Contacts: Cynthia Goss (East Coast) 203-430-4145
Rich Roberts (West Coast) 310-835-2526 / 310-766-6547
Racing at U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team
Trials – Sailing
Begins October 6
Trials to Run Concurrently in 11
Classes in East and West Coast Locales
Portsmouth, R.I. (October 3, 2007) — On October 6, the nation's top
Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls will sail to starting lines on the U.S. East
and West coasts to compete in the one regatta that will have the most
dramatic impact on their sailing careers so far in this quadrennium: the
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing.
Coordinated by US SAILING and six host organizations, this winner-takes-all
regatta determines which sailors will represent the United States at the
2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Upon approval from the U.S. Olympic
Committee (USOC), the athletes who win the Trials will be named to the U.S.
Olympic and Paralympic Teams. The regatta concludes on Sunday, October 14.
According to Dean Brenner, chairman of US SAILING's Olympic Sailing
Committee, the ability to select the Olympic and Paralympic teams
concurrently in 11 classes and nearly a year before the 2008 Games will have
a great benefit to the U.S. team.
"Up until this point, the focus of the Olympic Sailing Committee has been
preparing all our athletes for these Trials," said Brenner. "But once the
Trials are over, we will all shift into the next phase together, as a
team—and the focus of our energies and resources becomes concentrated on
those sailors who will represent our country at the 2008 Games."
Among the 240 sailors competing at the Trials, the diversity in sailing
resumes is vast. From Star sailors Mark Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.) and
crew Hal Haenel (Los Angeles, Calif.), who have already raced two
Olympic-medal performances together (Reynolds captured a third medal in
2000), to young sailors to watch—such as Lake Forest (Ill.) high school
student Anne Haeger, who captured a silver medal at this summer's 2007 Volvo
Youth Sailing ISAF (International Sailing Federation) World Championship and
will race her first Trials in the Laser Radial class. But despite the
variety in racing credentials, all sailors at the Trials face a singular
consequence: for class winners, this regatta will be a gateway to their
Olympic and Paralympic dreams; for all others, this event will bring medal
aspirations for this quadrennium to an end.
Below is a snapshot of classes, contenders, and venues. The Yngling class is
the only class not competing at this event. Team selection for the
three-person women's keelboat is based on two international class events:
last summer's ISAF Combined Olympic Class World Championship (Cascais,
Portugal) and this winter's Yngling Women’s World Championship (Miami,
Fla.).
2.4mR, SKUD-18, Sonar / Rhode Island Sailing Foundation / Newport, R.I.
Sailing became a full medal sport at the 2000 Paralympic Games, and the U.S.
has since shown its capacity for medals—capturing bronze in the 2.4mR
singlehanded class in 2000, and a silver (2.4mR) and bronze (three-person
Sonar) in 2004. The two-person SKUD-18 makes its Paralympic debut at the
2008 Games, and U.S. sailors have already shown their promise in this boat.
At last month's 2007 IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championship, the U.S. had
four boats in the top 10; SKUD-18 World Champions Karen Mitchell (Deerfield
Beach, Fla.)/J.P. Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.) as well as 2005 US SAILING
Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Nick Scandone (Fountain Valley, Calif.)/Maureen
McKinnon-Tucker (Marblehead, Mass.), silver medalists at the Worlds, will be
among the teams competing for a Paralympic berth. U.S. Sonar sailors took
1-2 at the IFDS Worlds, and gold medalists Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.)/Bill
Donohue (Brick, N.J.)/Tim Angle (Marblehead, Mass.) and silver medalists
Paul Callahan (Newport, R.I./Cape Coral, Fla.)/Tom Brown (Northeast Harbor,
Maine)/Roger Cleworth (Lithia, Fla.) will be among the teams vying for a
team spot. Callahan represented the U.S. at the 2000 Paralympic Games in
Sydney (Australia). Rhode Island Sailing Foundation will coordinate with New
York Yacht Club, Ida Lewis Yacht Club, and Sail Newport to host all classes
racing in Rhode Island.
470 Men, 470 Women, RS:X Men, RS:X Women / Alamitos Bay Yacht Club / Long
Beach, Calif.
The Men's 470 team of Mikee Anderson-Mitterling (Coronado, Calif.) and crew
David Hughes (San Diego, Calif.), seeking their first Olympic berth, have
been on a roll in their all-out campaign the last three years, but they were
outsailed by Stuart McNay (Lincoln, Mass.) and Graham Biehl (San Diego,
Calif.) after missing the first day of the Pre-Trials on these same waters a
year ago. Justin Law (Newport Beach, Calif.) and crew Michael Miller
(Charleston, S.C.) rate a dark horse nod. The Women's 470 team of Amanda
Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.) and crew Sarah Mergenthaler (New York, N.Y.)
rank eighth in the world and have won most of their majors the last three
years. But in last year's Pre-Trials, they had to come from behind on the
last day to beat their persistent rivals, Erin Maxwell (Norwalk, Conn.) and
crew Isabelle Kinsolving (New York, N.Y.). If those two teams get distracted
by their close rivalry, the team of Molly Carapiet (Belvedere, Calif.) and
Molly O'Bryan (San Diego, Calif.) could steal the berth.
The Men's RS:X sailboard has become an American longshot event since Scott
Steele won silver when sailboards made their Olympic debut in 1984, followed
by Mike Gebhardt's bronze in 1988 and silver in '92. This year Ben Barger
(Tampa, Fla.) is a favorite to win the slot after placing an uplifting third
place at Kiel Week this summer and winning all eight races in last year's
Pre-Trials at Long Beach. But there's an intriguing wrinkle: at age 41,
Gebhardt (Ft. Pierce, Fla.) is back. Stay tuned. The Women's RS:X sailboard
is the only Olympic class where the U.S. has not yet qualified, but that
should not diminish the three-way battle among Nancy Rios (Miami, Fla.),
Karen Marriott (Lakewood, Colo.), and Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.). Rios won
six of eight races in last year's Pre-Trials. The last chance for the U.S.
to qualify in this class will be at the RS:X World Championships, to be held
in Auckland, New Zealand, this January.
49er / Southwestern Yacht Club / San Diego, Calif.
Racing with a different crew for the 2000 Games, 49er sailor Morgan Larson
(Capitola, Calif.) lost a heartbreaker Trials to Jonathan and Charlie McKee
for the U.S. slot, and he's really had his game face on in this campaign
racing with Pete Spaulding (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), a 2004 Olympian. Last
year's Pre-Trials were sailed in lively breeze that produced a shootout with
Dalton Bergan (Seattle, Wash.) and crew Zack Maxam (Costa Mesa, Calif.), and
Spaulding's former Olympic skipper Tim Wadlow (Beverly, Mass.) and crew
Chris Rast (San Diego, Calif.). Look for the same kind of show. Unlike other
classes, 49ers are slated to sail three races instead of two each day.
Finn / Newport Harbor Yacht Club / Balboa, Calif.
With 41 boats, the Finn class will be the largest fleet at the Trials—and
the class will be populated by sailors with a wide range of time in this
one-man dinghy. At age 23, young Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), 16th in the
ISAF rankings, will have his hands full of 40 other Finn-thusiasts—including
several veteran campaigners who were sailing this boat since before he was
born. The list includes Brian Boyd (Annapolis, Md.), Darrell Peck (Gresham,
Ore.), and local hope Andy Casey (Fountain Valley, Calif.), who finished
ahead of Railey in last year's Pre-Trials—in addition to Andrew Kern (Long
Beach, Calif.), Chris Raab (Sunset Beach, Calif.) and Geoff Ewenson
(Annapolis, Md.). Railey's younger sister Paige will be competing for a
Laser Radial berth on the East Coast.
Laser, Laser Radial / Rhode Island Sailing Foundation / Middletown, R.I.
Competitors in the singlehanded Laser and Laser Radial classes have been
engaged in intensive training programs—crisscrossing continents and
collecting trophies at world-class events. But despite past achievements,
the Trials are the great equalizer and competitors begin the regatta with a
clean slate. In the women's Laser Radial class, making its Olympic debut for
the 2008 Games, Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) and Paige Railey
(Clearwater, Fla.) have both proven to be powerhouse talents. In 2006, the
20-year-old Railey was crowned both the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and
the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year, and wins for Tunnicliffe, 24, at
the 2006 Rolex Miami OCR and The Good Luck Beijing - 2007 Qingdao
International Regatta prove these two women are competitors to watch in this
22-boat class. For competitors in the 33-boat Laser class—including Andrew
Campbell (San Diego, Calif.), who captured gold at this year's Pan Am Games,
and fellow U.S. Sailing Team member Kurt Taulbee (Dunedin, Fla.)—Brad Funk
(Plantation, Fla.), reporting to his supporters on the eve of the Trials,
may sum up the sentiments of his peers: "I expect this to be the hardest
regatta I’ve ever competed in and I expect a number of sailors will be right
in the mix until the very end."
Star / California Yacht Club / Marina del Rey, Calif.
Historically, the Star is one of America's strongest Olympic classes—and
Mark Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.) and crew Hal Haenel (Los Angeles, Calif.)
did much to make it that way. They must feel the vibes that swept them to
Olympic gold and silver in 1992 and '88, and Reynolds added another gold
with Magnus Liljedahl in 2000 to become America's most successful Olympic
sailor. Approaching ages 52 and 49, are they past their primes? "We have 100
years in the boat," Reynolds noted, laughing. "We're just having fun sailing
together again, although we're not doing it as seriously as some of these
guys." But they were the top Americans in this summer's ISAF Combined
Olympic Class World Championship (12th overall). The cluster of favorites
also includes veteran campaigners John Dane/Austin Sperry (both of Gulfport,
Miss.), Andy Horton (Newport, R.I.)/Brad Nichol (Sunapee, N.H.), George
Szabo (San Diego, Calif.)/Andrew Scott (Annapolis, Md.), Mark Mendelblatt
(St. Petersburg, Fla.)/Magnus Liljedahl (Miami, Fla.), and Rick Merriman
(New York, N.Y.)/Phil Trinter (Charlottesville, Va.). Marina del Rey can be
a tricky place to sail but, Reynolds noted, "not as bad as Qingdao," where
he coached Dane and Sperry this summer.
Tornado / San Diego Yacht Club / San Diego, Calif.
Few would bet against John Lovell (New Orleans , La.) and Charlie Ogletree
(Kemah, Tex.) winning a fourth consecutive trip to the Olympics, especially
coming off their silver-medal performance at Athens in 2004. They won five
of seven races in last year's Pre-Trials, losing only to foreign rivals.
Their strongest challengers figure to be Robbie Daniel (Clearwater, Fla.)
and Hunter Stunzi (Charleston, S.C.). Outside on Coronado Roads, they'll be
alternating off-the-beach and far-out courses with the 49ers each day.
To follow the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing, visit the
event website at
www.ussailing.org/olympics/OlympicTrials. Daily
reports from the East and West coasts, results, and photos will be posted
during the event. Video from the event with commentary by renowned sailing
broadcaster and author Gary Jobson will be available daily on the website of
the NBC network
www.NBCOlympics.com.
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will take place August 8–24; the Paralympic
Games take place September 6–17, 2008. Both the Olympic and Paralympic
regattas will be held in Qingdao, China, a coastal city located 430 miles
east of Beijing.
About US SAILING
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing are managed by US
SAILING, national governing body for the sport. 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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