Submitted/Bruce Liese
Bruce Liese, professor of family medicine at the KU Medical Center, takes a ride aboard one of his sailboats. Liese is a sailing enthusiast who teaches classes about the sport and has taken part in races across the world.
Ship Shape
Professor teaches medicine, art of sailing
It never fails. When Bruce Liese, professor of family medicine at the KU Medical Center, wears his T-sthirt that says "Kansas Sailing," no one takes him seriously.
"That's a universal experience that Kansas sailors have," Liese said. "Wherever we go with the (Perry Yacht Club) T-shirts on, people think it's a joke."
Though some may laugh, people do sail in Kansas, and they take it quite seriously.
Liese, who grew up in New York, began sailing at a young age and didn't let relocation to the middle of the continent quell his nautical passion. There may not be endless miles of ocean coastline in Kansas, but there is Perry Lake, where Liese and his fellow Perry Yacht Club members practice their craft. Despite misconceptions, the lake is ideal for sailing.
"You can sail for miles without seeing a powerboat. You can even sail for four hours without passing anything twice," Liese said of sailing at the lake.
Liese and the club members sail everything from large yachts with onboard cabins to small dinghies on the lake, but they also take their boats on the road. The professor has sailed in Italy, the Mediterranean Sea, the Virgin Islands, Mexico and other far off locales.
"Here in Kansas, sailing has been tremendously addictive."
-- Bruce Liese
Recently, his team participated in the Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race, known as the "world's biggest yacht race." The annual event draws some of the sport's biggest names, including Dennis Conner, a former winner of the America's Cup. Liese was even quoted in a Los Angeles Times article that focused on the duality of the race. The sailor and his crew prefer to have fun at the event and enjoy their time on the water with a few good drinks and plenty of good laughs, instead of trying to best Conner.
"Needless to say we haven't beaten him yet," Liese said.
Back at the Perry Yacht Club, the sailing is for fun, but there is business involved as well. Liese recently finished a term as commodore of the club. Comparable to the role of a CEO, the commodore oversees the financial and organizational aspects of the club, as well as the day-to-day operations. He is also a city council member in LeCompton.
Liese teaches students about medicine while he's on the clock and teaches sailing enthusiasts about the sport in his free time. He's taught classes on keelboat sailing, coastal cruising, navigation and numerous other topics. Several KU faculty and staff members have come through his classes. Last year, he took the family practice residents on a sailing retreat.
KU produces more sailors than one might imagine. In addition to Liese and the faculty and staff members who come through his classes, the university has a sailing club. The club is made up of students, many of whom have never sailed before joining the club. They travel across the country to compete in regattas, and this year will host the district competition.
The winner will advance to nationals. Liese said he has begun discussions with the club about the possibility of working together on joint events.
Even though some have a hard time grasping the idea that sailing exists in Kansas, Liese said his love for the sport has only grown since he came to the state.
"Here in Kansas, sailing has been enormously addictive," he said.
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