FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Derby Anderson
443-822-6393
DerbyAnderson@ussailing.org

US SAILING and LaserPerformance Send Team to Laser Radial Youth World Championship in Takapuna Beach, New Zealand

Portsmouth, R.I. (March 24, 2008) — US SAILING, the national governing body of the sport, together with LaserPerformance, an official sponsor of the Laser Radial Youth Worlds Team, will send a team of talented youth sailors to represent the United States at the 2008 Laser Radial World Championship. More than 125 juniors from 23 countries will compete in split male and female fleets for the Youth World Champion title over six days of racing. The five sailors who make up the Laser Performance/US SAILING Laser Radial Youth World Team are: Emily Billing (Clearwater, Fla.), Claire Dennis (Saratoga, Calif.), Nick Dugdale (Marin County, Calif.), David “Bo” McClatchy (Annapolis, Md.), and John Wallace (St. Petersburg, Fla.).

The Laser Radial World Championship consists of three world championships: Men, Women and Youth. The Youth Championship begins March 24 in Takapuna Beach, New Zealand and is scheduled to have two races per day. The prize giving and closing ceremony will take place Saturday, March 29, the final day of the regatta.

The five members of the Laser Radial Youth World Team are between the ages of 15 and 18, and were selected for their recent Laser Radial successes. Billing, who qualified for this team last year and came in 11th place at the regatta, was named Clearwater Yacht Club’s 2007 Junior Yachtsman of the Year, and just finished in second place at the 2008 Women’s Laser Radial North American Championship in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Having finished first at the Laser Radial Youth Women’s Worlds in 2006 in Los Angeles, Calif., Dennis was nominated for the 2006 US SAILING Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year at just 15 years old. Dugdale, who only started racing in eighth grade, earned second place out of the 111 Laser Radials competing at the 2007 CORK Regatta in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. McClatchy, who also crews in the 29er class, won both the Hyannis Regatta in Hyannis, Mass. and the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Junior Olympic Festival in Island Heights, N.J. In 2007, Wallace won the Canadian Laser Radial Nationals and came in third place at the U.S. Laser Radial Nationals.

As part of a nationwide program to support youth development for sailing, the US Radial Youth World Team was created by Laser Performance and US SAILING to encourage young sailors to get more experience on the international race course. The five sailors will receive a grant to help off-set the expenses incurred while attending the World Championship. The sailors were selected based on their individual rankings on the Laser Radial Grand Prix in 2007. The program also provides funding for a coach to accompany the team.

For information on the Laser Radial Youth World Championship, please visit the International Laser Class Association website at www.laserinternational.org.  

About LaserPerformance
LaserPerformance is a global company formed from a merger between Vanguard Sailboats and Performance Sailcraft Europe. Demonstrating its continued commitment to the development of youth sailing, LaserPerformance is continuing the standard set by Vanguard Sailboats, who provided sponsorship support for the US Laser Radial Youth World Team for five years. LaserPerformance is the leading world manufacturer, and largest US supplier, of recreational and high performance small sailboats. LaserPerformance products include the Sunfish and Laser, two of the most recognized brands in the sailing world. The company is also responsible for the popular, newly launched SB3. LaserPerformance has offices in Portsmouth RI (US), Long Buckby (UK), Melbourne (AU), Middle East (UAE), and Hong Kong. For more information please visit www.laserperformance.com.

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 U.S. 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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