At the start of this year, Carrollton welcomed Julianna Skoglund to the sailing program as assistant athletic director for the Waterfront. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with her and discuss her new role in our athletic community.
Skoglund grew up in South Carolina and has been sailing since she was very young. She comes from an all-girls school background, which is one of the reasons she was initially drawn to Carrollton.
While attending the University of Miami, she sailed 420s, a type of two-person dinghy commonly used in college and high school sailing. Her team at UM would practice with some of the local high schools, including Carrollton. “I went to an all-girls school, so I knew it was something that I loved, and I wanted to continue being in that type of environment,” she said.
Skoglund began as a coach at her local yacht club at 13 years old. Later, in college, she helped run learn-to-sail programs for beginners, as well as a program for wounded war veterans.
Now at Carrollton, Julianna coaches girls in the Intermediate School and in the competitive high school teams. She works with four other coaches, and together they hope to create more opportunities to travel to more events.
She loves how rewarding it is to see her kids finally grasp a skill. “I love working with the students; it’s so much fun, especially with the little ones,” she said. “It’s so nice to watch their eyes light up when they finally get it.”
Skoglund also described some of the ways the racing team is being promoted. This year, the Upper School’s team spirit is being upped with new traditions, such as selecting team captains and having special hair bands to wear during regattas.
With the addition of Coach Skoglund, the future looks bright for Carrollton’s sailing community. Skoglund hopes to integrate sailing into our community and to help the waterfront become a bigger part of student life.
“The hope is to just kind of have the Waterfront ingrained as a part of Carrollton,” she explained. “Everything from after-school sports to something you learn, like water safety in Montessori. To really make it a space of community.”
