US SAILING Sends Team to 2008 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship  

Portsmouth, R.I. (July 7, 2008) -- US SAILING, the national  governing body for the sport, will send nine members of the US Youth World Team to Århus, Denmark, where they will represent the United States at the 2008 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship. Over 250 sailors from 60 countries will compete in the championship, which runs July 10-19.  

The nine members of this team mark a milestone in Youth World Team history, as they are the first to have qualified at a single, designated Youth World Qualifier regatta. In the past, youth sailors in each class were chosen by having won a class regatta that had been predetermined as the qualifying event. Under the new system, all nine of these sailors gained their Youth Worlds eligibility at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club’s Youth World Qualifier, which attracted 82 sailors from around the country.  

“We are excited for this event. We have great athletes and coaches going to Denmark to represent the U.S. this year,” said U.S. Olympic Sailing Committee Chairman Dean Brenner. “For some of these sailors, it is a major step on the path to a future spot on the Olympic Team. For others, it is a fantastic opportunity to do some world-class sailing. But for all of them, this will be an incredible experience no matter what. We’re looking forward to see what they are capable of.”  

The grand slam of the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship is the Volvo Trophy, an award that recognizes the best collective performance by a country. The U.S. has never won the Volvo Trophy, but it still serves as a strong motivation for the team. Team Leader Kent Haeger said, “One of the reasons to emphasize the Volvo Trophy is to get the team working together.  Last year and they really cheered each other on and worked together to prepare the boats, offer advice or just be there for each other.  Last year the team was very tight and I expect the same this year.”  

The members of the 2008 Youth World Team are:  

Laser: Luke Lawrence (Palm City, Fla.)

Laser Radial: Anne Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill., East Troy, Wis.)

29er Boys: Judge Ryan (San Diego, Calif.) and Hans Henken (Coronado, Calif.)

29er Girls: Julia Paxton (Sebastopol, Calif.) and Karoline Gurdal (San Francisco, Calif.)

SL-16: Andrew Mason (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Chris Segerblom (Costa Mesa, Calif.)

Windsurfer Boy: Cody Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.)  

The 2008 US Youth World Team will be accompanied by Team Leader Kent Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill.) and coaches Brett Davis (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Peter Kruger Anderson (Århus, Denmark).  

For more information on the 2008 Youth World Team, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics/YouthWorld/2008/team.asp  

For more information on the 2008 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, please visit

www.youthworlds2008.org/  

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 U.S. 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.

Wagner Autopilots, Parts & Service... Update Your Autopilot For About One Third The Cost Of A New One ....CLICK HERE!

Robertson Autopilot Items Available On This Merchant Page... Click Here!

^{Merchants Wanted To Sell On This Site....FREE Trial Offer... Check Out These Merchants Selling Their New & Used Items On Marine-Plus.Com Click Here !}