US SAILING AND GILL NORTH AMERICA RENEW AND EXPAND PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT OF US SAILING TEAMS
New Line Of Co-Branded Apparel To Be Launched

	From left to right: US SAILING's Executive Director Charlie Leighton, Gill Chairman Nick Gill, and Gill USA President David Pritchard

Portsmouth, R.I. (July 13, 2005) – US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, and Gill North America today announced that they have renewed and expanded their decade-long partnership. As part of the new four-year agreement, which runs through 2008, Gill NA has been named “Exclusive Technical Apparel Supplier/Sponsor” to the US Sailing Teams. Through the multi-year partnership, Gill North America will outfit the country’s top sailors on the US Sailing Teams with foul-weather marine gear packages and championship gloves, bags and other Gill equipment. The US Sailing Teams consist of the US Sailing Team, the US Disabled Sailing Team and the US Youth World Team. In addition, Gill North America anticipates outfitting the nation’s top sailors who will represent the U.S. in 2008 in Qingdao, China.

As part of its ongoing commitment to the athletes, Gill will provide a comprehensive product support plan, advising athletes on how to use Gill gear to maximize competitive effectiveness.

“We are proud to renew and enhance our role in supporting America’s world-class sailors as they compete at the highest levels of the sport,” said David Pritchard, Gill North America president. “We hope our Gill gear gives these dedicated athletes the freedom and confidence to perform at their competitive best.”

US SAILING’s agreement with Gill also includes a new facet--Gill will offer at a retail level US SAILING-licensed and Gill-branded apparel that will generate proceeds to be donated to the US Sailing Team. These newly branded products will be available through US SAILING and select Gill independent dealers.

“US SAILING wanted to make sure that the country’s best sailors can focus on their competitions on the water, without having to worry about their technical gear, and Gill offers the sailors that opportunity,” said US SAILING’s Executive Director Charlie Leighton. “The renewed and expanded partnership is a ‘win-win’ for both parties.”

Gill North America has supported the US Sailing Team since 1995. In 2001, in renewing its support as “Exclusive Technical Apparel Supplier” through 2004, Gill extended its support to include the athletes on the US Disabled Sailing Team and the US Youth World Team.

About Gill North America
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, GA, is an apparel and accessories leader in the worldwide marine industry for over two decades and specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company tests, designs and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; yachting watches; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear.

Available through hundreds of dealers nationally, Gill NA is the sole distributor and licensee of Gill-brand foul weather gear in the United States, where it is the top selling yachting clothing brand. More information on Gill can be found at www.gillna.com.  

About the US Sailing Teams
Created in 1986, the US Sailing Team recruits and develops athletes for upcoming Olympiads. It annually distinguishes the top-five ranked sailors in each of the classes chosen for Olympic competition. The US Disabled Sailing Team, created in 1998 to develop athletes for Paralympic competition, annually recognizes the top-three ranked sailors in the Paralympic disciplines. The US Youth World Team is selected annually to attend the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Youth Sailing World championships. For more information on these national teams, please visit www.ussailing.org/Olympics.  

About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization’s mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Team. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.  

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