|
Top Young Sailors Set to Compete in U.S. Youth Sailing Championship
Portsmouth, R.I. (June 23, 2008) - From June 26 to July 1, the country's top
youth sailors are slated to compete in the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship
hosted by the San Francisco Yacht Club, sponsored nationally by Nautica and
LaserPerformance. The young sailors ranging from 13 to 19 years old will race
Lasers, Laser Radials, 29ers, and Club 420s in the challenging conditions of San
Francisco Bay.
National event organizer US SAILING has selected a field of 150 sailors hailing
from 16 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands based on their sailing resumes and
performance at regional, national and international competitions; they represent
some of the most talented young athletes in the sport.
In the singlehanded events, among those to watch in the Laser class will be Luke
Lawrence (Palm City, Fla.) with an impressive record of wins at national and
international events including first place in both the US Youth Worlds Qualifier
and Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta and 11th place at the Volvo Youth
Sailing ISAF World Championship in 2007. He will be up against some tough
competition, such as Georgetown University freshman Charlie Buckingham (Newport
Beach, Calif.), who is fresh from his win at the ICSA College National
Championship, and Teddy Himler (Manhasset, N.Y.), who has moved up from the
Laser Radial after winning that class in 2006.
In the Laser Radials, Anne Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill.) will be one to watch after
a successful 2007 in which she won silver at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World
Championship, was the highest finishing girl at the U.S. Youth Championship, and
finished an impressive fourth at the very competitive U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
A victory for Haeger is not a given however, particularly with names such as Ian
Heausler (last year's Laser Radial champion from Tampa, Fla.), as well as Claire
Dennis (Sarasota, Calif.) and Emily Billing (Clearwater, Fla.).
In the doublehanded classes, San Diegans Briana Provancha and Tyler Sinks could
be the favorites in the Club 420 fleet. These two champions have teamed up after
each having won a doublehanded fleet in the event last year (Provancha won the
29er, Sinks the Club 420). They will need to look out for sailors such as
Stephanie Hudson of Winnetka, Ill., and Laura McKenna of Palo Alto, Calif., who
have had solid front-row finishes at the 420 Youth and National Championships.
The 29er team of Oliver Toole and Willie McBride (both of Santa Barbara,
Calif.), last year's second-place finishers in the Youth Championship, will be
challenged by sailors such as Max Fraser (Capitola, Calif.) and David Liebenberg
(Livermore, Calif.) who finished first in the recent 29er National Championship.
One of the highlights of the Championship will be advanced racing clinics taught
by world-class sailors, including US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics member Molly
Carapiet; Brett Davis; Bern Noack; John Vandemoer; and John Pearce.
At the conclusion of the regatta, a number of significant awards will be
presented to the winners. The Robert L. Johnstone Trophy, which honors
Johnstone's pioneering work in popularizing one-design sailing and serving as
the Youth Championship's creator and first committee chairman, will go to the
winner of the Laser class. The Manton D. Scott Memorial Trophy, honors the life
of an aspiring Olympic sailor whose life was cut short prematurely when he was
electrocuted in 1973 when the mast of his boat made contact with an overhead
power line, will be awarded to the winning boat in the Club 420 class. The
Robert and Ann Conner Trophy, to honor the Conners' lifelong effort to promote
junior sailing, will be awarded the winner of the Laser Radial class.
For more information about the U.S. Youth Championship, including a complete
list of competitors and latest updates as the event is happening, please visit
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/youthchamp.
About the Event Sponsors
LaserPerformance, manufacturer of most of the boats sailed in this championship,
is a sponsor of the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship as part of the company's
ongoing commitment to youth sailing. Nautica-the Official General Apparel
Supplier to the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics-also returns this year as an
sponsor of the Championship, affirming its support of youth sailing.
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing
body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island,
the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United
States. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and
race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities,
issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight
of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and
the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please
visit www.ussailing.org.
|
Merchants
Wanted To Sell On This Site....FREE Trial Offer... Check Out
These Merchants Selling Their New & Used Items On Marine-Plus.Com 
