The U.S. Junior
Women's Championships consists of two events. Both of these
Championships are open events with no pre-qualifications except for age
(13-18), U.S. citizenship, and membership in US SAILING. The Nancy Leiter Clagett
Memorial Trophy, known as the Leiter Trophy, was started by Tom Clagett in
1980 at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Newport, Rhode Island, in memory of his
late wife Nancy. In 1985 USYRU (now US SAILING) agreed to support the
singlehanded event as a trial for possible adoption as a national
championship and since 1986 the Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy has been awarded for the U.S. Junior
Women's National Singlehanded Championship, which is sailed in Laser
Radials. The second is the Ida Lewis Trophy, sailed for the U.S.
Junior Women's National Doublehanded Trophy. This event was started in
1995, became a US SAILING sanctioned event in 1996, and is sailed in Club
420s.
The format for these two
Championships combines two days of clinics, both on and off the water, as
well as three days of racing. This format has proved exceedingly
successful: participants have gone to the top levels of collegiate, national
and international sailing.
Tom and Nancy Clagett's
devotion to junior women's sailing flowered into the sponsorship and support
by Tom during his lifetime, and now by his Trust, of the two Junior Women's
Championships as well as the Junior Women's Advanced Clinics. Tom's
interest in and dedication to junior women's sailing is a fitting permanent
tribute to Nancy, who was a world class sailor when they married in 1941.
Tom felt that junior women sailors should have the opportunity to compete in
a national level competition. He felt the girls could learn not only
from the coaching provided at the Championships, but also from each other.
He appreciated that learning sportsmanship and cooperation was critical.
Tom felt that all the girls should be treated equally. Thus there
should be no private coaching allowed at these Championships in order to
make it equal for all girls attending. Tom felt so strongly about
these principles that he wrote them into the Trust he created to provide
financial support for the Championships well into the distant future.
The Junior Women's
Championships gave Tom Clagett great satisfaction and delight. He referred
to the participants as "His Girls" and he wanted them to always exert their
best efforts in order to learn to "Beat the Boys" as his Nancy did.
After Tom died in June
2001, the Sportsmanship Award winners for both championships receive the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Sportsmanship
Prize to honor
Tom's dedication to junior women's sailing and his Corinthian spirit. Since 2001, Tom and
Nancy's daughter Judy McLennan and their granddaughter Stephanie McLennan
have been carrying on the family's sailing tradition and dedication to these
junior women's events by working with Tom's trustees and US SAILING.
In 2001, a
logo for these two Championships was designed using Tom and Nancy's private
yacht signals. Nancy's private signal was a green ladder on a yellow
rectangle (Leiter is German for Ladder). Tom and Nancy's first boat
together was named "The Barefoot Girl" and Tom's private signal became two
white bare feet on a blue triangle. Both their boat and Tom's private
signal reflected Nancy's reluctance to wear any shoes. Combining these two
private signals into this logo serves as an ongoing reminder of Tom and
Nancy's commitment to junior women's sailing and to each other.
C. Thomas Clagett,
Jr. & Nancy Leiter Clagett
10th Year Leiter Trophy Anniversary
Handbook 
(Note file is 1.8 Meg in size!)
Scanned copy of handbook prepared in 1990 by Anne Faust
PAST WINNERS-
U.S. Junior Women's Singlehanded Championship for the
Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy
PAST WINNERS- U.S. Junior Women's
Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis Trophy |
