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Day 7 – Thursday, June 27

Sunny, mid-70s, blustery West wind, 15-18 knots with higher gusts, flat water

In his fourth time to the US Youth Championship, Emery Wager of Seattle dominated the Laser fleet from the first day. Emery scored eight bullets a fourth and a fifth for 17 total points. He was so far ahead that he didn’t have to sail in the final race. Wager credits his win to good practice. “In Seattle, we can sail year round. I can practice in a variety of conditions on Puget Sound as well as Lake Washington.” Former U.S. Youth Champion and Olympic medallist, Carl Buchan is one of Wager’s role models. Buchan advised him, “If you want to win, it’s not enough to just sail fast, you have to be tough.” Wager received the Robert L. Johnstone III Trophy, and has qualified to sail in the U.S. Singlehanded Championship for the O’Day Trophy to be sailed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on August 6-10, 2003.

In second place in the Laser fleet, also with a significant enough lead to sit out today’s final race was Mike Wilde of Rochester, NY with 32 points. Today the battle was for third place between Reed Johnson (Toms River, NJ), Kyle Kovacs (Pennington, NJ) and Matt Barry (Riverside, CT) who were separated by just six points going into the final race. Barry had the lead at the first mark with Reed and Kovacs back in 11th and 12th. The 18-knot westerly wind came in from the left on the second weather leg and Reed rounded the mark first. Barry passed Reed on the reach and held on to win. Reed was second and took third place overall with 32 total points. Barry finished the race in second and Kovacs was seventh. This left them tied with 47 points. Kovacs won the tiebreaker by virtue of having more second place finishes, placing him in fourth overall with Barry, fifth.

In the Club 420 fleet, last year’s runners up, Zachary Brown (San Diego, CA) with crew Melanie Roberts (San Diego, CA) hung on to their lead to win the championship with finishes of 1-1-3-5-4-4-4-1-2-(11)-8 for 33 total points. It was not an easy win. According to Brown, “We were way back in the fleet and banged the left corner to come back to eighth.” Brown and Roberts take home the Manton Scott Perpetual Trophy. Two brothers overtook their sisters on the final day to place second overall. Erik Storck (Huntington, NY) and John Kempton with 39 total point beat Leigh Kempton and Kaitlin Storck with 48 total points. Rounding out the top five were Charles Modica (Hobe Sound, FL) and Patrick Bordner (Fort Pierce, FL) in fourth with 72 total points and Ben Sampon (Plymouth, MA) and Michael Komar (Plymouth, MA) in fifth with 85 points.

US SAILING medals were awarded to competitors placing first through fifth in the Laser and Club 420 fleets. Winners were named to the 2003 US Youth Sailing Team and received team uniforms supplied by Gill.

The David M. Perry Perpetual Sportsmanship Trophies were awarded to the sailors voted by their peers as most sportsmanlike in each fleet. The awards went to Laser winner Emery Wager, Club 420 skipper Zack Kavanaugh (South Dartmouth, MA) and Club 420 crew Gardiner Bowen (Wayland, MA).
At the awards ceremony, a big thanks went out to all the sponsors, hosts, volunteers and especially the Regatta Chair John Strassman.

Next year’s event will be held in Charleston, South Carolina in June, 2004. Classes are Laser, Club 420 and possibly Radials. Applications will be available in February and the deadline for entry is April 1, 2004. Stay tuned to this web site for information throughout the year.
See you next year!

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Day 6 – Wednesday, June 25

Sunny, 90 degrees and humid, winds 12-15 knots

Today’s conditions were a duplicate of yesterday without the thunderstorms. Winds were out of the SSE at 12 knots at 11 a.m. when the first race got started. Two-foot seas quickly built to 4-5 feet and winds increased to 15 knots – great planning conditions. Three races were completed in both fleets for a total of ten, with one throwout allowed. The starting order was once again reversed with Lasers going first.

The Laser fleet has been dominated all week by two sailors, Emery Wager (Seattle, WA) and Mike Wilde (Rochester, NY). Wager continued his streak today with a 1-1-4. Emery’s scores are good enough that he does not need to sail the final race. Wager’s many days of training paid off. He sailed hard and aggressively all week. Mike Wilde had almost as good a day with finishes of 2-6-2. He also does not have to sail the last race to retain his 2nd place finish. The race for third in the Lasers is tight. Kyle Kovacs had three fifths today for 40 total points. Reed Johnson had the best day today with scores of 2-3-1 for 42 points. Matt Barry is close behind in fifth place with 46 points. Any one of the three could take third overall with a good race tomorrow. In the last race today, Reed thought he had started prematurely. (He hadn’t.) He went back and restarted and fought all the way back to win.

The top three 420 teams showed excellent boatspeed today but none of the top five places changed after today’s three races. Zach Brown and Melanie Roberts (San Diego, CA) remain in first with 25 points. Leigh Kempton (Island Heights, NJ) and Kaitlin Storck (Huntington, NY) continue to hold onto second place with 32 points. Their brothers, Erik Storck and John Kempton, are just four points behind in third with 36 points. Any one of the top three has a chance at winning. Further back in fourth are Charles Modica and Patrick Bordner with 57 points. Ben Sampson and Michael Komar are holding in fifth with 72 points.

There are literally hundreds of volunteers involved in the running of the event. After six days there are some standouts: Cindy Kraus heads up a large and dedicated food committee. After laying out breakfast for the sailors, they pack lunches for 200, and then they serve 150 dinners each night. Once their registration duties were complete, Cindy’s daughters Bridget, Jamie and Cassie Kraus took over responsibility for the lunch boat. And, Bob Kraus (dad) is here everyday, filling in wherever he is needed. It’s a real family effort.

The entire MYC staff deserves special recognition. They have worked tirelessly throughout the week to make the sailors, parents and guests feel at home. General Manager David Robinson, Assistant GM John Blasky and Chef Lou and their staff have done yeoman’s duty this week.
Sailors enjoyed a Mexican dinner under the tent before loading a bus for the Milwaikee Public Museum and IMAX Theater. One race remains in both divisions. The Awards Ceremony will be held at the Milwaukee Yacht Club at 3pm tomorrow.
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Day 5 – Tuesday, June 24

Sunny, high 80s and humid (much cooler on the water), Southerly 8-15

Photo by Thornton

Emery Wager (Seattle, WA) showed the Laser fleet how to sail today with three bullets. Each one was a bigger horizon job than the last. Emery showed great speed by passing boats both upwind and down. Dropping his worst race, Emery has six points in seven races. Mike Wilde (Rochester, NY) wasn’t far behind with a 3-2-8 today for 13 total points. Kyle Kovacs is a ways back in third with 25 points followed by Matt Barry (30 points) and Rob Crane (35 points).

Photo by Thornton

Leigh Kempton (Island Heights, NJ) and Kaitlin Storck (Huntington, NY) had a perfect score today - three aces. They won the second race by nearly a minute. But, San Diego sailors Zach Brown and Melanie Roberts remain in first place with 17 total points to Kempton and Storck’s 20 points. The brothers of the second place team, Erik Storck and John Kempton are in third place with 32 points. Charles Modica and Patrick Bordner are fourth (37 points) and Ben Sampson and Michael Komar are fifth (44 points).

With four races remaining, this event is far from over. The final results are very condition dependent. If the wind kicks in or gets very light we could see a turnover. Stay tuned.

Tonight is Carnival Night at the Milwaukee Yacht Club. A pasta dinner under the tent was followed by fun and games -- sumo wrestling, the rock climbing wall, jousting, pool and pinball, mini-golf, and many more games. You would think after a long day of racing that no one would have the energy but they did. Don’t miss the photos!
Three more races are scheduled for tomorrow. The forecast is for more of the same.

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Day 4 – Monday, June 23

Sunny, 82 degrees, 8-10 knot sea breeze, building to 12-14 Four Races Completed on Day 1 of the US Youth Championship It was a great day for sailboat racing in Milwaukee.

The sea breeze had already started by the time the sailors arrived at the club this morning. The boats headed out immediately after the morning briefing. The warning signal for the practice race went off precisely at 10 a.m. Many of the leaders peeled off before the finish - everyone knows it’s bad luck to win the practice race.

The trapezoid course (.5 mile beat) was set less than a mile off the Milwaukee harbor breakwater. Both classes sailed on the same course. The Lasers started first, sailing an outer loop trapezoid (windward-reach-run-windward-leeward-reach-windward to finish). The Club 420s followed sailing an inner loop trapezoid (sausage-reach-run-reach-windward to finish).

The first race started in a 10-knot southeasterly with two-foot chop. The wind built throughout the day to 12-15 with two- to three-foot chop. The shifts were primarily velocity.

Emery Wager (Seattle, WA) leads the 35-boat Laser fleet with a (5)-1-1-1 followed by Mike Wilde (Rochester, NY) with all deuces. Kyle Kovacs (13 points), Rob Crane (14) and Thomas Barrows (15) are in third, fourth and fifth, respectively, separated by just a point. Although a couple Laser sailors received “advice” from the jury, no illegal kinetics were observed.

Last year’s runners-up Zach Brown and Melanie Roberts (San Diego, CA) lead the 54-boat Club 420 fleet with a 1-1-3-(4). Their most significant lead was in the first race where they finished nearly a minute before the next boat. Charles Modica and Patrick Bordner are in second with 3-8-(9)-3. Leigh Kempton and Kaitlin Storck (Huntington, NY) are running a close third with scores of (38)-2-14-1. Adam Roberts/Nicholas Martin are fourth (19 points) and Erik Storck/John Kempton are fifth (20).
Tonight entertainment was the Comedy Sports Road Show. After a group photo in front of the clubhouse, sailors had dinner in the main dining room.

Seven more races are scheduled tomorrow through Thursday. The low-point scoring system is being used with a throwout after four races. Tomorrow’s warning gun goes off at 11:00 a.m. The forecast is for SSW 10-20.

There are a couple unresolved protests as of this report but none that affect the leaders. Complete results are posted.

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Day 3 - Sunday, June 22
Sunny, 80 degrees, light sea breeze (SE)

Last night one of the MYC housing hosts that has two young children and one more on the way had a minor incident that required that they visit the hospital. With the two children already in bed, their youth champ guests stepped up to the challenge and watched over the children while they spent the night in the hospital. Everything turned out fine in the end. The on-the spot babysitters, Lauren Merrigan and Lindsey Rogers deserve a big thanks.

In spite of higher temperatures today, the sea breeze was late and never really filled in. Sailors were on shore until well after noon. Veteran clinic instructor Adam Werblow led the morning session with a talk on how to learn/how to become a better sailor. Two-time Laser National Champion Nathaniel Stoffelsma followed with a sportsmanship talk. When the fleets finally headed out, they had to chase what breeze there was far out into the lake. Courses were set for both fleets but the breeze died before racing could get started. On the Laser coach boat, Kyle Kovacs whipped Coach Stoffelsma in the pull-up contest.
Back on shore, the makeshift boat ramp (built specifically for this event) underwent a third renovation to stabilize it. With 90 boats going up and down each day, it gets a lot of use. Ramp engineers Rob Hammill and Bob Kraus assure us that it will hold up through the week.

The sailors returned to shore early today, giving them time to relax and make final preparations before the competition begins tomorrow. Regatta Chair John Strassman ran the competitor’s meeting at 6 p.m. He introduced John Archibald who heads up the race committee team, and Dean Cady who heads the jury.

After the Competitor’s Meeting, the sailors had a night off to spend with their host families. The warning signal for the first race of the 11-race series is schedule for 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Tune in to Nickelodeon Games & Sports tomorrow, June 23: the TV channel will broadcast an announcement on the Youth Champs 23 times throughout the day! The piece will also be broadcast once on the regular Nickelodeon channel.

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Day 2 – Saturday, June 21

Sunny, air temp: 75 degrees, water temp: 48 degrees
The Championship officially began this morning with the Opening Meeting where regatta co-chairs John Strassman, Dan Topp and MYC Commodore Kitty Marquardt welcomed the sailors. The event would not have been possible without the support of national sponsors The Walt Disney Company, Vanguard Sailboats, West Marine and Douglas Gill. It takes more than 100 volunteers, including many gracious housing hosts, to run an event of this magnitude. Feeding and housing 143 teenagers for seven days is no easy feat.

The Olympic Sailing Committee sponsored the two-day advanced racing clinic, which precedes the Championship. US SAILING’s Olympic Development Coach Brian Doyle (Hanover, NH) headed the clinic. Other coaches included Gary Bodie (Hampton, VA), Adam Werblow (St., Mary’s City, MD), Bern Noack (Belmont, MA), three-time US Youth Champion and 2002 World Youth Champion Andrew Campbell (San Diego, CA), Nathaniel Stoffelsma (Sydney, BC), Pete Levesque (Falmouth, ME) and Howard Cromwell (Metairie, LA). As a whole, the group of eight coaches has 71 years of college coaching experience, has won 30 national and North American sailing titles and three world championships. Photos and bios for the coaches can be found in the Just Us [add hyperlink] section of the Youth Champ web site

Olympic Head Coach Gary Bodie outlined the opportunities available to youth sailors and finished with the Olympic “Dare to Dream” video. The group split into fleets for on-shore sessions before heading out to the lake. A mild seabreeze, SE at 8mph with one-foot waves, prevailed. The Laser course ran short races while the Club 420s did “rabbit” starts. Coaches drilled sailors hard in starts, mark roundings and boat handling for several hours. Each session was videotaped and reviewed back on shore.

After dinner US SAILING’s Olympic Sailing Committee Chair, Fred Hagedorn introduced the special speakers for the evening, Peter and Olaf Harken. Both brothers were college sailors. Peter got the idea for plastic ball bearings while working at a medical lab. Their first prototype blocks were tested by Finn sailors in the 1960 Olympics. Meeting with success, they placed their products in the Land’s End catalog. Today all the America’s Cup syndicates have Harken equipment. They have even developed windows for the space shuttle. Don’t miss the complete company history at www.Harken.com.

The Advanced Racing Clinic concludes tomorrow; racing begins Monday. The forecast is for continued sunny weather and warmer temperatures.

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Day 1 – Friday, June 20
Lee Parks 

It was picture perfect weather for the opening day of the 2003 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship that started today at the Milwaukee Yacht Club. One hundred forty-three sailors from 23 states arrived by car and by plane. These are the top youth sailors in the country, age 19 and under. Participants were selected from over 200 applicants by the Youth Championship Committee based on their sailing resumes.

The morning talk radio show (WTMJ, 620 AM) hosted by John Belmont featured General Chairman John Strassman and US SAILING High Performance Director Gary Bodie. 

Over 100 sailors arrived by air and were greeted at Milwaukee airport by Transportation Chair Carol Morley. All participants arrived on schedule. No luggage was lost. One suit of 420 sails was delayed in Philadelphia. The sailors hopped on school buses for the 20-minute ride to the Yacht Club.

Registration, coordinated by identical twins Bridget and Jamie Kraus, opened early and ran smoothly throughout the day. Each sailor received a goodie bag full of freebees supplied by sponsors. The Walt Disney Company, sponsoring for the second year, donated hats, Disney ID leashes and Mickey Mouse magnetic lights.  Photo ID badges were issued to each sailor.

From registration, the sailors proceeded to the boat park. The boats were lined up by fleet and equipment was strewn everywhere. Many sailors brought their own boats. Others were issued brand new Vanguard charter boats. Vanguard Sailboats has been a valued sponsor of this event for many years. A truck full of privately-owned boats from the east coast arrived and was unloaded by the owners today.

Assisting the Milwaukee Yacht Club with the organization is the South Shore Yacht Club and the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center. Housing is provided for each sailor in club member’s homes. After a BBQ, sailors and their housing hosts were matched up and headed home by 9 p.m. for some much-needed rest after a long day.

The two-day Advanced Racing Clinic starts promptly in the morning.