FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Derby Anderson
401 683 0800 ext. 671
443 822 6393 cell
DerbyAnderson@USSAILING.org

Whitman and Dorsett Earn Silver Medal at
IFDS Qingdao International Regatta

Portsmouth, R.I. (May 16, 2008) – Going into the last race of the International Disabled Sailing Federation (IFDS) Qingdao International Regatta, Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and Julia Dorsett (Westchester, Penn.) were tied for the overall win in the SKUD 18 class. After five days of racing in Qingdao, China, where these sailors will race again in the Paralympic Regatta in September, Whitman and Dorsett had to beat team GBR’s Nikki Birrell and Alex Rickham for the gold. By pushing for an aggressive start, Dorsett and Whitman unfortunately ended up with an illegal premature start and retired from the race after the race committee notified them later in the race. Despite the disappointing final race, the American SKUD team, who are ranked second on the US Disabled Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, had secured low enough points to earn silver in the nine-boat class.

The team’s head coach Betsy Alison shares her analysis of the SKUD performance in an e-mail from Qingdao. “Though they [Whitman and Dorsett] were disappointed that they could not "finish the job" out on the race course, their silver medal position bodes well for the USA going into the Paralympic Games in the SKUD class. Whitman and Dorsett (2nd at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials for Sailing) have been actively training with Nick Scandone and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker, who will represent the USA at the Paralympic Games.”

SKUD skipper Whitman says, “The conditions here have been similar to what we have been training in out in California. What we have learned here in China we will definitely be passing on to Nick and Maureen as soon as we get home.”

Eight more members of the US Disabled Sailing Team AlphaGraphics were racing in the Qingdao International Regatta, using it as a test event for the Paralympic Regatta in September. In the 2.4mR class, John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wisc.) placed sixth out of 12 boats, and Mark LeBlanc (New Orleans, La.) finished ninth. In the Sonars, Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle (Marblehead, Mass.) and Bill Donohue (Brick, N.J.) came in sixth place after a tough week battling a viral flu and racing against a deeply talented fleet of world champions and Paralympic gold medalists. Also racing in the 12-boat Sonar fleet, Paul Callahan (Providence, R.I.), Mike Hersey (Hyannis, Mass.) and Roger Cleworth (Lithia, Fla.) came in ninth place.

Head Coach Alison says" We are thrilled to have had this opportunity to check out the conditions here in Qingdao. The village is outstanding, the race management superb, and the Chinese people very welcoming! This event was meant to be a "test" for our team, and a test it was. We know we have some work to do before September, but are confident that we will post excellent results at the Paralympic Games. Our sailors and coaches learned a lot here in Qingdao, and now have a better idea of how to best prepare for the upcoming event."

Find out more about the event and see complete results at www.2008ifdsqdregatta.com/en.

About the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics
The US Sailing Team Alphagraphics recognizes the top three teams in all Olympic and Paralympic classes. The top athlete in each class is also a member of the U.S. Olympic or Paralympic Sailing Team. The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics is managed by US SAILING, national governing body of the sport. 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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