Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

In the Spotlight: Derby Anderson

Charles Nailen/The Hoya

Sport: Sailing

Hometown: Annapolis, Va.

High School: The Key School

School/Year: COL ’06

Major: Undecided

High School Highlights: Won the Women’s Youth Double-Handed Nationals in 2002 . Went to High School Nationals three years in a row . Ranked seventh in the nation junior and senior years . Played field hockey.

When did you first start sailing? I’ve been racing since I was nine. It’s kind of like when you’re little and you do swimming and dancing and all of that stuff. I just stuck with what I liked and what I was good at. My dad is a big sailor and his side of the family is. So I kind of fell into it, too.

Favorite quote or personal motto: I think that worry and regret don’t really make a difference, so you should just live in the moment.

What is the biggest sacrifice you have ever had to make for a team/athletic event? I missed my junior prom to go to Nationals with my high school team.

What is the farthest place to which you have ever traveled? I think Greece. I went there spring break freshman year of high school. We went to Crete, too, which was nice. It was a school trip.

What was your favorite part? I think the biggest part was seeing the stuff that I actually studied.

If you could be a character in any movie, who would it be, in what movie and why? I would be Chunk from the The Goonies because he had a good time and everyone liked him and he didn’t have a care in the world.

What is your favorite place on campus and why? I think I just like Copley Lawn because I’m an outdoor-oriented person, so with all of the space I feel more out in the open.

One idiosyncrasy you have: If I’m ever lying about something, I’ll always say “definitely.”

Name three CDs in your collection: Ben Folds Five Rocking the Suburbs, Rolling Stones Forty Licks, and Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits.

One random goal you hope to accomplish before you graduate: I want to pull a prank that becomes a legend.

If you could switch lives with any one person for the day, who would it be and why? Probably the president because it’s a combination of what it’s like to have a lot of power and to be under a lot of pressure and to be famous.

Most prized possession: I don’t really have one. There’s not one certain thing I think could encompass a lot of meaning. Because it’s a material thing, it isn’t specific.

One thing you would change about yourself: I’d say hi to more people. I’d have this superpower where I could stop time and chat more with people.

What is your earliest childhood memory? I remember riding on the lawnmower with my mom and I’d always fall asleep on it.

Besides winning, what are your personal goals for sailing? Actually, sailing’s the type of sport you can do your whole life. It’s not like you graduate and can’t do it anymore. And it’s something that changes. When you do it at the college level it’s more athletic, but there are always different scales and bigger boats. I want to keep myself in an atmosphere to keep going and improving because it’s a sport you can never be perfect at.

Worst fear: Doing something that doesn’t matter. I want to do something that affects a lot of people.

Name three people you would have dinner with, dead or alive, and what would you have to eat? I would have dinner with Pease Glaser – she’s a women’s Olympic sailor. J.D. Salinger, because he writes with a tone that’s really colloquial and I feel like he’d be someone who’s easy to talk to. And I’d have dinner with Leonardo da Vinci because he thought a lot about a lot of different things and worked on a lot of different aspects. And my favorite thing is lobster, so we’d have that to eat.

Do you have any collections/hobbies? I used to collect rocks. I was big into cooking, too, and I still am. And I had like 50 Barbies.

What is the best thing you know how to cook? I’m big into desserts. There’s this amaretto and almond chocolate log that I make for Christmas that’s really good.

What do you feel is your greatest non-athletic achievement? I would say getting into Georgetown.

Favorite candy: Ring Pops.

Do you speak a second language? I take French and I hope to study abroad in France. I could probably fend for myself, but I’m not fluent by any means.

What is going through your head when you are out on the water? Sometimes when I do the best, the easiest thing is to distract myself. There are so many factors that go into sailing that you can overanalyze and psych yourself out. It’s kind of like one thing gets into your head and it’s sort of a weird combination of being in the moment of what you’re doing and planning ahead. There are 10 things you could think of, but it’s just important to not get stuck on all of them. I try to stick to the game plan and not doubt myself. That’s the worst thing to do.

Best concert you have ever been to: This summer I went to Peter Frampton – it’s like classic rock. He makes his guitar talk and it’s so cool. He was the first guy to sing “Baby I Love Your Way.”

If you were stranded on an island with one book, one CD and one person, what and who would you bring with you? Book: Probably the Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor; CD: Van Morrison; Person: I have two best friends that are kind of like one person. I can’t pick.

One lesson you have had to learn the hard way: Don’t do something if you know you’re going to get caught. Or just don’t get caught, actually.

Worst movie you have ever seen: The Cable Guy.

Movie you could watch 100 times and never get sick of: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

What do you do to get ready for a race? If I feel like I’m jinxed, I will knock on wood like no other. If anyone makes an assumption about how I’m going to do, then I knock on wood. And I eat when I’m nervous, so I eat a lot. And there’s a checklist of like ten things you talk about with your crew to get ready.

Favorite thing to get from the dining hall: I really like green beans. And the carrot cake is really good.

If you could live one place, where would it be and why? San Diego, because of the weather and the sailing and I feel like there’s always something going on there.

Would you rather stay up late to study or wake up early? Wake up early. My brain shuts off at 11 [p.m.].

Who has been a role model for you? There’s a woman sailor, Dawn Riley, and she’s got everything in one. She’s a really good sailor and she does a lot for the community. She started an organization for women’s sailing and she’s just really nice. I feel like she handles herself in a way where she makes friends along the way.

What is under your bed right now? A refrigerator, a laundry basket, a ton of sailing gear and a lot of suitcases.

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