Contact:
Marlieke de Lange Eaton
401-683-0800
Keith Burhans Receives National Award for
Contribution to Disabled Sailing
Phoenix, Ariz. (October 26, 2007) - US SAILING, national governing body
for the sport of sailing, has presented Keith Burhans (Rochester, N.Y.) with
the Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy for his outstanding contribution to disabled
sailors and the sport of disabled sailing. Burhans is not only an
accomplished disabled sailor himself, he is a leader and an innovator with a
unique ability to foster connections among groups and to help individuals to
reach their potential as sailors. Burhans was presented with the award at US
SAILING's Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Ariz., during an awards banquet earlier
this evening.
Burhans first became involved in disabled sailing when he competed in his
first disabled regatta in 1997, the U.S. Independence Cup. He soon climbed
the ranks and qualified to compete in the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney,
Australia, where his Sonar team finished seventh. Over the years, he has
been a regular at regattas, not only as a competitor, but also as a
dedicated volunteer. He has used his considerable knowledge of the sport of
sailing as well as of disabled sailing to develop a breakthrough adaptive
seating, transfer and steering system. His innovation has since empowered
numerous quadriplegics and other severely disabled sailors to compete
effectively in the Sonar class.
The countless events Burhans has been involved in over the years are too
many to list here, but most recently, he co-chaired the 2007 International
Federation for Disabled Sailing's World Disabled Sailing Championship in
Rochester, hosting a record 162 disabled competitors from 27 countries.
Burhans has inspired many by being active in many leadership roles. For
example, he serves on the Community Board of SportsNet for Disabled
Athletes, the Board of the Rochester Rehabilitation Center and the Board of
the Rochester, New York Yacht Club. He also serves as a Class Representative
to US SAILING’s Olympic Sailing Committee.
About the Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy
First presented in 2003, the Gay S. Lynn Trophy annually recognizes
outstanding service, over a significant period of time, to disabled sailing
and disabled sailors in the United States. The trophy may be awarded to a
volunteer, a professional, or an organization. Past recipients of the award
include Peter Goldman and the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation,
Robie Pierce, Gene Hinkel and Urban Miyares.
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.
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