U.S. Men’s and Women’s Championships Final Recap
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jake Fish
US SAILING Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (September 26, 2010) – The men’s Sonar fleet for the Mallory Trophy and the women’s Lightning fleet for the Adams Cup were decided today on Lake Michigan at the historic U.S. Men's and Women's Championships. Paul Wilson of the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club and Debbie Probst of the Wawasee Yacht Club prevailed on Sunday. These annual US SAILING Adult National Championships were hosted by the US Sailing Center of Sheboygan.
Wilson sealed the win by finishing third in the first of two races scheduled for the men’s fleet. Team Wilson had an eight point advantage going into today, and the win put them up by 10 points over Ken Kleinschrodt (Buccaneer YC). Wilson finished with 21 points through nine races. His team won three races, and didn’t finish worse than fifth in any race. Wilson sailed with Drew Plominski (Narragansett Bay Yachting Assoc.) and Will Stevens (Vineyard Haven YC) this week.Wilson was sailing in his sixth U.S. Men’s Championships this week, and in search of his first win. “I’m ecstatic about this win. It’s hard to put into words what this means to my crew as well. I’ve been sailing with Will for a while, and Drew for the first time and he was an enormous asset.” Wilson, who grew up sailing Solings, was no stranger to the Sonar. “We were focused on wind strategy and boat-to-boat tactics. With no throw-outs, we played it conservatively.”
“This was a great event,” added Wilson. “We thank the organizational authority, host chair, and all the volunteers.”
Probst continued to roll through the women’s division this morning by winning the first of three races scheduled today. The win put her in a tie with Heather Rowe-Ambrose. She surged into the lead by two points with a second place finish in race two today, while Rowe-Ambrose chalked up a fourth place. Meanwhile, last year’s winner Amy Kleinschrodt (Buccaneer YC) won the second race to come within four points of the lead. She was second in the first race of the morning. Probst made it official by winning the final race of the day to win by a four point margin over Rowe-Ambrose. Team Probst won five of the final seven races of the championship. She raced with Joyce Spring (Berlin YC) and Monica Jones (Buffalo YC).
Probst, Spring, and Jones had never sailed together before this week. Probst has been sailing Lightnings for the last 10 years. However, this was her first U.S. Women’s Championship as a skipper. “This win really means a lot to us. We’ve seen the list of previous winners and it’s impressive,” said Probst.
Racing conditions this morning consisted of 7 to 9 knots of breeze from NNW with 50 degree temperatures and overcast with leftover 2 to 4 foot swells from the past two days. Wind speed reached 10 knots by the end of racing.
These championships are sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Dry Creek Vineyard. Please visit the event web site for final standings, daily reports, photo galleries, and more.
Additional Awards
The McElwain Wakeman Sportsmanship Award was presented Kathy Lindgren and her crew Denise Cornell and Caiti Dust for exemplifying sportsmanship both on and off the water at the U.S. Women’s Sailing Championship.
The Shipshape Award was presented to Amy Kleinschrodt and her crew Sara Hall and Ashley Hall.
The Royal Victoria Trophy was awarded to David M. Hyer and his crew David A. Hyer and Gregory Schneller for seamanship at the U.S. Men’s Sailing Championship .
The Staton J. Peele Jr. Trophy was awarded to Ken Kleinschrodt and his crew Benz Faget and Bill Culberson for sportsmanship (as voted by the sailors) at the U.S. Men’s Sailing Championship.
About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US SAILING is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. 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 US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
About Rolex Watch U.S.A.
Since Rolex Watch U.S.A. first presented timepieces to America's Cup defenders in 1958, the company has consistently recognized and encouraged excellence in every important arena of competitive sailing, including US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics preparation, US SAILING championships, disabled sailing, offshore, one-design and women's events.
About Dry Creek Vineyard
Founded in 1972 by David S. Stare, Dry Creek Vineyard is located in the heart of Dry Creek Valley, just outside of the charming wine country town of Healdsburg. The winery is known for producing some of California’s finest Fumé Blancs and Zinfandels. In addition to these “flagships,” Dry Creek Vineyard is also known for excellent Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. In 1997, the family released a new vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon from their estate Endeavour vineyard. Then, beginning with the 2004 vintage, the family introduced a new proprietary blend called The Mariner. Each wine has redefined the concept of terroir as the winery continues shape their portfolio for future success. Dry Creek Vineyard owns over 200 acres of vineyard land, primarily in Dry Creek Valley and the Russian River Valley. For more information on Dry Creek Vineyard please visit www.drycreekvineyard.com.