Media Contacts:
Cynthia Goss (East Coast) 203-430-4145
Rich Roberts (West Coast) 310-835-2526 / cell 310-766-6547
East Coast Report / U.S. Olympic &
Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing:
BATTLES FOR CLASS WINS STILL TIGHT AFTER FIVE DAYS OF RACING
Newport/Middletown, R.I. (October 11, 2007) — After five days of racing
at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing, racing fans might
assume that the track of probability is starting to gel and sailors who have
sailed strong are only getting closer to their winning destiny. But at a
regatta that has drawn the nation's best, that isn't the case—and after five
days of racing, class leaders are still battling hard to keep their edge.
On the Paralympic race course north of the Newport Bridge, in puffy breeze
that ranged from 5 knots to teen-strength, new leaders emerged in the 2.4mR
and Sonar classes.
Mark LeBlanc (New Orleans, La.) now leads the 2.4mR class, and only two
points separate the top three boats—with Mark Bryant (Estero, Fla.) in
second and John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wisc.) in third. The fact that Ruf sailed a
2-1-1 score in today's three races and launched himself within striking
distance of the lead can't make those close to him on the leader board feel
too comfortable.
The lead in the Sonar class has once again been overturned, and Rick Doerr
(Clifton, N.J.) and his crew of Tim Angle and Bill Donohue (Marblehead,
Mass./Brick, N.J.) have recaptured the first-place slot. The team of Paul
Callahan, Roger Cleworth, and Tom Brown (Newport, R.I. and Cape Coral,
Fla./Lithia, Fla./Northeast Harbor, Maine) stand only 3 points behind.
On the Laser and Laser Radial course, the rich are not getting richer. In
both classes, the top two boats are distancing themselves from the rest of
the fleet, but the points spreads between first and second places mirror the
exact same spread these singlehanded racers sailed to the starting line with
this morning.
In the Laser class, Brad Funk (Plantation, Fla.) remains 3 points ahead of
second-place Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.); third-place Trevor Moore (Pomfret,
Vt.) is 32 points behind Campbell. In the Laser Radial class, 5 points still
separate leader Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) and second-place Paige
Railey; third-place Sarah Lihan is 11 points behind Railey.
For sailors not standing 1-2 in these two singlehanded classes, reality is
setting in. But for the boats at the front of the class, there are still
three days of racing and six races: the door to opportunity—to both rise and
fall—is still wide open.
After racing tonight, Paige Railey surveyed her chances: five points behind
with six races left is not an insurmountable amount of ground to make up.
Today, Railey and Tunnicliffe were dead-even on points, with Railey's 1-3
finishes mirroring Tunnicliffe's 3-1. Lihan matched them both in points,
with a 2-2 day for 4 points.
What has frustrated Railey in this series are the costly points she gained
in races where she once held the lead, but slipped back to a second- or
third-place slot (a third place being her worst race to date). But
tomorrow's forecast is for bigger breeze, and those are the conditions
Railey likes best: "full-hike and shifty," as she describes it. Her strategy
for the back end of this regatta is simple: "I'm just going for it, in every
race … I have to keep pushing."
There is one team racing these East Coast Trials that no longer needs to put
the pedal down for every race. Paralympic sailors Nick Scandone and Maureen
McKinnon-Tucker (Fountain Valley, Calif./Marblehead, Mass.) have the largest
leading margin in the entire fleet: a solid 10 points over second place in
the SKUD-18 class. Their job in the back end of this regatta is quite
different.
"In the beginning of the regatta, we wanted a good start and we wanted to
win races," said Scandone. "But now, we don't have to win every race—but we
do have to keep an eye on our competition."
Karen Mitchell and JP Creignou, (Deerfield Beach, Fla./St. Petersburg, Fla.)
and Scott Whitman and Julia Dorsett (Brick, N.J./West Chester, Penn.) are
the teams Scandone and McKinnon-Tucker need to watch. They stand second and
third respectively, but only one point apart from each other in the
standings.
For complete information on the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials -
Sailing, please visit
www.ussailing.org/olympics/OlympicTrials.
Video from the event with commentary by Gary Jobson will be available daily
on the website of the NBC network at
www.NBCOlympics.com.
About the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials - Sailing
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials - Sailing are managed by US
SAILING and hosted by several sailing organizations. Racing takes place
October 6 through October 14 with a rest day scheduled at each venue. The
highest eligible finisher in each class will be nominated by US SAILING to
the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) to the 2008 U.S. Olympic or Paralympic
Team - Sailing. The events on the West Coast are hosted by Alamitos Bay
Yacht Club (470 Men & Women, RS:X Men & Women), California Yacht Club
(Star), Newport Harbor Yacht Club (Finn), San Diego Yacht Club (Tornado),
and Southwestern Yacht Club (49er). On the East Coast, the Rhode Island
Sailing Foundation in Newport host the Laser, Laser Radial, 2.4mR, SKUD 18,
and Sonar events.
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.
PROVISIONAL RESULTS (Top 3 in class)
2.4mR (4 boats/after 11 races)
1. Mark LeBlanc (New Orleans, La.); [4], 2, 1, 1, 3, 3, 1, 2, 1, 3, 2: 19
points
2. Mark Bryant (Estero, Fla.); 2, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 4, 2, [5/OCS]: 20
points
3. John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wisc.); [3], 3, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1, 1: 21 points
Laser (33 boats/after 10 races)
1. Brad Funk (Plantation, Fla.); 3, 2, 2, [9], 4, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1: 18 points
2. Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.); 4, 4, 1, [20], 1, 1, 2, 5, 1, 2: 21
points
3. Trevor Moore (N. Pomfret, Vt.); 2, 9, 7, 3, 5, 7, 5, [16], 6, 9: 53
points
Laser Radial (22 boats/after 10 races)
1. Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.); 1, 1, 1, [3], 1, 1, 2, 1, 3, 1: 12
points
2. Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.); 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, [3], 2, 1, 3: 17
points
3. Sarah Lihan (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.); 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 6, 1, [11], 2, 2: 28
points
SKUD-18 (5 boats/after 10 races)
1. Nick Scandone/Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (Fountain Valley,
Calif./Marblehead, Mass.); [3], 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1: 10 points
2. Karen Mitchell/JP Creignou, (Deerfield Beach, Fla./St. Petersburg, Fla.);
1, [4], 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3: 20 points
3. Scott Whitman/Julia Dorsett (Brick, N.J./West Chester, Penn.); 2, 2, 3,
3, 3, 3, [4], 2, 1, 2: 21 points
Sonar (6 boats/after 11 races)
1. Rick Doerr/Tim Angle/Bill Donohue (Clifton, N.J./Marblehead, Mass./Brick,
N.J.); 1, 3, 1, 1, [7/DSQ], 3, 2, 4, 4, 2, 1: 22 points
2. Paul Callahan/Roger Cleworth/Tom Brown (Newport, R.I. and Cape Coral,
Fla./Lithia, Fla./Northeast Harbor, Maine); 4, [7/DSQ], 2, 3, 1, 1, 4, 3, 3,
1, 3: 25 points
3. Albert Foster/David Burdette/Jim Thweatt (Wayzata, Minn./Lutherville,
Md./W. Sacramento, Calif.); [5], 1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 1, 1, 1, 5, 5: 28 points
For complete results, visit
www.ussailing.org/olympics/OlympicTrials/race_results.html.
NOTE: [ ] indicates discard
(ends)