FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Marni Lane, US SAILING, 617-671-8332
Laser Radial Youth World Team Gained Valuable Experience at World Championship
Portsmouth, R.I. (August 14, 2007) — The Vanguard/US SAILING Laser Radial Youth World Team showed strong performances amid challenging conditions at the 2007 Laser Radial Youth World Championship in Scheveningen, The Netherlands. The team consisted of five top youth sailors who were sent to the event by US SAILING, the national governing body of the sport, and Vanguard Sailboats, an official sponsor of the US Sailing Team. More than 270 sailors from 32 countries competed in split male and female fleets for the Youth World Champion title over six days of racing.
The five sailors who made up the US Laser Radial Youth World Team are: Philip Crain (Houston, Texas), Justin Doane (Nokomis, Fla.), Colin Smith (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), Ian Sutherland (Toms River, N.J.) and Jerry Tullo (Staten Island, N.Y.). More than 200 boats were split into three fleets: gold, silver and bronze. Tullo and Sutherland made the gold fleet, where they finished 44th and 59th, respectively. In the silver fleet, Smith, Crain and Doane finished eights, 10th and 21st, respectively.
Members of US SAILING’s Elite Youth Development Team also raced exceptionally well in the 68-boat girls fleet: Anne Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill.) secured fourth place, while Claire Dennis (Saratoga, Calif.) snuck behind her in sixth and Emily Billing (Clearwater, Fla.) finished 11th.
"The US Laser Radial Youth World Team will take home some of the most challenging sailing experience from this regatta,” said the Team’s coach, Brett Davis (Naples, Fla.). "It will benefit them greatly at future top international events as they embark down their Olympic paths."
This regatta proved challenging for several major reasons: fast currents, chaotic waves, deep water and large, competitive fleets. The sailing was difficult for small boats like Lasers because the currents were very fast – up to two knots – and shifted directions swiftly and unexpectedly across the race course. As a result, there were frequent recalled starts, as the currents pushed boats over the line. Also, the rough sea conditions, including chaotic waves and deep water, proved tricky for sailors.
"The conditions were unfamiliar territory for our team, who haven't had a lot of experience sailing in similar venues in the United States, except San Francisco Bay," said Davis.
The Laser Radial boys’ fleet was enormous and especially competitive this year. The quality of racing was so high, there were often tight convergences on the gate roundings, which amounted to a bundled mass of sails and masts. After an hour of racing, many boats finished together within minutes and seconds.
"It was unpredictable sailing," said Davis. "You had to be in the right place at the right time -- and if you weren’t, you could easily find yourself in the middle to the back third of the fleet because the caliber of the sailing was so high."
The Laser Radial World Championship consisted of three world championships: Men, Women and Youth. The Youth Championship was held August 4–11 in Scheveningen, The Netherlands.
As part of a nationwide program to support youth development for sailing,
the US Radial Youth World Team was created by Vanguard and US SAILING to
encourage young sailors to get more experience on the international race
course. The five sailors received a grant to help off-set the expenses
incurred while attending the World Championship. The sailors were selected
based on their individual rankings on the Laser Radial Grand Prix in 2006. The
program also provides funding for a coach to accompany the team. For the
second year in a row, Brett Davis (Naples, Fla.) coached the sailors in The
Netherlands.
For information on the Laser Radial Youth World Championship, please visit the
International Laser Class Association website at
www.laserinternational.org.
About Vanguard
Demonstrating its continued commitment to the development of youth sailing,
Vanguard Sailboats is providing sponsorship support for the US Laser Radial
Youth World Team for a fifth consecutive year. Vanguard is the leading world
manufacturer, and largest US supplier, of recreational and high performance
small sailboats. Vanguard products include the Sunfish and Laser, two of the
most recognized brands in the sailing world. Vanguard was started in 1967 and
is located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. For more information please visit
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
U.S. 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.
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