NEWBERRY SISTERS MAKE HISTORY AT
U.S. YOUTH MULTIHULL CHAMPIONSHIP

Miami, Fla. (July 17, 2006) – Two sisters from Biscayne Park, Fla., have made history at the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship this weekend by becoming the first all female team to win the event, hosted by Miami Yacht Club. Sarah and Elizabeth Newberry established their position early in the competition with three wins on the first day of racing and never looked back. Skipper Sarah and her younger sister Elizabeth had been practicing together for two weeks leading up to the event because they usually do not sail together.

"I thought we were going to be so bad,” said Sarah about how she felt going into the regatta. “We weren't very coordinated to start with, but Elizabeth turned out to be a very good crew."

After the Newberry sisters were presented with US SAILING’s Arthur J. Stevens Trophy at the award ceremony, the other competitors dunked the two champions in the yacht club pool. Like true champions, the sisters were all smiles.

The U.S. Youth Multihull Championship was a qualifier for the 2007 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Sailing Championship, an event open to athletes who do not turn 19 in the year of the World Championship. Because winning skipper Sarah Newberry will be too old next year to compete in that event, the next eligible team will qualify. Eric Raybon and Jason Bilow (both from Shrewsbury, N.J.) who finished second at the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship, will represent the U.S. at the 2007 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Sailing Championships in Kingston, Canada.

For complete results, daily reports and photos from the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship, please visit the event’s website at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/multihull.

Winning skipper Sarah Newberry and last year’s champion crew Sam Ingham, who finished fourth overall this year, prove that by demonstrating good sportsmanship behavior on and off the race course, you can be a champion. At last year’s U.S. Youth Multihull Championship, Newberry won the Darline Hobock Sportsmanship Award. This year, the Sportsmanship Award was presented to Ingham.

First held in 2001, the U.S. Youth Multihull Championship is US SAILING’s newest National Championship. The event is part of US SAILING’s National Championship series. For more information on the series, please contact Liz Walker, US SAILING’s Championships Manager, via e-mail at championships@ussailing.org or visit www.ussailing.org/championships.  

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.  

Final results:
1. Sarah and Elizabeth Newberry (both from Biscayne Park, Fla.): 12 points.
2. Eric Raybon and Jason Bilow (both from Shrewsbury, N.J.): 18 points.
3. Luke Lawrence (Palm City, Fla.) and Alex Sachs (Coral Gables, Fla.): 19 points.
4. Sam Ingham (Rochester, N.Y.) and Graham Gardner (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.): 19 points.
5. Colin Page (Naples, Fla.) and Christopher Taylor (Naples, Fla.): 23 points.

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