> US SAILING Media > Latest News > 2010 > Shuurmans and Strammer Crowned U.S. Singlehanded Champions
Shuurmans and Strammer Crowned U.S. Singlehanded Champions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jake Fish
US SAILING Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org
PENSACOLA, Fla. (August 1, 2010) – The weather held up on Sunday for great racing on Pensacola Bay for the finale of the 2010 U.S. Singlehanded Championships (USSC), hosted by the Pensacola Yacht Club. The men’s and women’s divisions completed two more races today, which proved to be just enough for Leonie Shuurmans (Houston, Texas) to complete her come-from-behind win in the women’s Radial fleet. Fred Strammer (Nokomis, Fla.) remained on track today to seal the win comfortably in the men’s Laser division.
Shuurmans dominated most of the racing this weekend. She won four of the seven races and posted second and third place finishes today to overtake Sarah Stubbs (Rye, N.Y.) in the standings. Despite controlling most of the action, Shuurmans had to battle her way back into the lead following a 12th place finish in race three on Friday.
"I couldn't make any more mistakes after race three," explained Shuurmans. "I worked as hard as I could to catch up, and kept an eye on Sarah at all times." Shuurmans mentioned she is looking forward to competing in this event next year. This year marked the first time a women’s division was included in the USSC.
Stubbs posted a pair of fifth place finishes today. Annie Rossi (Oxnard, Calif.) finished third after finishing third and first today. She was 11 points off the pace.
Strammer won by a nine point margin over Sean Kelly (San Francisco, Calif.) and US Sailing Development Team member, John Wallace (St. Petersburg, Fla.). Strammer finished fourth twice today, which was good enough to hold off the competition. Wallace posted two second place finishes to share runner-up honors with Kelly. Strammer, the former two-time U.S. Junior Triplehanded Champion, is a senior on the Brown University sailing team and a 2010 ICSA Honorable Mention All-American Coed Skipper. He has plans on starting a 49er Olympic campaign after college. “Sailing in college helped me be disciplined with my decision making,” said Strammer. “It was great to get back in the Laser, and this was a really cool event.”
More Notes from Sunday: Starts were critical in today’s light winds, which ranged from 4-7 knots... Callie Naughton (Marblehead, Mass.) and Michael Matan (New York, N.Y.) received the Peter Barrett Sportsmanship Award.
The U.S. Singlehanded Championships are open to male and female sailors 16 and older. Sailors qualified through eliminations, both at the Area level and specific regattas including the Sunfish Class Nationals, the Interscholastic Singlehanded Championships and the ICSA / LaserPerformance Men’s and Women’s National Singlehanded Championships. Qualifying events for this prestigious championship ran through June, 2010.
Please visit the event website for more details on the event, including daily recaps, final standings, photos, and more. Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all championship updates. The U.S. Singlehanded Championships is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., LaserPerformance, and Hobie Performance Sunglasses.
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.
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 LaserPerformance
LaserPerformance is a global company formed from a merger between Vanguard Sailboats and Performance Sailcraft Europe. LaserPerformance is the world’s largest supplier of recreational and high performance sailboats. LaserPerformance products include the Sunfish and the Olympic class Laser, two of the most recognized brands in the sailing world. LaserPerformance has offices in Portsmouth RI (US), Long Buckby (UK), Melbourne (AU), Middle East (UAE), and Hong Kong. For more information on LaserPerformance, call 401-683-0960 or visit their web site at www.laserperformance.com.
About Hobie Polarized
Hobie Polarized is a leading designer, developer, marketer and distributor of polarized eyewear. The brand’s innovative lens technology allows total glare reduction, 100% UV protection, enhances contrast and provides optimum visual acuity. The company’s products are sold worldwide and are used by watermen at all skill and lifestyle levels. The Hobie Polarized headquarter is located in Plainview, New York. For further information, please visit the company’s website at www.hobiepolarized.com.