FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Marlieke de Lange Eaton
401-683-0800
US SAILING’s
One-Design Sailing Symposium
Breaks Attendance Records in Columbus, OH
Portsmouth, R.I. (November 19, 2007) – An all-time record of more than
130 one-design sailors and class or fleet leaders traveled from across the
country to Columbus, Ohio, last weekend to attend US SAILING’s One-Design
Sailing Symposium. The record attendance at the fourth annual Symposium
represented an increase of more than 20 percent compared to previous years.
The event featured many seminars and workshops, including presentations by
sailing experts Dave Perry, Stuart Walker, Greg Fisher, and many more.
Organized annually by US SAILING, the Symposium is geared towards one-design
sailors who are interested in keeping the one-design sector of the sport
healthy and thriving and in improving their own sailing skills.
“With such a record attendance at the Symposium, it shows that one-design
sailors are very interested in continuing to grow our sport,” said Patty
Lawrence, one of the event organizers and member of US SAILING's Board of
Directors. “We are already looking forward to next year's Symposium.”
The three days of the Symposium, which ran from November 16-18, were filled
with educational seminars and numerous networking opportunities for all
participants. Sessions covered a wide range of topics, including
sportsmanship, insurance, best practices for measurement, sponsorship,
coordinating event registration and results, and much more. Highlights of
the Symposium were a US SAILING Mount Gay Rum Speaker Series event with
racing rules expert Dave Perry on improving one-design sailing skills. The
Symposium also included a series of "Go Fast" seminars taught by Skip
Dieball, Tom Hubbell and Greg Fisher, designed to help one-design sailors
improve their sailing skills.
National One-Design Awards Presented
In addition to seminars and workshops, US SAILING presented several awards
to one-design sailors and organizations:
• Greg Fisher (Annapolis, Md.) was presented with the One-Design Service
award for distinguished service and exceptional dedication in the promotion
of one-design sailing and class organization. Fisher has demonstrated
superior skill, dedication and initiative to one-design sailing. His
knowledge and expertise in numerous one-design classes has ensured the
success of the one-design sailing community. Fisher has supported countless
classes and clubs through clinics spending much of his personal time to help
individual classes.
• Bill Fastiggi (Winooski, Vt.) and Allan Terhune (Annapolis, Md.) received
the One-Design Leadership award for successfully creating the revolutionary
International Lightning Class Association's (ILCA) boat grant program,
designed to help young sailors experience the high level of competition
offered by the Lightning class. Four teams of young sailors each received a
boat, insurance and substantial regatta expense reimbursement. Through the
boat grant program, these teams were able to participate in numerous local
and regional events this year and all teams competed in the 2007 North
American Championship. Under Fastiggi's and Terhune's leadership, the
program has set an example for other one-design classes.
• Cedar Point Yacht Club of Westport, Conn., received the One-Design Club
Award for administrative excellence, fleet growth, creative programming,
regatta support and member contribution at regional, national and
international levels of one-design sailing. This year, the club hosted
numerous one-design regattas for various classes. In addition to these
regattas, the club continued its own busy one-design racing schedule, which
has five one-design fleets on the water every Saturday (Atlantics, Stars,
Thistles, Lightnings, and Flying Scots).
• Fishing Bay Yacht Club (FBYC) in Deltaville, Va., received the national
award for organizing the best One-Design Regatta, the Flying Scot 50th North
American Championship. A record number of Flying Scots competed in three
national competitions (the Women’s National Championship, the Junior
National Championship and the North American Championship), making it a
multi-fleet event. FBYC's careful planning led to an overwhelmingly
successful regatta, which brought over 300 competitors. In preparation, the
club built a concrete launch ramp, upgraded the club’s signal boat
equipment, designed a 20-page color welcome brochure, solicited over 19
sponsors, and much more. More than 80 volunteers worked cheerfully and with
great pride.
For those who were unable to attend the One-Design Sailing Symposium, US
SAILING offers a binder containing all handouts distributed at the seminars.
The book is available for $25 by e-mailing
LeeParks@ussailing.org.
For more information on the 2007 One-Design Sailing Symposium, please visit
http://www.ussailing.org/odcc.
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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