Francis Charles of MIT was awarded the 2007 Gay Lynn Service Award at a ceremony at the 2007 U.S. Team Racing Championship. National Chair, Gavin O'Hara presented the award. Franny, in addition to his work as head coach at MIT, has worked tirelessly for the sport of team racing and is the guiding force behind the Charles River Team Race. 

Many have volunteered their time and effort to help team racing grow over the past decade, and the award recognizes that nothing is possible without the active support of the critical decision makers who can marshal resources to help us.  The great growth and success of team racing over the last decade would not have been possible without the effective and visionary leadership that the winners of this award have provided.  Previous winners include past chair Betsy Altman and chief umpire, Steve Wolff.