Portsmouth, R.I. (May 7) - Ten members of the US Disabled Sailing Team AlphaGraphics have landed in Qingdao, China, and are preparing for five days of racing at the International Association For Disabled Sailing (IFDS) Qingdao International Regatta. The U.S. has sent five of its top-ranked teams to this May 11-15 event: in the Sonar, the Paralympic team of Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle (Marblehead, Mass.), and Bill Donohue (Brick, N.J.) will race, as well as the second-ranked team led by Paul Callahan (Providence, R.I.) with Mike Hersey (Hyannis, Mass.) and Roger Cleworth (Lithia, Fla.) as crew. In the SKUD 18, Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and Julia Dorsett (Westchester, Penn.) will represent the United States, as the Paralympic team of Nick Scandone (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (Marblehead, Mass.) will not attend due to scheduling conflicts. Competing in the 2.4mR are John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.) and Mark LeBlanc (New Orleans, La.), ranked first and second respectively. US Disabled Sailing Team AlphaGraphics members who sit first in the rankings have qualified to compete in the Paralympic Games in September, also in Qingdao, China.

Although it is not an official test event, the IFDS Qingdao International Regatta will serve as the most realistic training the teams and the organizers will see before the Paralympic Games in the fall. Head Coach Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.) says in an email from China, “There is no substitute for practicing at the venue in preparation for the big show.”