US SAILING Participates in 2011 Olympic Day at New Bedford Community Boating Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Jake Fish, US SAILING Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org / (o) 401.683.0800 x614
or
Brian Welsh, Olympic Day Event Coordinator
brianwelsh@ussailing.org / (c) 401.419.7944

MEDIA ADVISORY

WHEN & WHERE is the 2011 Olympic Day for sailing?
The New Bedford Community Boating Center in New Bedford, Mass. on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Olympic Day activities will take place at the Fort Tabor location:

Community Boating Center, Inc.
1000 S. Rodney French Boulevard
New Bedford, MA  02740

WHAT is Olympic Day?
US SAILING will participate in Olympic Day, organized by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC).  Olympic Day is observed annually around the world to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games and is being celebrated by various Olympic sports in more than 300 cities across the U.S. this month. Olympic Day is an international effort to promote fitness and well-being in addition to the Olympic Ideals of fair play, perseverance, respect and sportsmanship.

WHO will be participating and who are the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians at Olympic Day?
Approximately 80 youth sailors ages 5 to 18 enrolled in New Bedford Community Boating Center’s summer junior sailing program will be participating in Olympic Day activities with Olympic and Paralympic sailors including:

• US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics member and 2008 Olympic 470 sailor Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.).
• 2008 Paralympic SKUD-18 Gold Medalist Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (Marblehead, Mass.)
• 2004 Olympic Yngling sailor Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.).

WHAT are the Olympic Day activities?
Olympic sailors will give a presentation on what it means to be an Olympic athlete and discuss their experiences sailing at the Olympics. The youth sailors will sail with and receive instruction from Clark, McKinnon-Tucker and Cronin following the presentation.

About 2008 Olympian Amanda Clark: As the youngest female to qualify for the US Sailing Team (at the age of 15 in 2000), Amanda finished third place at the 2000 Olympic Trials in the Europe Dinghy (women’s singlehanded). Amanda set out her next Olympic Campaign in the International 470. In 2002 Amanda join forces with friend and standout athlete, Sarah Mergenthaler. Together, they finished second at the 2004 Olympic Trials, just barely missing out on the spot for the Olympic Team.

Amanda seized the opportunity after the 2004 campaign to finish her studies at Connecticut College (’05). During her time at Conn. College Amanda also competed in college sailing, earning All-American status. Together with Sarah, Amanda went on to lead the rankings in the 470 class from 2005-2008. They brought their world ranking from 47th in 2005 to 5th in 2007. Primed for the 2007 Olympic Trials with 10 years of Olympic campaign under her belt, Amanda and Sarah went on to win the Olympic Trials with a race to spare, qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Team to compete in China where they finished 12th. For her 2012 Olympic Games campaign, Amanda is teamed up with Sarah Lihan in the Women’s 470.

About 2008 Paralympic Gold Medalist Maureen McKinnon-Tucker: The pinnacle of Maureen McKinnon-Tucker’s sailing career was having the honor of winning the first Gold medal for the USA in Paralympic sailing with her teammate Nick Scandone. Unlike most other sailors, Maureen began sailing as an adult at a public sailing center. Her passion for competitive sailing was ignited only after disability and motherhood, thanks to a mentor in the Sonar class. Presently, Maureen runs the Piers Park Adaptive Sailing Center in Boston, Mass. and is a member of US SAILING’s Board of Directors.

About 2004 Olympian Carol Cronin: Carol Cronin has sailed and written fiction since she was a child. In 2004, she crowned a lifetime of competitive achievement by winning two races for the USA at the Olympics. A member of the elite US Sailing Team from 2001–2007, she won numerous national and international sailing championships including a bronze medal at the 2004 Yngling World Championship. Since retiring from Olympic sailing, Carol has focused on writing and graphic design and is known for her books “Cape Cod Surprise” and “Oliver’s Surprise.”

US SAILING’s Roadshow
US SAILING’s Roadshow crew, Will Ricketson and Brooke Thomson, will sail with the participating youth sailors from the Clark Cove location to Fort Tabor in the morning and back to Clark Cove in the afternoon. They will also be providing promotional support.

Follow the US SAILING Roadshow blog at http://ussroadshow.blogspot.com/ for a recap, including interviews, video, photos and more.

Learn more about Olympic Day
For more information about Olympic Day activities in the U.S., visit www.teamusa.org/olympicday.