US SAILING Selects Team to Compete at
2007 Pan American Games

Portsmouth, R.I. (April 24, 2007) – US SAILING's Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) has selected 16 American sailors to compete at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from July 13-29, 2007. The sailing competition of the 2007 Pan American Games will feature nine events, including three Olympic classes - Laser (Men), Laser Radial (Women) and RS:X (Men and Women) - and five non-Olympic, open classes - Hobie 16, J/24, Lightning, Snipe and Sunfish.

The members of the 2007 Pan American Games Sailing Team are:

• Hobie 16 (Multihull Open) – Bob Merrick (Branford, Conn.)/ Eliza Cleveland (Branford, Conn.)
• J/24 (Keelboat Open) - Daniel Borrer (St. Augustine Beach, Fla.)/ Nate Vilardebo (Tampa, Fla.)/ Patrick Wilson (Savannah, Ga.)/ Josh Putnam (Augusta, Ga.)
• Laser (Single-handed Dinghy Men) – Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.)
• Laser Radial (Single-handed Dinghy Women) – Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.)
• Lightning (Multi-crewed Dinghy Open) - David Starck (Buffalo, N.Y.)/ Jody Starck (Buffalo, N.Y.)/ Bill Faude (Chicago, Ill.)
• RS:X Men (Windsurfer Men) – Ben Barger (Tampa, Fla.)
• RS:X Women (Windsurfer Women) – Nancy Rios (Cocoa Beach, Fla.)
• Snipe (Double-handed Dinghy Open) - Augie Diaz (Miami, Fla.)/Tracy Smith (Newport, R.I.)
• Sunfish (Single-handed Dinghy Open) – Paul Foerster (Rockwall, Texas)

These athletes qualified for the 2007 Pan American Games Sailing Team after winning a select regatta previously determined as a qualifying event for each class. If a winner declined the opportunity, the spot was offered to the next placed team at the qualifying event. The OSC then nominated the team to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). Athletes must be U.S. citizens to qualify for the team, members of US SAILING and the classes they sail in.

"We have a talented group of seasoned athletes who have competed at previous Olympic and Pan American Games," said Team Leader Scott Iklé (Geneva, N.Y.). "They know the stakes. They are going to sail hard."

In addition to Iklé, the following people will join the team in Rio de Janerio: Head Coach Geoff Becker (Annapolis, Md.) and Assistant Coach Bill Ward (St. Mary’s City, Md.), Team Administrator Sarah Hawkins (Newport, R.I.) and Athletic Trainer Shawn Hunt (Hollywood, Fla.).

A complete overview of the athlete selection procedures and individual class web sites for the 2007 Pan American Games is available at: www.ussailing.org/olympics/PanAm.

An estimated 5,500 athletes from 42 countries are expected to compete in 28 sports at the 2007 Pan American Games, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from July 13-29, 2007. The sailing competition will be held at the Glória Marina in the Guanabara Bay. The Pan American Games are held every four years, historically one year before the Olympic Games. The first Pan American Games were held in 1951 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

For more information on the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, please visit the event website: www.rio2007.org.br/pan2007/ingles/indexing.asp.

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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