Tracy Hayley Smith ‘97 is one of the most talented skippers in Connecticut College sailing history. As a challenger in the A-Division, she competed in all the women’s major regattas and regularly was a top finisher for the Camels. A four-time All-America selection (1993, 1994, 1996, 1997), Smith and her crew won the 1993 and 1997 Inter-Collegiate Yacht Racing Association (ICYRA) National Championships, while adding a third-place finish at the 1994 event. She also received the Camels’ Most Valuable Sailor Award twice in her career.
During the 1994-1995 academic year, Smith took time away from the College and intercollegiate competition so she could focus on her sailing campaign and train from the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Ga. Competing in the 470 Class (a two person dinghy), Smith and her crew, Louise Gleason, placed third at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials, just missing a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.
Smith returned to Connecticut College in 1997 to complete her education along with her collegiate sailing career. She received the Athletic Department’s Anita L. DeFrantz ‘74 Award as the outstanding female member of the graduating class whose athletic ability, leadership and sportsmanship best exemplify the qualities of Olympic medalist Anita L. De Frantz ‘74.
From 1997-1999, Smith again concentrated on an Olympic campaign for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. For three years (1997, 1998, 1999), she was ranked number one on the U.S. Sailing Team. After qualifying for the 1999 U.S. Pre-Olympic Sailing Team, the Smith/Gleason team won a silver medal at the Pre-Olympic Regatta in Sydney. Unfortunately, at a later event, the duo’s finish was not high enough to secure a spot on the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team.
Smith has continued her sailing career in the past decade, competing at the Vector North American Championships (2003-2005). She finished fourth in the Snipe Class/ rowing at the 2007 U.S. Pan American Games in Brazil. More recently, Smith and her husband Ezra sailed in the gold fleet at the 2010 International 14 World Championships in Australia.
In addition to competing, Smith has given back to the sport of sailing. For several years, she coached the U.S. Paralympics Team at the U.S. Team Trials. Smith also has served as a volunteer coordinator for Shake-a-Leg Miami, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating sailing opportunities for disabled and at-risk children.
Also active in swimming and triathlons, Smith trains with the Newport (R.I.) Athletic Club masters swimming group. Since 2004, she has participated in the Save the Bay swim, a 1.7-mile open water competition across Narragansett Bay. In the 2011 event, Smith’s time of 48.33 placed her 55th out of more than 450 swimmers.
This year, she also competed in the Narrow River Turnaround Swim, a one-mile open water event in Rhode Island. Her 23.49 finish earned her a 23rd place among the event’s 104 competitors. Another highlight of Smith’s was her third-place age-group result in the 2007 Wild Dog Triathlon, consisting of a quarter-mile swim, 10-mile bike ride and three-mile run.
After graduating from Connecticut College with a B.A. in history and a minor in Hispanic Studies, Smith earned a master of business administration from the University of Arizona’s Thunderbird School of Global Management. In 2006, she was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at her secondary school, Ransom Everglades School (Coconut Grove, Fla.), where she was a top sailor while also competing in soccer, softball, swimming and water polo.
