Upsets and Victories at U.S. Youth Sailing Championship
Belvedere, Calif. (July 1, 2008) - The U.S. Youth Sailing Championship wrapped
up this afternoon at San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere, Calif., and it
didn't happen without a few last-minute upsets in the final races of the
three-day event, sponsored by Nautica and LaserPerformance.
The two singlehanded fleets - the Laser and Laser Radial - perhaps provided for
the most exciting final day of racing. In the Laser fleet, Cam Cullman (Rye,
N.Y.) pulled off an upset victory against early leader Luke Lawrence (Jupiter,
Fla.), who had an early start in the final race - his second of the regatta -
and dropped to fourth place overall. For Cullman, who sailed in his last "Youth
Champs" since he will have aged out next year, this was a wonderful day. "I feel
amazing. This is the best feeling in the world!" he exclaimed.
In the Laser Radial fleet, another upset saw early front runner Chris Barnard
(Newport Beach, Calif.) dropping to third place after a 16th-place finish in the
final race of the Championship. This opened the door for Philip Crain (Houston,
TX) who won the regatta with solid second- and third-place finishes on the final
day. Colin Smith (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.), who won in the Laser division last year,
took home second. For the women, local Claire Dennis (Sarasota, Calif.) was the
top finisher with a ninth place.
In the two doublehanded fleets - the Club 420 and the 29er - familiar sailors
appeared on the podium this afternoon. San Diegans Tyler Sinks and Briana
Provancha teamed up in the Club 420 after they each won the Youth Champs in
previous years (Sinks was the defending champion in the Club 420 and Provancha
in the 29er). Their experience paid off and they won by a substantial margin (18
points). The real battle in the Club 420 fleet was for second place: Joseph
Morris (Annapolis, Md.) and Justin Doane (Nokomis, Fla.) were tied in points
overall with Brendan Kopp and Michael Costello (both from Fairfield, Conn). With
more first-place finishes in their pockets, Morris and Doane took home the
silver. The top all-women's finishing team was Emily Maxwell (Stonington, Conn.)
and Elizabeth Dudley (Queenstown, Md.), who finished 18th overall.
The 29er fleet was dominated by Californians. San Diegans Judge Ryan and Hans
Henken won the fleet, but it wasn't without some pressure. Max Fraser (Capitola,
Calif.) and David Liebenberg (Livermore, Calif.) weren't too far behind and
finished second. A push by Oliver Toole and Willie McBride (both from Santa
Barbara, Calif.), who won the last four races in the fleet, was enough to get
them third overall.
Champions Ryan and Henken used the Youth Champs to prepare for the Volvo Youth
Sailing ISAF World Championship, to be held in Denmark in a few weeks, where
they will represent the USA in the men's doublehanded division (sailed in
29ers). "We went out the first day and posted some pretty good scores," said
Ryan, adding that the final day of racing was the most challenging as everyone
was "finding their groove."
For results and more on this event, visit
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/youthchamp. This championship is part of
US SAILING's Youth and Junior Championship series; to learn more about US
SAILING's National Championships, visit www.ussailing.org/championships. Next
year's event will be held at Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, Conn.
About the Event Trophies
The Robert L. Johnstone Trophy awarded to the Laser class winner honors
Johnstone's pioneering work in popularizing one-design sailing and serving as
the Youth Championship's creator and first committee chairman; the Manton D.
Scott Memorial Trophy awarded to the Club 420 winner 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; the Robert and Ann Conner Trophy awarded to the Laser Radial winner
honors the Conners' lifelong effort to promote junior sailing, both nationally
and internationally.
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.
About US 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.
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