FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Marlieke de Lange Eaton
401-683-0800
Top Young
Sailors Set to Compete in
U.S. Youth Sailing Championship
Portsmouth, R.I. (June 23, 2008) – From June 26 to July 1, the country’s
top youth sailors are slated to compete in the U.S. Youth Sailing
Championship hosted by the San Francisco Yacht Club, sponsored nationally by
Nautica and LaserPerformance. The young sailors ranging from 13 to 19 years
old will race Lasers, Laser Radials, 29ers, and Club 420s in the challenging
conditions of San Francisco Bay.
National event organizer US SAILING has selected a field of 150 sailors
hailing from 16 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands based on their sailing
resumes and performance at regional, national and international
competitions; they represent some of the most talented young athletes in the
sport.
In the singlehanded events, among those to watch in the Laser class will be
Luke Lawrence (Palm City, Fla.) with an impressive record of wins at
national and international events including first place in both the US Youth
Worlds Qualifier and Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta and 11th place
at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in 2007. He will be up
against some tough competition, such as Georgetown University freshman
Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.), who is fresh from his win at the
ICSA College National Championship, and Teddy Himler (Manhasset, N.Y.), who
has moved up from the Laser Radial after winning that class in 2006.
In the Laser Radials, Anne Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill.) will be one to watch
after a successful 2007 in which she won silver at the Volvo Youth Sailing
ISAF World Championship, was the highest finishing girl at the U.S. Youth
Championship, and finished an impressive fourth at the very competitive U.S.
Olympic Team Trials. A victory for Haeger is not a given however,
particularly with names such as Ian Heausler (last year's Laser Radial
champion from Tampa, Fla.), as well as Claire Dennis (Sarasota, Calif.) and
Emily Billing (Clearwater, Fla.).
In the doublehanded classes, San Diegans Briana Provancha and Tyler Sinks
could be the favorites in the Club 420 fleet. These two champions have
teamed up after each having won a doublehanded fleet in the event last year
(Provancha won the 29er, Sinks the Club 420). They will need to look out for
sailors such as Stephanie Hudson of Winnetka, Ill., and Laura McKenna of
Palo Alto, Calif., who have had solid front-row finishes at the 420 Youth
and National Championships. The 29er team of Oliver Toole and Willie McBride
(both of Santa Barbara, Calif.), last year’s second-place finishers in the
Youth Championship, will be challenged by sailors such as Max Fraser
(Capitola, Calif.) and David Liebenberg (Livermore, Calif.) who finished
first in the recent 29er National Championship.
One of the highlights of the Championship will be advanced racing clinics
taught by world-class sailors, including US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics
member Molly Carapiet; Brett Davis; Bern Noack; John Vandemoer; and John
Pearce.
At the conclusion of the regatta, a number of significant awards will be
presented to the winners. The Robert L. Johnstone Trophy, which honors
Johnstone's pioneering work in popularizing one-design sailing and serving
as the Youth Championship's creator and first committee chairman, will go to
the winner of the Laser class. The Manton D. Scott Memorial Trophy, honors
the life of an aspiring Olympic sailor whose life was cut short prematurely
when he was electrocuted in 1973 when the mast of his boat made contact with
an overhead power line, will be awarded to the winning boat in the Club 420
class. The Robert and Ann Conner Trophy, to honor the Conners’ lifelong
effort to promote junior sailing, will be awarded the winner of the Laser
Radial class.
For more information about the U.S. Youth Championship, including a complete
list of competitors and latest updates as the event is happening, please
visit
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/youthchamp.
About the Event Sponsors
LaserPerformance, manufacturer of most of the boats sailed in this
championship, is a sponsor of the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship as part of
the company's ongoing commitment to youth sailing. Nautica—the Official
General Apparel Supplier to the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics—also returns
this year as an sponsor of the Championship, affirming its support of youth
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
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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