FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Derby Anderson
443 822 6393
DerbyAnderson@USSAILING.ORG
Team Seven
Sails to Second Place at
Yngling European Championship in Blanes, Spain
Portsmouth, R.I. (April 5, 2008) After a week of extremely tight racing
at the Yngling European Championship in Blanes, Spain, US Sailing Team
AlphaGraphics members Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe, and Debbie Capozzi stole
the medal race by a nose and finished in second place overall. Having led on
the first day of racing, Team Seven fell after a bad race on day two, but
kept chipping away in the close fleet where every point counted. They were
just one point out of first place at this year’s Yngling European
Championship, and despite this close loss they seemed thrilled with the
medal race results. In a team email, they gave a play-by-play of the medal
race, which boiled down to a surfing contest on the last leg to the downwind
finish. With five boats abreast all vying for the win, Team Seven’s Debbie
Capozzi called for a late gybe, which edged them about one foot in front of
Sarah Ayton of Great Britain. Ayton and her team went on to win the regatta.
Only the top ten boats in the 23-boat fleet sailed in the medal race to
conclude the regatta and determine those final ten positions. Due to their
smaller size, medal races are some of the most realistic Olympics
simulations these teams will see in their coming months leading up to
Qingdao. As Team Seven prepares for their Olympic debut in August, finishes
like their most recent medal race win are very encouraging. Team Seven
continues their intense European training schedule with the Semaine
Olympique Francaise de Viole in Hyeres, France, which takes place April
19-25.
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 Team for Sailing. 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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