2011 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship Day One Report
Contact:
Jake Fish
US SAILING Communications Manager
401.683.0800 x614
jakefish@ussailing.org
NEWPORT, R.I. (August 15, 2011) – Sailors were tested in torrential rainfall on Monday and racing was limited on day one at the 2011 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship. Top young sailors in four fleets from around the country are competing in Newport, R.I. this week at this elite US SAILING National Championship. The U.S. Youth Sailing Championship is hosted by Sail Newport, Ida Lewis Yacht Club and New York Yacht Club.
The 29er fleet finished three races, while the Club 420, Laser and Laser Radial fleets managed just one race. The 2010 U.S. Junior Doublehanded Champion Jack Jorgenson (Pasadena, Calif.) and crew A. Tucker Atterbury (Santa Barbara, Calif.) have an early two point lead in the 10 team division. They finished fourth, third and first.
The 2011 U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Champions Sarah Williams (Summit, N.J.) and Ali Blumenthal (Bellport, N.Y.) won the Club 420 race. US Sailing Development Team member Greg Martinez (Houston, Texas) won the Laser race and last week’s U.S. Junior Triplehanded Champion O.J. O’Connell (Niantic, Conn.) won today’s Laser Radial race.
Despite the rainy weather, breezes ranged from 6 to 11 knots. Racing resumes Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. ET (subject to change). Rain showers and cloudy conditions are forecasted for Tuesday. The four day Championship concludes on Thursday, August 18.
Visit the event website at http://championships.ussailing.org/Youth/US_Youth_Champs.htm for daily recaps, standings, results, videos, photo galleries and more. To get up-to-the-minute updates from the championship, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Listen to this interview with local Club 420 competitor Pearson Potts, who is fresh off his win at the U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship last week.
US SAILING’s U.S. Youth Sailing Championships is sponsored by Sperry Top-Sider, LaserPerformance, Gill North America and SWITLIK Survival Products. The Championship is a Sailors for the Sea - Clean Regattas certification event.
Championship Notes
• Read the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship preview.
• Fifteen of the competing sailors at this week’s Championship are members of the 2011 US Sailing Development Team.
• Three races are required to be completed to constitute a series. When fewer than six races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores. When six or more races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score.
• The top placing male in the Laser and the top placing female in the Laser Radial fleet qualify for the U.S. Singlehanded Sailing Championships for the Men’s and Women’s divisions, respectively.
• US SAILING Championship medals will be awarded to competitors who finish first through fifth in the Laser Radial and C420 fleets. Medals for competitors who finish first through third will be awarded in the 29er and Laser Full Rig fleets.
• The David M. Perry Perpetual Sportsmanship Trophy will be awarded, as well as sportsmanship keepers, in each discipline.
• The National Youth Championships Committee Chair is Shannon Bush. The Event Chair is Wendy Lotz.
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 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 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/orcontact Lance Jones at Gill NA, (678) 730-5581 / e-mail: lance@gillna.com.
About SWITLIK Survival Products
SWITLIK is proud to be a sponsor of the U.S. Youth and Junior Sailing Championships, the pinnacle of performance dinghy sailing for America’s young adults. These fine young sailors exhibit the same type of drive, performance and perseverance that goes into every SWITLIK product.
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.