Contacts:
Christie Kirchner, Chicago Yacht Club, 312-861-7772
Cynthia Goss, US SAILING, 203-453-2731
Class Winners Crowned at Independence Cup/North
American Challenge Cup
Youth and Maturity Alike Translate to Top Performances at
Three-Day Regatta
Chicago, Ill. (August 7, 2007) – Top-ranked disabled sailors competing at
the annual U.S. Independence Cup/North American Challenge Cup (IC/NACC)—a
three-day US SAILING National Championship hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club
and sponsored nationally by Rolex Watch U.S.A., Dry Creek Vineyard, American
Airlines, and Hyatt Hotels—were treated to a range of wind conditions: a first
morning of light 4- to 6-knot breeze; a second day of 12- to 15-knot blows
that gave crews in all three classes a workout; and a final day of lighter-air
sailing. Wind conditions may have been varied, but fleet leaders remained
consistent in their commanding performances.
Winner in the six-boat 2.4mR class Mark LeBlanc from New Orleans never
finished worse than second place in the opening two days of the event to
capture a win in this singlehanded class. In his early 20s, he may be the
youngest skipper to yet capture a win at this US SAILING championship, but
LeBlanc showed how youth could translate to sage sailing on the racecourse: he
held his lead until the conclusion of the regatta—with a third place becoming
his discard race—and finished 9 points ahead of some formidable class talents,
including US Disabled Sailing Team (USDST) member John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wisc.)
and Charles Rosenfield (Woodstock, Conn.), who finished 2-3 respectively on a
tie-breaker.
LeBlanc, who was awarded the Judd Goldman Trophy for his win, was third last
year, but a full 18 points away from the class leader. His key to preparing
for this event was time on the water: "I competed in every regatta I could
this year," he said of his training efforts over the past 12 months, which
included competing in Europe.
The IC/NACC, held August 2-6, drew half of the members of the 2007 USDST, the
top-ranked disabled sailors in the U.S. who represent the country's most
promising hopefuls to earn berths for the 2008 Paralympic Games in China. The
2.4mR and the Sonar, both sailed at the IC/NAAC, are two of the three classes
to be raced at the 2008 Paralympic Games in China. This was the first time the
Sonar was raced in this championship.
Freedom Independence 20 skipper Karen Mitchell (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), racing
this year with JP Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.), arrived at the IC/NACC as
the only four-time consecutive champion in the history of this event—and a
clear favorite for yet another class win. But after the first four races, the
points situation in this seven-boat class left little margin for error:
skipper Mike Strahle (Redding, Calif.) lead the fleet with 9 points, while
Mitchell and Chicago skipper Mike Jaffe were tied with 10 points each for
second place.
Mitchell then made her move, winning Races 5, 6, and 7 to edge into the lead.
She won the class to become the first five-time champion at this championship
and winner of the Chandler Hovey Jr. Trophy. A member of the 2007 USDST, she
is also working toward a longer-term goal: to become the first woman to
represent the United States at the Paralympic Games, where Mitchell and
Creignou hope to compete in the doublehanded SKUD-18.
The six-boat Sonar class was topped by Albert Foster (Wayzata, Minn.), at age
70, the eldest skipper to capture a class win at this championship. Racing
with David Burdette (Lutherville, Md.) and Jim Thweatt (W. Sacramento,
Calif.), Foster won 7 individual races in the 14-race series against some
tough Sonar competitors, including second-place Paul Callahan (Cape Coral,
Fla.), who represented the U.S. in the 2000 Paralympic Games and raced the
championship with USDST member Roger Cleworth (Lithia, Fla.) and Tom Brown
(Northeast Harbor, Maine); and third-place skipper Ken Kelly, racing with Don
Terlson and Marc Shaw, all of Victoria, British Columbia.
Foster's reaction to his great success belied his age, and he waxed as
enthusiastic as a teenager as he savored the victory, which he attributed to
his crew: "Those guys have gotten so good," said Foster of his crew. "I am
just so proud of them, I can hardly stand it!"
Race watchers who follow the IC/NACC each year cannot but help be inspired by
the disabled sailors who compete at this event—individuals who often face
enormous hurdles, just to reach the starting line. Sonar contender Lieutenant
John Pucillo went from elite Navy diver to disabled Iraq vet to Paralympic
hopeful, all in less than a year, when he lost his left leg above the knee
while stationed in Iraq with the Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal team, the
Navy bomb squad. Now a member of the USDST, Pucillo (Andrews AFB, Md.) crewed
with David Schroeder (Miami, Fla.) and Keith Burhans (Rochester, N.Y.). This
team finished fourth in class and may not have taken a medal at this event,
but Pucillo's outlook demonstrates that he has already logged a personal
victory, just by getting into the game. “Disabled sailing has taught me that
you can do extraordinary things, even though bad things have happened,”
Pucillo said, before heading to Chicago to compete in the regatta. “It’s
inspiring and motivating.”
Class winners and many of the competitors at the IC/NACC will be seen this
fall on the starting line of the Paralympic Trials to be held in Newport
(R.I.). The Trials will determine which teams will represent the United States
at the 2008 Paralympic Games in China.
The 2008 Independence Cup will move to Long Island Sound and will be hosted
next summer by the American Yacht Club (Rye, N.Y.). The North American
Challenge Cup will remain at its home in Chicago and will once again be hosted
by the Chicago Yacht Club.
As national sponsors of the event, Rolex Watch U.S.A., Dry Creek Vineyard,
American Airlines, and Hyatt Hotels play a vital role at this US SAILING
National Championship. The support of corporate supporters is critical to the
success of the IC/NACC regatta, for the logistics involved in traveling to and
participating in the event can be both physically and financially daunting.
Corporate partners provide the generous support needed so participants can
concentrate on the tough competition they face on the water.
The event website at
www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/usic has complete results, photos,
and reports on each day of racing. The regatta is part of US SAILING’s
National Championships series; for more information about these championships,
visit
www.ussailing.org/championships.
About Chicago Yacht Club
Founded in 1875 with the goal of advancing the community’s knowledge,
enjoyment, and participation in boating and the nautical arts, the Chicago
Yacht Club is one of the oldest and most prestigious sporting organizations in
the nation and remains a valuable resource for its members and for the Chicago
area as a whole. The club has been a leader for more than 75 years in teaching
children and adults how to sail and is a preeminent organizer and host of
regattas, races, and predicted log contests in the United States.
About US SAILING and the USDST
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. Managed by US SAILING, the US Disabled Sailing Team was
created in 1998 to develop and prepare the team that represents the United
States at the Paralympic Games.
FINAL RESULTS (top 3 in each class)
2.4mR (6 boats / 14 races, 1 discard)
1. Mark LeBlanc (New Orleans, La.); 1, 2, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, [3], 1, 1,
2: 19 points
2. John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wisc.); 3, 1, 3, [3], 1, 2, 3, 1, 3, 3, 2, 3, 2, 1: 28
points
3. Charles Rosenfield (Woodstock, Conn.); 2, 3, 1, 2, [3], 3, 1, 3, 2, 2, 1,
2, 3, 3: 28 points
Sonar (6 boats / 14 races, 1 discard)
1. Albert Foster/David Burdette/Jim Thweatt (Wayzata, Minn./Lutherville,
Md./W. Sacramento, Calif.); 1, 4, [5], 1, 1, 1, 2, 4, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3: 24
points
2. Paul Callahan/Roger Cleworth/Tom Brown (Cape Coral, Fla./Lithia,
Fla./Northeast Harbor, Maine); 2, 2, 1, 4, 3, 4, 4, 1, 2, [5], 2, 4, 1, 1: 31
points
3. Ken Kelly/Don Terlson/Marc Shaw (Victoria, BC, Canada); 4, 1, 3, 2, 5, 2,
1, 3, 3, 2, 5, 3, 5, [5]: 39 points
Freedom Independence 20 (7 boats / 13 races, 1 discard)
1. Karen Mitchell/JP Creignou (Deerfield Beach, Fla./St. Petersburg, Fla.); 1,
4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, [8/DSQ], 1, 2, 2, 3, 4: 25 points
2. Mike Strahle/Donna Demarest (Redding, Calif./Waterbury, Conn.); 2, 2, 4, 1,
[6], 3/RDG, 4, 4, 2, 1, 1, 5, 3: 32 points
3. Mike Jaffe/Maurice Daniher (Chicago, Ill.); 5, 1, 1, 3, 3, 4, 2, 2, 5, 7,
6, 6, [7]: 45 points
[ ] indicates discard
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