TOP U.S. WOMEN SAILORS FACE OFF AT
U.S. WOMEN’S MATCH RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

Portsmouth, R.I. (November 9, 2005) - Anticipation builds as skippers Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) and Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.), and six other teams, prepare to battle it out on J/22s next week (November 16-19) at US SAILING’s U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship held at Fort Worth Boat Club (Fort Worth, TX). The National Championship could turn out to be a re-match of the recent Match Racing World Championship where Barkow and Alison met in the finals (Barkow took home the World Championship title). Looking at the complete list of competitors, winning this regatta will be no easy feat for any team, as the list includes Olympian Pease Glaser (Long Beach, Calif.), 2002 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.), as well as several World Champions, and US Sailing Team-members.

The stakes for the Championship are high: the winning team will receive US SAILING’s Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy and will qualify for a position at the Regional Finals for the International Sailing Federation’s (ISAF) Nations Cup.

To view the complete list of competitors and for more history on the event, please visit www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/women/uswmrc. The U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Dry Creek Vineyard.

The U.S Women’s Match Racing Championship is part of US SAILING’s National Adult Championship series, sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. For more information about these Championships, visit www.ussailing.org/championships or contact US SAILING’s Championships Manager Liz Walker at championships@ussailing.org.  

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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