CHAMPIONS CROWNED AT U.S. JUNIOR SAILING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Newport Beach/Marina Del Rey, Calif. (August 14, 2005) – After three days of exciting races and hard-fought competition, US SAILING has crowned the nation’s junior sailing champions in single-, double- and triplehanded events of 2005. The winners have been named to US SAILING’s U.S. Youth Sailing Team. This year’s National Junior Champions are:
• U.S. Junior Singlehanded Champion: Cameron Cullman (Rye, N.Y.), representing American Yacht Club
• U.S. Junior Doublehanded Champions: Cole Hatton/Blair Belling (both from Newport Harbor, Calif.), representing Newport Harbor Yacht Club
• U.S. Junior Triplehanded Champions: Ted Hale, Evan Aras, and Joe Morris from Annapolis Yacht Club, Md.

U.S. Junior Singlehanded Championship for US SAILING’s Smythe Trophy
Cameron Cullman saved the best for last to win the U.S. Junior Singlehanded Championship. Up until the last day of the Championship, he had been in second place, trailing just a few points behind Thomas Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI), who won the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship earlier this summer. On the last day, Cullman came prepared to win, getting a bullet on the first race of the final day, while Barrows finished 11th. In the second race of the final day, the two match-raced against each other, with Cullman finishing 17th and Barrows taking 18th. Using their last race as their discards, Cullman finished with 24 points total and Barrows with 31, thus Cullman took home US SAILING’s Smythe Trophy.

Complete results, photos, and daily reports from the event are available at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/single.  

U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship for US SAILING’s Bemis Trophy
In the U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship, Cole Hatton and Blair Belling representing Newport Harbor Yacht Club, the host club, had the home-court advantage on the last day of the event. The Championship had been up for grabs throughout the regatta with the lead changing every day. Hatton and Blair finished the event with a total of 40 points in ten races, five points ahead of Taylor Canfield and Nathan Rosenberg (both from St. Thomas, USVI) representing St. Thomas Yacht Club. This is the second time in the 31-year history in the Championship that a team from Newport Harbor Yacht Club brings home US SAILING’s Bemis Trophy (Scott Hogan and Amy Halvorsen won the trophy in 1998).

Complete results, photos, and daily reports from the event are available at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/double.  

U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championship for US SAILING’s Sears Cup
The U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championships was the real nail-biter for the Junior Championships with the lead changing hands several times throughout the regatta. In the end, the team from Annapolis Yacht Club won with sailors Ted Hale, Evan Aras, and Joe Morris. Bay Waveland Yacht Club (Jackson Benvenutti, Gary Taylor and David Bolyard) of Bay St. Louis, Miss., took second while host club Balboa Yacht Club took third.

Complete results, photos, and daily reports from the event are available at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/triple.  

About US SAILING's U.S. Junior Championships
Both the U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship, sailed in Club 420s, and the U.S. Junior Singlehanded Championship, sailed in Lasers, were hosted by Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach, Calif. Sailed in Governor’s Cup 21s, the U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championship was hosted by Balboa Yacht Club in Corona del Mar, Calif. The U.S. Junior Championships are part of US SAILING’s National Championships series. For more information about these Championships, please visit www.ussailing.org/championships.  

About Vanguard Sailboats
Demonstrating a continuing commitment to youth sailing, Vanguard Sailboats provided the boats for the U.S. Junior Singlehanded and Doublehanded Championships. Vanguard Sailboats manufactures the Laser Radial and Club 420 boats used in the two events. Vanguard Sailboats has been a dedicated sponsor of numerous U.S. National Championships for more than a decade. Vanguard supports and sponsors sailing at many levels, encouraging sailors in the U.S. to participate in and enjoy the sport, and ensuring great competition among sailors. Visit their website at www.teamvanguard.com.  

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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