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The Best of the Best Arrive in Seattle for the U.S. Team Racing Championship
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jake Fish
US SAILING Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (September 29, 2010) – One of US SAILING’s most intriguing adult national championship events, the U.S. Team Racing Championship, will be raced in the Pacific Northwest for the first time event history. Sixteen teams representing three countries will sail Vanguard 15s with a three boat, six sailors per team format. A collection of the best team racers in the world will vie for the prestigious George R. Hinman Trophy on the waters of Lake Union in Seattle, Wash. for three days of racing beginning this Friday, October 1. The championship will be decided on Sunday, October 3. The highest placing U.S. team will represent the United States at the 2011 ISAF Team Racing World Championship next August in Ireland.
The U.S. Team Racing Championship routinely attracts the top teams in the country. The top four teams from the 2009 event have returned, including defending champions Team Extreme, who will return all six sailors from last year’s team. Zachary Brown (New Haven, Conn.), Emmet Smith (Ne w Haven, Conn.), Thomas Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI), Marla Menninger (New York, N.Y.), Stuart McNay (Boston, Mass.), and Michael Hession (Chicago, Ill.) make up Team Extreme. The all Yale team is comprised of former 2008 Olympians, McNay (470) and Barrows (Laser). Team Extreme has already had a tremendous season. In May, Team Extreme captured the Wilson Trophy in Great Britain by defeating the West Kirby Hawks in the finals.
The West Kirby Hawks, a perennial power from Great Britain and winners of the 2009 Wilson Trophy with the same six sailors led by Ben Field (Sevenoaks, Kent GBR), Dom Johnson (Orpington, Kent GBR), and Andy Corhah (Sevenoaks, Kent GBR), will also be competing this week and are in search of their first U.S. Team Racing Championship. Having narrowly lost to Team Extreme at this year’s Wilson Cup, they are out to avenge their loss.
The New York Yacht Club’s Silver Panda team had their U.S. Team Racing Championship winning streak snapped by Team Extreme last year. NYYC Silver Panda lost to Team Extreme, 3-2, in the best-of-five final series. They won the Hinman Trophy from 2006-2008, and in 2002. The 2009 ISAF Team Racing World Champions will return four of the six competitors from last year, including Amanda Callahan (Canton, Mass.), Colin Merrick (Portsmouth, R.I.), Peter Levesque (Tiverton, R.I.), and Carrie Amarante (Wayne, N.J.). They will be joined this year by Clay Bischoff (Newport, R.I.) and Caroline Hall Levesque (Tiverton, N.J.).
Tall Boyz and Team San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC), last year’s third and fourth place teams respectively, will take another shot the championship in 2010. Tall Boyz are represented by skippers Clay Johnson (Toms River, N.J.), Scott Hogan (New York, N.Y.), and Sean Doyle (Cos Cob, Conn.). Team SDYC is represented by skippers Mikee Anderson Mitterling (Newport Beach, Calif.), Adam Roberts (San Diego, Calif.) and, Nick Martin (San Diego, Calif.).
Seattle Sideshow, the local qualifiers, hope to keep the Hinman Trophy in Seattle. They are led by skippers Anthony Boscolo, Dalton Bergan, and Andrew Loe. All six sailors on the team are from Seattle.
Team racing is a unique form of racing. In each match, two teams of three boats are pitted against each other on an “N” shaped course. It is the cumulative points of all three boats that determine the winning team, which may or may not include the winning boat. The resulting tactics in this format are complex. It requires instantaneous decisions and superb boat handling.
Up to 346 action-packed races will be conducted at the south end of Lake Union. Friday and Saturday’s racing will feature a double round-robin schedule. Sunday’s racing will consist of championship elimination rounds and the finals. Racing starts at 10:00 a.m. PST all three days.
The U.S. Team Racing Championship is hosted by the Seattle Yacht Club and the Center for Wooden Boats. The team of volunteers are prepared to put on an impressive show. On-the-water spectators are welcome, though they will be asked to stay clear of the race course and not interfere with wind. Two big screen TVs will carry action live inside the Center for Wooden Boats, and a live web feed is planned as well. Racing starts at 10:00 am all three days.
Sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., LaserPerformance, Dry Creek Vineyard, and Gill North America. Please visit the event web site for up-to-the-minute results, daily reports, photo galleries, Sailgroove videos, and more. Also, follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates from Seattle.
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 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 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.
About Gill North America
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, GA is the sole distributor and licensee of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America including Caribbean, Central America, US and Canada. Gill is an apparel and accessories leader in the worldwide marine industry for over three decades and specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company tests, designs and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear. Available through hundreds of dealers nationally, Gill NA is the sole distributor and licensee of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America, where it is the top selling yachting clothing brand. For more information on Gill NA, visit the company website at http://www.gillna.com/or contact Lance Jones at Gill NA, (678) 730-5581/e-mail: lance@gillna.com.