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Monday, July 10, 2006
After an impressive and consistent showing, Amanda Johnson (Berwyn, Pa.) and Ellie O'Brien (Westfield, N.J.) won US SAILING’s U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship today. The two young sailors, who sail out of New Jersey, showed up at the National Championship well-prepared, optimistic, and eager. Their experience and positive attitude paid off well: they took the lead on the first day of racing and never gave it up. Sailed in Club 420s, the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship is sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats and was hosted by Milwaukee Yacht Club, who stepped up to the plate earlier this year after Lake Pontchartrain Yacht Club in New Orleans needed more time to recover from Hurricane Katrina.
The regatta win was by no means easy for Johnson and O’Brien: they defeated 41 other teams, all of whom came into the regatta with impressive sailing resumes. After two days of clinics, led by 2004 Olympian Meg Gaillard, the competitors were ready to get to work. With five races completed on the first day of the Championship, Johnson/O’Brien took a quick lead with finishes of 2-2-3-1-4. The rest of the fleet was immediately at least 17 points behind. And that is how the regatta ended: with 32 points total, the winners finished 17 points ahead of the second place team of Ann Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill.) and Lindsey Kent (Thiensville, Wis.). Sarah Lihan, the youngest female member of the 2006 US Sailing Team and sailing with Caroline Wright (both of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), finished third overall with 54 points.
For their win, Johnson and O’Brien will be presented with the Ida Lewis Trophy at an awards dinner this evening. “It was a great event for us,” said Johnson in a celebratory mood after coming off the water this afternoon. “We’ll be back next year.”
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Final Results
after 10 Races
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