FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Marlieke de Lange Eaton
401-683-0800
Top Junior
Women Sailors to Race on Lake Michigan
in the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship
Portsmouth, R.I. (July 30, 2008) - Forty-seven top junior women sailors
from across the country have been selected to compete in the 2008 U.S.
Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship (JWS) for the Nancy Leiter Clagett
Memorial Trophy hosted by the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club (Holland, Mich.) and
sponsored by LaserPerformance from August 3-8. The regatta will be sailed in
Laser Radials over three days, preceded by a two-day advanced racing clinic.
This event, part of US SAILING’s National Championship series, was founded
in 1980 to encourage women’s sailing in the United States by providing an
opportunity for young women to compete at the national level. Among the past
winners of this event is current Olympian, Amanda Clark. Also at stake for
the top ten finishers will be the opportunity to attend two advanced junior
women’s racing clinics, which will be held in the spring of 2009.
The field of competitors, who range in age from 13 to 18 years old, are
among the best junior women sailors throughout the United States. Racing is
expected to be close between three top ten finishers of the 2007 JWS event
including Eliza Richartz (third), Renee Gagne (sixth) and Marissa Lihan
(seventh). Richartz, of Old Lime, Conn., recently skippered her team to a
second-place finish in last month's U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded
Championship and took eighth place at the Club 420 North American
Championship. Gagne, of Darien, Conn., placed 18th in last year's U.S.
Olympic Team Trials in the Laser Radial division. Lihan, of Fort Lauderdale,
Fla., recently placed 18th in a co-ed fleet of 95 Laser Radial sailors at
the Atlantic Coast Championship.
For complete results, daily reports, and photos from the event, visit the
event website at
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjrw/single.
The U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship for the Nancy
Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy is part of US SAILING’s National
Championships series. For more information about these events, visit
www.ussailing.org/championships.
Support for the U.S. Junior Women's Singlehanded Championship comes from
funds provided by the late C. Thomas Clagett, Jr., to perpetuate his
dedication to junior women's sailing. This support is intended to encourage
young American women to enhance their sailing ability, with emphasis on
sportsmanship, by providing the opportunity to compete in national-level
competition with guidance from high-level coaching.
Demonstrating a continuing commitment to youth sailing, LaserPerformance,
manufacturer of the Laser Radials sailed in this event, is once again
sponsoring the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship.
LaserPerformance has been a dedicated sponsor of numerous U.S. National
Championships for more than a decade, encouraging sailors in the U.S. to
enjoy the sport while also ensuring great competition. Visit their website
at www.laserperformance.com.
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.
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