. But in a sport that’s not well known, Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft has a well-known team thanks to its consistent success.
Since 2016, under coach Jason Lutz, CBA has won two state championships, five league titles and six prestigious BBYRA Invitational Rooster Flags.
In addition, the Colts qualified for the 2017 and 2024 Doublehanded (two sailors in the boat) National Championships. CBA has also had three Singlehanded (one sailor) National Championship qualifiers, four New Jersey High School Sailor of the Year winners, and 37 all-state selections under Lutz's direction.
Sophomore Cole Buczkowski returns to the CBA sailing team after serving as a skipper for last year's state championship squad. Larry Levanti photo/CBA Athletics
Sailing is held in the fall and spring, with fall being “slightly less strenuous” according to Lutz. “The fall features more open regattas, in which we technically aren't contending for any big championship. The spring features the state championship and, ultimately, the national championship.”
Lutz noted that the fall season is akin to spring training in baseball or pre-season camp in football.
“Fall and spring are separate in terms of scoring, but the fall is the perfect time to find good combinations and gain synergy between teammates,” he said. “As a coach, I use the fall to pair up different sailors together to see if those pairs could potentially work down the line in a championship event.”
The Colts are coming off an outstanding spring season. They won their fifth straight BBYRA Invitational and claimed the program's third state championship along with the Spring Fleet Championship. CBA was one of 20 teams to qualify for the Nationals, finishing 12th in that event in Charleston, SC.
“Sailing is unique, where it has a regional and national ladder event structure,” Lutz said. “You advance from your league to your district to the national events.”
CBA competes in the New Jersey Interscholastic Sailing Association (NJISA), which consists of between 20 to 25 schools in the state.
And while looking to see what combinations will work well this fall, there are also competitive races Lutz and the Colts will strive to win.
The main event is the Fall Fleet Championship, a two-day regatta in October that serves as the NJISA fall championship and is the qualifier for the Mid-Atlantic District Championship. The Mid-Atlantic District features schools from New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Virginia. There is also the eight-week Toms River Fall Series held Wednesdays at Toms River Yacht Club.
Each boat is doublehanded, with a skipper, who steers the boat and controls the mainsail, and a one-man crew, who controls the jib and helps the boat’s speed with weight placement and technique.
“We are lucky to have some young talent on the team returning from last season,” Lutz said. “I am really excited for sophomore Cole Buczkowski to take a leap between freshman and sophomore year. He was one of the few freshmen who was a skipper at last spring's national championship. That experience will be invaluable.
“We have great senior leadership from captains Kyle Lombardino and Donald Johnston, who I will rely on to mentor the younger sailors. We also have talented crews such as Matthew Dupree and Alton DeOliveira, who I expect to play a big role in our success this year.”
It is a cast that the veteran coach expects to continue CBA’s winning ways on the water.
“We fully expect to contend in every major event this year,” Lutz said. “Our goal remains the same – win the state championship and try to qualify for the national championship again.”
A graduate of CBA and the College of Charleston, Lutz has coached sailing for the last 15 years. He has remained an active competitive sailor, most recently winning the 2024 International Lightning Class North American Championship. He is on a number of youth sailing committees, and is assistant director of the NJISA, which governs high school sailing in the state.
Senior Kyle Lombardino is one of four veterans returning from a talented CBA sailing team. Larry Levanti photo/CBA Athletics
The Church needs quality Catholic journalism now more than ever. Please consider supporting this work by signing up for a SUBSCRIPTION (click HERE) or making a DONATION to The Monitor (click HERE). Thank you for your support.