Williams and Blumenthal are U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded Champions for 2011
Contact:
Jake Fish, US SAILING
Communications Manager
401.683.0800 x614
jakefish@ussailing.org
MANTOLOKING, N.J. (July 14, 2011) – Sarah Williams (Bay Head, N.J. / Bay Head YC) and crew Ali Blumenthal (Bellport, N.Y. / Bellport YC) took a commanding lead on Wednesday at the U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded Championship and never looked back. They won four of the first seven races of the championship to take an eight point lead going into today's final two races. On Thursday, Williams and Blumenthal finished seventh and fifth to win by a six point margin and will have their names engraved on the prestigious Ida Lewis Trophy. Forty youth teams competed in Club 420s this week on Barnegat Bay in this three-day Championship.
Allyson Donahue (Brigantine, N.J. / Brigantine YC) and crew Maddie Widmeier (Pipersville, Pa. / Brant Beach YC) finished in second. They raced well today and posted fourth and second place results. With a ninth and third in today's races, Tuesday's leaders Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick (Darien, Conn. / Noroton YC) and crew Caroline Atwood (Killingworth, Conn. / Kollegewidgwock YC) finished third and eight points behind the winning team.
Sailing conditions were ideal throughout the racing this week. "We had good breeze all week, which is great because we sail better in these conditions," said Williams. "Downwind sailing was our strength. We did a good job getting inside people at the leeward mark gates."
Williams is excited to win this championship close to her hometown of Bay Head, N.J. "It's awesome to win this championship and have so many family members and friends around. I'm on the road so much. It's great to win here."
Blumenthal said, "We started sailing together in the fall and our communication in the boat has been really good, so we decided to keep racing together. We've come leaps and bounds with our teamwork."
Williams and Blumenthal will be on their way to Tavira, Portugal to compete in next week's International 420 European Championships on July 20-29. They will also be competing at US SAILING's 2011 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship in the C420 division, hosted by the New York Yacht Club, Ida Lewis Yacht Club and Sail Newport (R.I.) on August 14-18.
For more details on the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship, full results, final standings, recaps, photos and a special race tracking feature from Kattack, please visit the event website at http://championships.ussailing.org/Youth/USJrWomensDoublehanded.htm. The championship is a Sailors for the Sea - Clean Regattas certification event.
Two days of clinics for the competing sailors led by US SAILING’s National Junior Coach Frank Ustach and a team of distinguished junior and college sailing coaches preceded competition on Sunday and Monday, July 10-11.
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The U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship is sponsored by LaserPerformance, Gill North America and Switlik Survival Products and supported by the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Trust.
Championship Notes
The U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship is an open event… Racing took place on Barnegat Bay at the Green Island course… Trophies were awarded to the skippers and crew finishing in the top three places. US SAILING medals were presented to the top five finishing teams. Boo Devanny (Annapolis, Md. / Annapolis YC) and Amanda Wagner (Annapolis, Md. / Annapolis YC) received the C. Thomas Clagett Sportsmanship Award and Elena VandenBerg (Annapolis, Md. / Annapolis YC) and Lilli Salvesen (Edgewater, Md. / Annapolis YC) received the Most Improved Award.
About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth 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 LaserPerformance
LaserPerformance is a global company formed from a merger between Vanguard Sailboats and Performance Sail craft 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 Bucky (UK), Melbourne (AU), Middle East (UAE), and Hong Kong. For more information on LaserPerformance, call 401-683-0960 or visit their website at www.laserperformance.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.
About SWITLIK
Established in 1920, SWITLIK has been family owned and operated for four generations. Known worldwide as a manufacturer of the highest quality personnel safety and survival products for the marine, aviation and military/government markets, SWITLIK products are designed and manufactured in the USA to meet the toughest performance standards. From the world's finest race marks to the most trusted survival equipment and technical protective clothing, SWITLIK products are defined by Quality, Performance and Innovation. Every day, in all we do.
SWITLIK - Simply the best for over 90 years. For more information, please visit www.SWITLIK.com.
About Clagett Trust
Support for the U.S. Junior Women's doublehanded Championship is made possible in part by funds provided by the late C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. to perpetuate his unwavering dedication to Junior Women's Sailing. His support is in memory of his late wife, Nancy Leiter Clagett, a world class sailor, and of Ida Lewis, the heroic daughter of a lighthouse keeper. This support is intended to encourage young American women to enhance their sailing ability, with emphasis on sportsmanship, by providing the opportunity to compete in national-level competition with guidance from high-level coaching. Tom Clagett's family continues to assist in fulfilling his vision.