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Top Young Sailors from Across the Nation Will Compete in Chubb U.S. Junior
Championships in Chicago
Portsmouth, R.I. (July 23, 2008) - Chicago Yacht Club's Belmont Harbor Station
is gearing up to host the country's top youth sailors at the Chubb U.S. Junior
Championships from July 28 through August 1. Sponsored by the Chubb Group of
Insurance Companies and LaserPerformance, the events will feature competition in
single-, double-, and triplehanded classes sailing Lasers, Club 420s and
Lightnings respectively. Accomplished junior sailors from across the country
have qualified to race in this regatta based on their performance in a ladder
system of numerous eliminations held at dozens of sailing organizations
nationwide.
The Laser fleet will race for the Smythe Trophy. Established in 1974, this
award is named for D. Verner Smythe, who was dedicated to organizing US SAILING
Championships. The competition in this class will be closely contested as last
year's third place finisher Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) square off against
Michael Schalka (Seattle, Wash.), who took 6th at the 2008 ISSA High School
Singlehanded Nationals, and Cleve Hancock (St. Petersburg, Fla.), last year's
6th place finisher and also a top-ten finisher at the ISAF Youth Worlds
Qualifier.
The Bemis Trophy, established in 1975, will be awarded to the winning duo in the
420 fleet and is named for F. Gregg Bemis who was known for his work on the
Racing Rules of Sailing and his leadership role in judging at junior and
intercollegiate regattas. This fleet is comprised of a deep field of talented
doublehanded sailing crews. Among them are returning skippers Lindsay Grove
(Lafayette, Calif.) and Tyler Wooldridge (Kailua, Hawaii), who placed seventh
and eighth respectively in 2007. They will face off against the experienced team
of skipper William Haeger and Laura McKenna (both from Lake Forest, Ill.).
Haeger finished 10th at the ISAF Youth Worlds Qualifying event this year
(singlehanded) while McKenna was crew for the runner-up boat at the U.S. Junior
Women's Doublehanded Championship in 2007.
The Lightning class will be competing for the coveted Sears Cup - US SAILING's
oldest trophy - named for Commodore Herbert M. Sears of Eastern Yacht Club
(Marblehead, Mass.) who founded the competition in 1921. The 2008 triplehanded
fleet will be comprised largely of newcomers to the event, including skippers
Luke Adams (Middletown, R.I.) who is fresh off racing at the U.S. Youth Sailing
Championship, Nevin Snow (San Diego, Calif.), who took 4th in the multihull
division at the Youth Worlds Qualifier, and Will Stocke (Sarasota, Fla.) who is
moving to the triplehanded division after taking 11th in the doublehanded event
last year.
During the competition, daily results, updates, and photos will be posted at:
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/2008/DailyReport/DailyReport.asp .
For more information about each event, please visit the individual event
websites at:
- Singlehanded Championship at
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/single ;
- Doublehanded Championships at
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/double ; and
- Triplehanded Championship at
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/triple .
US SAILING's Chubb U.S. Junior Championships are part of US SAILING's National
Championship series. For more information about these championships, please
visit www.ussailing.org/championships.
About Chubb
Member insurers of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies form a
multi-billion-dollar organization providing property and casualty insurance for
personal and commercial customers through 8,500 independent agents and brokers
worldwide. Since its founding in the seaport district of New York City in 1882,
Chubb has been a leading insurer of marine-related operations. Chubb provides
insurance and loss control services to marina operators, charterers, ship
repairers, stevedores, terminal operators, wharfingers and vessel builders. It
also insures yacht owners. Chubb's global network includes branches and
affiliates throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia.
More information on Chubb may be obtained at www.chubb.com.
About LaserPerformance
Demonstrating a continuing commitment to youth sailing, LaserPerformance,
manufacturer of the Lasers and Club 420s sailed in the singlehanded and
doublehanded events, is once again sponsoring these events. LaserPerformance has
been a dedicated sponsor of numerous U.S. National Championships for more than a
decade, encouraging sailors to enjoy the sport while also ensuring great
competition. Visit their website at www.laserperformance.com.
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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