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:
BIG BREEZE, BIG SHIFTS VISIT RACE COURSES AT EAST COAST TRIALS
Newport/Middletown, R.I. (October 12, 2007) — Big breeze and big wind
shifts visited the East Coast race courses at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic
Team Trials – Sailing today. The wind started tame enough: about 12 knots on
the Laser and Laser Radial course, and lighter on the Paralympic course on
Narragansett Bay. But the breeze built into the high teens, it gusted into
the 20-knot range, and it carried shifts over the race course that were
large enough to potentially throw mathematical curveballs into class
standings.
Just ask San Diego Laser sailor Andrew Campbell. Second in the Laser class,
he is working hard to catch leader Brad Funk (Plantation, Fla.)—and the
cruel fate of being on the wrong side of a big shift was certainly not part
of his gameplan. Funk and Campbell went to the starting line this morning
only three points apart— which is not a big margin in a class where
first-place finishes go deep into the fleet and most of the top-5 boats are
already carrying a back-of-the-fleet finish as a discard.
After two General Recalls in the Lasers' only race today, the 33-boat fleet
got off the starting line under the "black flag" rule. A large right-hand
shift shuffled the fleet, the wind velocity intensified, and Campbell found
himself in about 22nd at the top mark—with Funk well ahead and 10th at the
mark. He clawed back during the race, ending fifth to Funk's second-place
finish. They sail into tomorrow's racing separated by six points.
Only two days are left in this regatta, but the Lasers could potentially
sail five more races. And for Campbell, that leaves enough room to change
his fate. "I'm just going to continue to put the pressure on," he said,
after racing today. "There is still a lot of racing left; there's lots of
room for others to make mistakes."
With two bullets today, SKUD-18 sailors Nick Scandone and Maureen
McKinnon-Tucker (Fountain Valley, Calif./Marblehead, Mass.) continue to
track further from the competition. They now have a 13-point lead over
second-place Karen Mitchell and JP Creignou (Deerfield Beach, Fla./St.
Petersburg, Fla.).
Paige Railey's win in the Laser Radials' only race of the day moves her one
point closer to class leader Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.). At the
start of today's race, an Individual Recall was signaled. Tunnicliffe was
not sure she was one of the boats over early, but she went back to restart.
From there, she progressively moved toward the front of the fleet, finishing
second to Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) at the finish line. The Laser Radials
were racing when the wind shifted direction and intensified; for Tunnicliffe,
that change in direction helped her close the gap with Railey as they both
sailed downwind.
2.4mR sailor John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wisc.) also met the same large shifts on
the race course in this singlehanded Paralympic class. But changes in wind
direction did not wreak havoc with his hope to move up in the standings:
after winning today's race, he continues a winning streak that began
yesterday and is now tracking closer to class leader Mark LeBlanc (New
Orleans, La.). A single point stands between these two racers as they head
into the second-to-last day of competition.
"I started well, I sailed well…It was exciting racing, and very close," he
said, of today's racing. Ruf's tactical challenge in the final days of the
regatta will be to watch the sailors he is sandwiched between: with LeBlanc
one point ahead and Mark Bryant (Estero, Fla.) two points behind.
Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.) and his crew of Tim Angle and Bill Donohue
(Marblehead, Mass./Brick, N.J.) have retained their lead in the triplehanded
Sonar class, but Paul Callahan (Newport, R.I./Cape Coral, Fla.), racing with
Roger Cleworth and Tom Brown (Lithia, Fla./Northeast Harbor, Maine), and
Albert Foster (Wayzata, Minn.), racing with David Burdette and Jim Thweatt
(Lutherville, Md./W. Sacramento, Calif.), are close on his heels, only three
and four points behind, respectively.
Racing concludes on Sunday, October 14.
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 12 races)
1. Mark LeBlanc (New Orleans, La.); [4], 2, 1, 1, 3, 3, 1, 2, 1, 3, 2, 2: 21
points
2. John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wisc.); [3], 3, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1: 22
points
3. Mark Bryant (Estero, Fla.); 2, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 4, 2, [5/OCS], 4: 24
points
Laser (33 boats/after 11 races)
1. Brad Funk (Plantation, Fla.); 3, 2, 2, [9], 4, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2: 20
points
2. Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.); 4, 4, 1, [20], 1, 1, 2, 5, 1, 2, 5:
26 points
3. John Pearce (Ithaca, N.Y.); 7, 5, 3, 8, 6, 6, 3, 6, 10, 12, [24]; 66,
points
Laser Radial (22 boats/after 11 races)
1. Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.); 1, 1, 1, [3], 1, 1, 2, 1, 3, 1,
2: 14 points
2. Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.); 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, [3], 2, 1, 3, 1: 18
points
3. Sarah Lihan (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.); 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 6, 1, [11], 2, 2, 3:
31 points
SKUD-18 (5 boats/after 12 races)
1. Nick Scandone/Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (Fountain Valley,
Calif./Marblehead, Mass.); [3], 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1: 12 points
2. Karen Mitchell/JP Creignou, (Deerfield Beach, Fla./St. Petersburg, Fla.);
1, [4], 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 2, 3: 25 points
3. Scott Whitman/Julia Dorsett (Brick, N.J./West Chester, Penn.); 2, 2, 3,
3, 3, 3, [4], 2, 1, 2, 3, 2: 26 points
Sonar (6 boats/after 13 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, 3, 4: 29 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, 5, 1: 31 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, 2, 2: 32
points
For complete results, visit
www.ussailing.org/olympics/OlympicTrials/race_results.html.
NOTE: [ ] indicates discard
(ends)