> US SAILING Media > Latest News > 2010 > Rising Stars to Compete at U.S. Youth Sailing Championships
Rising Stars to Compete at U.S. Youth Sailing Championships
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jake Fish
US SAILING Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (July 28, 2010) – US SAILING will crown champions representing four classes at one of the most premiere junior sailing events in the country next week in San Pedro, Calif. The U.S. Youth Sailing Championships (USYSC), hosted by the Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club, begins on Monday, August 2 and runs through Wednesday, August 4. A total 91 boats and 137 junior sailors will race Lasers, Laser Radials, C420s, and 29ers in the Port of Los Angeles for three highly competitive days of racing.
Laser Radial Division
The Laser Radial division this year is loaded with talent. The 30 boat fleet will go up against defending champion, Christopher Stocke (Sarasota Youth Sailing Program), one of three members of the US Sailing Development Team (USSDT) to compete in the Laser Radial division. Erika Reineke (Lauderdale Yacht Club) and Mitchell Kiss (Macatawa Bay Yacht Club) of the USSDT are also competing for this year’s Laser Radial title. Reineke has been making her mark on the Radial racing circuit. Last weekend she captured the gold medal at the 2010 Laser Radial Youth World Championships just 10 ten days after winning bronze at the 40th Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships. Another USSDT member, Mitchell Kiss will be in action. Most recently, Kiss placed fourth in the Gold Fleet at the 2010 Laser North American Championship in Laser Radials. He finished third at the 2009 Orange Bowl, and fifth out of 131 at the 2009 Laser Radial Junior North American Championships.
Other competitors include, 2009 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Champion, Molly McKinney (Sarasota Youth Sailing Program). McKinney was the silver medalist at last week’s U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship. Sky Adams (Santa Barbara Yacht Club) and Annie Rossi (San Francisco Yacht Club) also fared well at this event. Adams finished third and Rossi was sixth.
C420 Division
This year’s C420 division features 32 teams. The team of Pearson Potts (Southern Yacht Club) and Caitlin Connerney (FAST) won the 2010 C420 North American Championships this month in a fleet of 109. At the same event, Graham Landy (Norfolk Yacht Country Club) and Colin Murphy (Shelter Island Yacht Club) finished second; Markus Edegran and Nick Gallagher (Larchmont Yacht Club) finished fifth; and Lily Katz (Bellport Bay Yacht Club) and Spencer McDonough (Indian Harbor Yacht Club) finished 15th. Kieran Chung (Newport Harbor Yacht Club) and Ryan Davidson (Balboa Yacht Club) defeated the field of 49 at the C420 National Championships earlier this month, with Katz and McDonough coming in third.
Several 2009 International Orange Bowl Regatta contenders have qualified for this year’s USYSC. Out of the top three boats in the C420 fleet, two will be at this year’s championship. The brother tandem of Chris and Daniel Segerblom (Newport Harbor Yacht Club) were runners-up at the Orange Bowl in the 90 boat fleet last year and the team of Tyler Rice and William Gibbons (St. Thomas Yacht Club) finished third.
Laser Division
This strong fleet of 15 is led by John Wallace (St. Petersburg, Fla.), a USSDT member. Wallace had an impressive 2009. He won the Laser competition at the 2009 International Orange Bowl Regatta in Miami, Fla. He also finished first out of 41 boats at the 2009 District 13 Championship in the Laser Radial division and eighth out of 73 at the 2010 Laser North American Championship.
Kevin Laube (San Diego, Calif.) has a proven track record of success in the Laser class. He won US SAILING’s 2009 Chubb Junior Singlehanded Championship convincingly by a 15 point margin. Olin Paine (Mission Bay Yacht Club) also figures to be a factor in this year’s race. He was second out of 135 boats at the CORK International Regatta in 2009.
29er Division
A number of highly competitive teams are lined up for this year’s 29er division, including USSDT members, Antoine Screve and James Moody (San Francisco Yacht Club). Earlier this month, Screve and Moody collected bronze medals at the 40th Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships. Another USSDT member, Mac Agnese will be sailing with Alek Nilsen (Lauderdale Yacht Club) in this event. Agnese also won a bronze medal with Taylor Palmer at the ISAF World Championships in the SL 16 multihull event.
Back by popular demand, Gill will be sponsoring a college sailing seminar with current college coaches and sailors during the U.S. Youth Sailing Championships.
Please visit the event website for more details on the event, including daily recaps, results, photos, and more. Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all championship updates. The U.S. Singlehanded Championships is sponsored by LaserPerformance, Gill North America, and Sperry Top-Sider.
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 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 Sperry Top-Sider
Since 1935, Sperry Top-Sider has been the leading brand of footwear for those with a Passion for the Sea. From its introduction of the world’s first siped rubber outsole for non-marking traction, to advanced technical fabrication to combat the elements, Sperry Top-Sider remains the vanguard of high-performance amphibious footwear. Available through independent, marine, outdoor and department stores, Sperry Top-Sider is the official footwear of the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas, Key West Race Week, the Salt Water Sportsman seminar series and the National Safe Boating Council. Based in historic Lexington, Massachusetts, Sperry Top-Sider is a division of The Stride Rite Corporation, a subsidiary of Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE:PSS). For more information, please visit www.sperrytopsider.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