FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cynthia Goss
203-453-2731
US
SAILING CHUBB U.S. JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS END WITH BIG BREEZE, CLOSE CONCLUSIONS
Single-, Double- and Triplehanded National Champions Crowned
after Three Days of Racing
August 15, 2007 – Big breeze arrived for the final
day of the US SAILING Chubb U.S. Junior Championships, a three-day event
sailed on Barnegat Bay and hosted by the Lavallette, Mantoloking, and Bay Head
yacht clubs. But as the breeze wound up to double-digit speeds, so too did the
pressure on frontrunners in the single-, double- and triplehanded fleets
racing at this event, sponsored by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and
Vanguard Sailboats. Ninety-three youth sailors from throughout the U.S.
competed, representing their yacht club or sailing association.
Singlehanded leader Clifford Porter (Winnetka, IL), sailing for Lake Geneva
Yacht Club, and the triplehanded team of Mission Bay Yacht Club sailors Scott
Hoffmann, Evan Hoffmann, and Eric Alamillo (Escondido, CA/Escondido, CA/Spring
Valley, CA) headed to the starting line on the final day of racing today
cushioned by healthy points margins. But stronger breeze and even stronger
pressure to win added to the challenge of finishing the day with national
titles to their names. For both teams, competitors whittled down their points
leads, but both Porter and Hoffmann and his crew held tenaciously to their
edge.
Porter's performance in the Laser class was textbook smooth on the first two
days, which saw light breeze in the morning replaced by moderate afternoon
seabreeze. "I didn't make too many mistakes [on the first two days], and I
played the shifts," said Porter. Entering the last day, his one discard was
already spent on an OCS in Race 8. On the final day, "I just had to make sure
I wasn't over the line…" he said. An 8-11 in the last two races earned Porter
the singlehanded championship and the D. Verner Smythe Trophy.
Scott Hoffman, racing with his twin Evan Hoffmann and Eric Alamillo, had a
13-point lead going into the final day—and room to gamble for an even bigger
points spread. With an 8-3 score on the last day, they earned the triplehanded
title and the Sears Cup. Their victory was well-earned: after losing last year
by only one point, these young sailors practiced for six weeks at home, in the
Nomad raced at this event, learning every go-fast trick they could absorb
before heading to the East Coast for the regatta. "We learned lots of
techniques for making the boat go fast—and it paid off," said Scott.
In the closely contested doublehanded 420 class, only four points separated
the top four boats going into the final day of racing—and the leader board in
this class was like a game of musical chairs, with different players rising to
the top after each day of racing. Entering the finale, this class had
escalated to a points tie for the lead, with Chicago Yacht Club sailors
Stephanie Hudson and Laura McKenna (Winnetka, IL/Lake Forest, IL) and Newport
Harbor Yacht Club team of Mac Mace and Jeff Aschieris (Newport Beach, CA/Costa
Mesa, CA) tied for the lead going into the final day.
But on the eve of the finale, Pequot Yacht Club sailors Brendan Kopp and
Michael Costello (Fairfield, CT)— who lead after day one but slipped to fourth
place after two days of racing—had a plan: "We needed two firsts; that was
one-hundred percent our gameplan," said Costello. Kopp's birthday fell on the
second day of the regatta, and a birthday present for this sailor who likes
the bigger breeze arrived on the final morning of the championship: "We woke
up this morning and saw the flags waving—and it was good!" said Kopp. By the
end of the day, this Connecticut duo had their two bullets, winning the final
race by only half a boatlength, and the F. Gregg Bemis Trophy for their
doublehanded win. This team also won the F. Gregg Bemis Sportsmanship Award.
The Faye Bennet Sportsmanship Award went to singlehanded competitor Michael
Schalka (Seattle, WA), who was unfailingly helpful to his fellow competitors.
The Pleon Yacht Club team of Fritz Stunzi, Trevor Burd, and Callie Naughton,
all of Marblehead, Massachusetts, won the Cox Sportsmanship Trophy. The
Shipshape Award went to the triplehanded crew of Gavin Rudolph, John O'Riordan,
and Collin Weston (Allen, TX/Fort Worth, TX/Corinth, TX), representing the
Corinthian Sailing Club.
Sponsors Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and Vanguard Sailboats played a
major role in helping these young sailors achieve their goal of vying for
these National Championships. Throughout the year, Chubb has provided racing
clinics at the regional qualifying levels, giving aspiring champions access to
some of the nation's best coaching talents. Vanguard Sailboats played a major
role in supporting youth sailing in the United States; this year, as
manufacturer of the Nomad, Club 420, and Laser, Vanguard supplied boats to all
three events.
Daily results, daily reports, and photos are posted at the websites for each
event, with singlehanded competition at
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/single; doublehanded
competition at
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/double; and triplehanded
competition at
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/triple.
US SAILING’s Chubb U.S. Junior Championships are part of US SAILING’s National
Championship series. For more information about these championships, visit
www.ussailing.org/championships.
About Chubb
Member insurers of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies form a
multi-billion-dollar organization providing property and casualty insurance
for personal and commercial customers through 8,000 independent agents and
brokers worldwide. Since its founding in the seaport district of New York City
in 1882, Chubb has been a leading insurer of marine-related operations. Chubb
provides insurance and loss control services to marina operators, charterers,
ship repairers, stevedores, terminal operators, wharfingers and vessel
builders. It also insures yacht owners. Chubb’s global network includes
branches and affiliates throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia
and Australia. More information on Chubb can be obtained at
www.chubb.com.
About Vanguard Sailboats
Demonstrating a continuing commitment to youth sailing, Vanguard Sailboats is
a sponsor of US SAILING's Chubb Junior Championships and supplies the Nomads,
Club 420s, and Lasers sailed at these events. A dedicated sponsor of numerous
U.S. National Championships for more than a decade, Vanguard Sailboats
supports and sponsors sailing at many levels—encouraging sailors in the U.S.
to participate in and enjoy the sport and ensuring great competition. Visit
their website at
www.teamvanguard.com.
About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing
body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode
Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the
United States. US SAILING offers training and education programs for
instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations
and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides
administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country,
including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing
Teams. For more information, please visit
www.ussailing.org.
FINAL RESULTS
Singlehanded/Laser (20 boats/top 5; 10 races/1 discard)
1. Clifford Porter/Lake Geneva YC (Winnetka, IL); 2, 2, 3, 7, 1, 1, 1, [21/OCS],
8, 11: 36 points
2. Brendan Faria/FAST, Ida Lewis YC (Middletown, RI); 3, [19], 4, 2, 2, 9, 4,
4, 11, 4: 43 points
3. Caleb Paine/SWYC (San Diego, CA); 12, 3, 1, 1, 10, 5, 13, [21/OCS], 2, 2:
49 points
4. Ben Leibowitz/Stamford YC (Stamford, CT); 6, 4, [13], 3, 8, 2, 5, 7, 7, 9:
51 points
5. Cam Cullman/American YC (Rye, NY); 8, 6, 10, 4, 9, [21/OCS], 6, 8, 1, 1: 53
points
Doublehanded/Club 420 (20 boats/top 5; 10 races/1 discard)
1. Brendan Kopp, Michael Costello/Pequot YC (Fairfield, CT); 5, 2, 1, 9, 6,
[21/OCS], 11, 4, 1, 1: 40 points
2. Stephanie Hudson, Laura McKenna/Chicago YC (Winnteka, IL/Lake Forest, IL);
1, 1, 3, 8, 12, 3, [14], 6, 2, 12: 48 points
3. Mac Mace, Jeff Aschieris/Newport Harbor YC (Newport Beach, CA/Costa Mesa,
CA); 3, 7, 5, [14], 3, 2, 3, 11, 12, 7: 53 points
4. Ryan Mullins, Victoria DaSilva/Greenwich Bay Sailing Association (East
Greenwich, RI); 4, 6, 9, 11, 1, [13], 2, 3, 7, 11: 54 points
5. Patrick Kana, Elizabeth Dudley/Tred Avon YC (Easton, MD/Queenstown, MD); 2,
12, 10, 2, 2, 8, 9, [14], 5, 8: 58 points
Triplehanded/Nomad (11 boats/top 5; 11 races/1 discard)
1. Scott Hoffmann, Evan Hoffmann, Eric Alamillo/Mission Bay YC (Escondido,
CA/Escondido, CA/Spring Valley, CA); 1, 3, 1, 2, 5, 1, 2, 6, 1, [8], 3: 25
points
2. Andrew Foster, Charles Proctor, Tim Clark/Pequot YC (Southport,
CT/Southport, CT/Easton, CT); [6], 6, 2, 1, 4, 5, 4, 2, 5, 2, 5: 36 points
3. Fritz Stunzi, Trevor Burd, Callie Naughton/Pleon YC (Marblehead, MA); 5, 1,
6, 4, [12/OCS], 2, 3, 5, 4, 12/OCS, 2: 44 points
4. Alex Bertrand, Alex Steele, Sean Harr/Severn Sailing Association
(Annapolis, MD); 4, 8, 7, 5, 6, [10], 6, 1, 8, 3, 1: 49 points
5. Stuart McSweeney, James Shepherd, Nathan Swift/Chicago YC (Chicago, IL);
[12/DNF], 7, 3, 9, 2, 4, 5, 3, 3, 5, 8: 49 points
[ ] indicates discard
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