US SAILING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marlieke de Lange Eaton
401-683-0800

US SAILING'S OLYMPIC SAILING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
DEAN BRENNER TO STAY ON THROUGH 2012

Phoenix, Ariz. (October 25, 2007) - US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, has announced today that its Board of Directors has voted to extend the term of its Olympic Sailing Committee Chair Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.) through 2012. US SAILING President Jim Capron (Annapolis, Md.) made the announcement today at the organization's Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Ariz.

"In the past three years since Dean Brenner became Chairman, he has led the OSC and the Olympic sailing program to new heights," said US SAILING President Jim Capron. "Under Dean's direction, the revenue base of the program has grown, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Trials earlier this month were a success, and feedback we have received from athletes, sponsors and others indicates that the program is doing well and has strong momentum going into the 2008 Olympic Games."

In addition, Capron announced that US SAILING has received a grant to help support some of the cost that the OSC Chair - a volunteer position - incurs throughout the Olympic Quadrennium. The agreement of the grant is for 2008-2012 with the opportunity to extend at the end of the agreement.

"The position of OSC Chair is a very demanding job that includes extensive travel and a tremendous amount of time," said Capron. "In recent years, the demands of the program have increased drastically, every part of our Olympic effort has become more professional and the leadership role is no different."

"I'm excited by the challenge and honored that the Board has asked me to stay on for another quadrennium," said Dean Brenner. "We have a great plan and a great leadership team in place, and I look forward to continuing the momentum."

The Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) is responsible for the selection of the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams, the Pan American Games and World University Games Teams, and the annually designated US Sailing Teams. The term of the Chair of the Committee is a four-year position coinciding with the fours year leading up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. With the Board of Directors vote, Dean Brenner will lead the OSC for two terms, through the 2012 Summer Games.

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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