Junior Sailors To Compete For Oldest National Junior Trophy
At U. S. Junior Triplehanded Championship

Portsmouth, R.I. (August 1, 2005) – Not too far from where the U.S. Junior Singlehanded and Doublehanded Championships will be held simultaneously in Newport Beach, Calif., 33 of the best young triplehanded sailors will soon arrive Corona del Mar, Calif. to compete for the oldest national junior trophy, created in 1921. The U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championship for the renowned US SAILING Sears Cup will be hosted by Balboa Yacht Club in Corona del Mar, Calif. Sailed in Governor's Cup 21s, the event will be held beginning August 9th and continuing through the 12th.
 
In order for these young sailors to compete in the National Championships they had to sail in local and regional regattas to qualify. Only 33 sailors are able to qualify, making up 11 very competitive teams. The young sailors come from all over the U.S. including Hawaii for the prestigious event.

Previous winners of these Championships have gone on to become world-famous sailors, competing in the Olympic Games, World Championships, the America’s Cup, and many more. US Sailing Team-members Dalton Bergan and Morgan Larson have won the U. S. Junior Triplehanded Championship earlier in their sailing careers. Bergan won the Championship in 1994 and Larson in 1988.

For more information on the U.S. Triplehanded Championship including a list of competitors, results, daily updates, and pictures as they become available, please visit the event’s website at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/triple. These events are part of US SAILING’s National Championship series. For more information about the National Championships, visit www.ussailing.org/championships or contact US SAILING’s championships manager Liz Walker at 401-683-0800.

About the U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championship
The winning team of the U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championship will be awarded US SAILING’s Sears Cup. In 1921, Commodore Herbert M. Sears of Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass., created a Cup bearing his name for competition among juniors of yacht clubs throughout Massachusetts. The following year, eligibility to compete for the Trophy broadened to include the south shore of Long Island, NY. In 1930, Sears deeded the trophy to the North American Yacht Racing Union (now US SAILING) for triplehanded sailing among juniors over 12 and under 18. Under the deed, the Cup is "for the purpose of promoting the sport of yachting by encouraging proficiency in seamanship and sportsmanlike conduct in sail yacht racing on the part of boys and girls of school age.” The Sears Cup is the nation’s oldest trophy for junior sailing.

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 Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.  

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