U.S. Match Racing Championship Area E Elimination/
UBS Challenge Detroit Regional Qualifier
May 18 - 19, 2002

May 18-19, 2002
Bayview Yacht Club
Detroit, MI
Ultimate 20
Crew Minimum 3
Weight Limit 605lb

DETROIT, May 19, 2002 – Team Hollerbach, skippered by Nathan Hollerbach (22), closed out the final day of racing undefeated (10-0) to take first place in the UBS Challenge Regional Qualifier at the Bayview Yacht Club, Detroit. 

By winning the Detroit regatta, one of six regional qualifying races in the UBS Challenge national sailing event, Skipper Nathan Hollerbach advances to the UBS Challenge U.S. Championships, held in Newport, Rhode Island on July 27 - 29.  Top three finishers from that event will go on to compete in the UBS Challenge Finals, July 31 - August 4, also in Newport.  The finals pit the nation’s top amateur sailors against America’s Cup teams for a purse of $100,000, one of the largest in sailing. 

Team Van Tol (7-3) and Team Valka (7-3) placed second and third in today’s Regional Qualifier. 

“We couldn’t have asked for a better day for sailing,” said winning Skipper Nathan Hollerbach.  “The team is excited for the opportunity to move on to Newport and compete against the best match racers in the country.  We will continue to stay current and, keep match racing in preparation for the UBS Challenge U.S. Championship.”

“Racing today was exceptional; the wind picked up and made the race very exciting,” said Regatta Chair Nick Cost.   “The UBS Challenge has brought excitement to match racing in this area and Bayview Yacht Club is proud to be a part of this event.”

“This weekend’s UBS Challenge Detroit Qualifier helped to increase knowledge, activity and interest in matching racing throughout the state,” said Mike Tappert, an international sailing umpire and US SAILING representative. 

May 18th, 2002

Detroit, May 18, 2002 – After the first day of competition, Team Hollerbach, skippered by Nathan Hollerbach (22), leads the UBS Challenge Regional Qualifier at the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, Michigan. 

Team Hollerbach is undefeated after the first day of racing (7-0) and will face other top local sailors in the final day of racing on Sunday (May 19, 2002).  The UBS Challenge Detroit Qualifier is one of six regional regattas in the UBS Challenge national sailing event.  The winner of the Detroit regatta will advance to the UBS Challenge U.S. Championships held in Newport, Rhode Island, July 27 – 29.  Top finishers from that race will go on to compete against America’s Cup teams in the UBS Challenge Finals, July 31 – August 4, also in Newport.  The teams will race for a purse of $100,000, one of the largest in sailing. 

Hollerbach said, “The conditions on the water were fluky with shifting winds.  We attribute our success today to practice and teamwork -- my brother Adam, my friend George Peet, and I have been sailing together for the last four years; this has contributed to our winning formula today. 

“We are looking forward to the final day of racing tomorrow and to the possibility of sailing against America’s Cup contenders in Newport in August,” he added. 

Swedish Match Tour International Umpire, Alex McAuley, who umpired today’s event, said, “The UBS Challenge is an important event in the Detroit match racing calendar which will help keep the sport alive not only in Michigan, but across the United States.  It not only helps amateur sailors become more experienced, but also gives umpires valuable training on the ground.”

The weather conditions at Bayview Yacht Club today were variable, with winds of 5-15 m.p.h., a water temperature of 51 degrees and intermittent scattered showers.

The competition will resume Sunday, May 19, 2002, at 9 am, with the continuation of the round robin to determine the champion.  The forecasted conditions for tomorrow’s race include winds of between 5 – 15 m.p.h., with a temperature of 49 degrees and a 40 percent chance of precipitation.

LOCAL STUDENT FROM TROY HIGH SCHOOL WINS DETROIT "ART OF SAILING" DESIGN CONTEST

One-of-a-kind Art Competition Kicks off UBS Challenge Regional Qualifier Race

DETROIT, May 15, 2002 – UBS announced today that a design by Peter Kendzierski of Troy High School has been selected to represent Detroit in the UBS Challenge  "Art of Sailing" contest.

Peter Kendzierski’s design is one of seven conceived and painted on 12-foot canvas sails by students at Wylie E. Groves High School in Beverly Hills, MI; Troy High School in Troy, MI and Lapeer West High School in Lapeer, MI and are currently on display at the Detroit Public Library. The exhibit, part of the UBS Challenge Art of Sailing Design Contest, was judged by Matthew Armstrong, curator of the world renowned UBS PaineWebber Art Collection; Marilyn Wheaton, Director of the Cultural Affairs Department of the City of Detroit; Phaedra Robinson, Director of the Detroit Contemporary Art Gallery; Al Declercq, Owner of UK Sailmakers and Timothy Rumptz, Commodore of Bayview Yacht Club.

As the winner of Detroit’s Art of Sailing Design Contest, Peter Kendzierski receives $2000, and his sail will go on to represent Detroit at theUBS Challenge Sailing Championship Finals in Newport, RI.

Peter Kendzierski’s design incorporates some of the best aspects of Detroit such as the Spirit of Detroit statue, a Motown record, an automobile and the city skyline. His winning design is a tribute to the city’s rich cultural history and its leading automotive industry.

Other finalists in the Art of Sailing Design Contest include Michael Dearie, Farrah Johnson, Jordan Ramsay and Kevin Rush from Wylie E. Groves High School, Sophia Stimac from Lapeer West High School and Cassandra Shoneck from Troy High School.

The UBS Challenge "Art of Sailing" Design Contest is a national program involving premier art schools in select cities across the country. The contest is linked to the UBS Challenge, which begins May 18 at the Bayview Yacht Club, and includes six regional qualifying races for amateur sailors and culminates in Newport, RI at the UBS Challenge Finals, featuring America’s Cup sailors, July 31 – August 4.

UBS AG is a leading global financial services firm with 71,000 employees worldwide, providing a wide range of services to a client base that includes affluent individuals, corporations, institutions and governments. Headquartered in Switzerland, the bank has significant operations in all of the world’s major financial centers and comprises four business groups; UBS Warburg, UBS PaineWebber, UBS Switzerland, and UBS Global Asset Management.

For more information regarding the UBS Challenge, please visit www.ubs.com/ubschallenge.

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