U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded Championship Day 1 Recap
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jake Fish
US Sailing Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org
401.683.0800 x614
DEEPHAVEN, Minn. (June 27, 2012) – Thirty-eight teams set sail on Lake Minnetonka late this morning on day one of the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship. The team of Allyson Donahue (Brigantine, N.J.) and Maddie Widmeier (Pipersville, Penn.) took an early three point lead through three races after a strong finish on Wednesday.
Racing got underway just minutes before 11:00 am CT after a wind shift forced the race committee to re-set the line. Sailors faced south-southeast winds at 5 to 10 knots under sunny skies. The wind held through the finish of race three then died down, which forced a postponement at approximately 3:00 pm CT. The race committee attempted to resume racing, however race four was abandoned due to insufficient wind. The three-day Championship will resume on Thursday.
Donahue and Widmeier won race three to take a lead going into day two. They finished fourth and second in the first two races respectively. Donahue and Widmeier were second overall at last year’s U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship in Mantoloking, N.J.
Sitting three points behind the leaders are Carolyn Smith (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Bayley Davidson (Costa Mesa, Calif.). The California duo had a lead through the first two races when they finished second and first. In race three, they posted a seventh place finish to drop into second place. They were 10th at last year’s U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship.
In third place and four points behind the leaders is the team of KB Knapp (Syosset, N.Y.) and Rebecca Anderson (Northport, N.Y.). They won race one and added seventh and third place finishes to their score.
A two-day clinic for the participating sailors took place on Monday and Tuesday under blue skies and 10 to 20 knot breeze. Sponsored by the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Trust, these clinics were conducted by US Sailing’s Junior National Coach, Brian Clancy, and a team of notable sailing coaches from all over the country.
For more details on the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship, including a list of competitors, results and standings, recaps, photos, and more please visit the event website at http://championships.ussailing.org/Youth/USJrWomensDoublehanded.htm. This year’s Championship is hosted by the Lake Minnetonka Sailing School.
Stay connected with US Sailing through Twitter for breaking news and results from Deephaven, Minn.
The 2012 U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship is sponsored by Gill North America, Maclaren, and Switlik Survival Products, and is supported by the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Trust.
Championship Notes
• The 2012 U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship is an open event, but is limited to the first 40 complete teams.
• All competitors are between the ages of 13 and 18 and must be US citizens.
• A total of 10 races are scheduled for this event. When fewer than six races are scored, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores. When six or more races are scored, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores, excluding her worst race score.
• Races are scheduled to start every day at 10:30 a.m. CT (subject to change).
• Racing will take place on the lower part of Lake Minnetonka in close proximity to Lighthouse Island.
• The winning skipper and crew of the event will be awarded the Ida Lewis Trophy (perpetual). The top three finishing teams will receive trophies. The top five finishing teams will receive US Sailing medals.
• Additionally, the C.Thomas Clagett Jr. Sportsmanship Award will be presented to a team following the results of a secret ballot.
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 Sperry Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
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 Maclaren
Maclaren is the pre-eminent lifestyle brand for parenting. For nearly 50 years Maclaren has stood for excellence, empowerment and innovation, and is best known for the creation of the first umbrella buggy which revolutionized baby transport. Like Maclaren, the sport of sailing encompasses a complete lifestyle with a rich heritage. In an effort to spread the positive impact of sailing, the Maclaren Sailing Sponsorship Programme promotes participation and retention in the sport of sailing on a global basis. Maclaren sponsors a variety of sailors and regattas around the world including training and community initiatives. To learn more, please visit www.maclarenbaby.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.
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.