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Marlieke de Lange Eaton
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Upsets and Victories at U.S. Youth Sailing Championship
Belvedere, Calif. (July 1, 2008) - The U.S. Youth Sailing Championship
wrapped up this afternoon at San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere, Calif.,
and it didn't happen without a few last-minute upsets in the final races of
the three-day event, sponsored by Nautica and LaserPerformance.
The two singlehanded fleets - the Laser and Laser Radial - perhaps provided
for the most exciting final day of racing. In the Laser fleet, Cam Cullman
(Rye, N.Y.) pulled off an upset victory against early leader Luke Lawrence
(Jupiter, Fla.), who had an early start in the final race - his second of
the regatta - and dropped to fourth place overall. For Cullman, who sailed
in his last "Youth Champs" since he will have aged out next year, this was a
wonderful day. "I feel amazing. This is the best feeling in the world!" he
exclaimed.
In the Laser Radial fleet, another upset saw early front runner Chris
Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.) dropping to third place after a 16th-place
finish in the final race of the Championship. This opened the door for
Philip Crain (Houston, TX) who won the regatta with solid second- and
third-place finishes on the final day. Colin Smith (Ft. Lauderdale Fla.),
who won in the Laser division last year, took home second. For the women,
local Claire Dennis (Sarasota, Calif.) was the top finisher with a ninth
place.
In the two doublehanded fleets - the Club 420 and the 29er - familiar
sailors appeared on the podium this afternoon. San Diegans Tyler Sinks and
Briana Provancha teamed up in the Club 420 after they each won the Youth
Champs in previous years (Sinks was the defending champion in the Club 420
and Provancha in the 29er). Their experience paid off and they won by a
substantial margin (18 points). The real battle in the Club 420 fleet was
for second place: Joseph Morris (Annapolis, Md.) and Justin Doane (Nokomis,
Fla.) were tied in points overall with Brendan Kopp and Michael Costello
(both from Fairfield, Conn). With more first-place finishes in their
pockets, Morris and Doane took home the silver. The top all-women's
finishing team was Emily Maxwell (Stonington, Conn.) and Elizabeth Dudley
(Queenstown, Md.), who finished 18th overall.
The 29er fleet was dominated by Californians. San Diegans Judge Ryan and
Hans Henken won the fleet, but it wasn't without some pressure. Max Fraser
(Capitola, Calif.) and David Liebenberg (Livermore, Calif.) weren't too far
behind and finished second. A push by Oliver Toole and Willie McBride (both
from Santa Barbara, Calif.), who won the last four races in the fleet, was
enough to get them third overall.
Champions Ryan and Henken used the Youth Champs to prepare for the Volvo
Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, to be held in Denmark in a few weeks,
where they will represent the USA in the men's doublehanded division (sailed
in 29ers). "We went out the first day and posted some pretty good scores,"
said Ryan, adding that the final day of racing was the most challenging as
everyone was "finding their groove."
For complete results and more on this event, visit
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/youthchamp.
This championship is part of US SAILING’s Youth and Junior
Championship series; to learn more about US SAILING's National
Championships, visit
www.ussailing.org/championships. Next year's
event will be held at Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, Conn.
About the Event Trophies
The Robert L. Johnstone Trophy awarded to the Laser class winner honors
Johnstone's pioneering work in popularizing one-design sailing and serving
as the Youth Championship's creator and first committee chairman; the Manton
D. Scott Memorial Trophy awarded to the Club 420 winner 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; the Robert and Ann Conner Trophy awarded to the Laser Radial
winner honors the Conners' lifelong effort to promote junior sailing, both
nationally and internationally.
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.
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
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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