FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jake Fish
US SAILING Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org
The 80 competing girls are preparing for the start of US SAILING’s U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship (USJWDC), hosted by the Hingham Yacht Club (Mass.), by learning from top notch college and junior sailing coaches. Before the girls start three days of racing on Hingham Bay beginning Monday, they engaged in two days of clinics over the weekend.
Led by US SAILING’s National Junior Coach, Frank Ustach, the sailors were split into groups on Saturday morning and rotated between US SAILING’s coaching staff. Each session focused on a different segment of racing, such as fitness or learning how to tune a rig. The sailors were then split into six groups and headed out on the water. In moderate to light winds with the backdrop of Boston’s skyline, they practiced with coaches in small groups on a variety of skills, such as setting spinnakers and accelerating at the start. They later debriefed with their coaches on what they learned and how they fine tuned their skills.
On Sunday, the sailors were again split into six groups for instruction on a variety of topics including tuning for the expected conditions this week, reviewing starting procedures, refreshing their familiarity with signal flags, and warming up with fitness coach, Harry Legum. In the afternoon, it was back on the water for two practice starts and the practice race. The two day clinic concluded with the skippers meeting led by Robin Wallace, Principal Race Officer, and Jim Tichenor, Chief Judge.
This week’s racing for the Ida Lewis Trophy will be conducted in Club 420s on Hingham Bay. The USJWDC is sponsored by LaserPerformance and supported by the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Trust. Racing starts Monday and concludes Wednesday.
Visit the event website for daily recaps, photos and more. Follow the action with live updates from Hingham at US SAILING's Facebook and Twitter sites.
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, promotes integrity, and fosters growth 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.