Pictured: Charlie Buckingham, Laser.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2014
Santander, Spain – After months of training together at locations on three continents, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider Laser athletes jumped up the leaderboard as a group on day 2 of racing at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander, Spain.
In the men’s Laser class, Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) executed one of his best single-day performances at a World Championship. Buckingham had a 2,8 scoreline in 2 races, and now sits in 8th overall in the 147-boat fleet. “The two races were very different today, so I was happy to come away with what I did.” said Buckingham. “The first race had a solid sea breeze, while it died and shifted before the second race. In that second race, I rounded 20th at the first mark after a big error, but ground my way back.”
Not far behind Buckingham was his high school, college and national team teammate Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.), who finished with a 10,2 and is now 12th overall. Barnard has been the most consistent American Laser sailor so far, with a scoreline of 7,11,10,2. “I’m content with the results today, but now it’s time for the real racing to start,” said Barnard, who referred to the fact that gold fleet competition begins tomorrow. “I’ve now spent one full year campaigning full time [for the Olympics], and this week will be a good gauge of how far I’ve come. So far I think there’s been good improvement.” Also staying in the top group with another solid day was the US Sailing Development Team’s Erik Bowers (Excelsior, Minn.), who notched a 16,8 and is in 25th overall.
US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider Laser Radial athlete Erika Reineke (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) finished 9,8 in two races today, and vaulted from 28th to 8th overall. Reineke has now scored top-10 finishes in 3 out of four races, including win in race 1.
Pictured: Erika Reineke, Laser Radial.
Under the tutelage of multiple medal-winning coach Mark Littlejohn (Auckland, New Zealand), the American Laser and Laser Radial groups have trained extensively together in Miami, Florida, Santander, Rio de Janeiro, and Long Beach, California. Long Beach is known for its consistent breeze and a typical sea state that closely matches that of the Worlds venue in Santander. It has proven to be an ideal training location for American sailors, who operated out of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club for an extended period this Spring. Clearwater Community Sailing Center in Clearwater, Florida (A US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider Official Training Center) was instrumental in providing boats to make these full-team Laser and Radial training camps happen. In 2014, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider athletes, coaches and partner organizations have put in many hours of work that may now be paying off at the World Championships.
In the men’s and women’s RS:X fleet, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider athletes saw their first day of racing. The top performer in the women’s fleet (35th out of 62) was 2012 Olympian Farrah Hall, who has enjoyed improved results in the past year. On the men’s side, the team is led by Carson Crain (Houston, Texas), who sits in 39th in a fleet of 97. The US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider is being coached this week by two-time Olympic windsurfing medalist Michael Gebhardt (Ft. Pierce, Fla.). “RS:X sailing, like any Olympic class, requires significant exposure to top international competition,” said Gebhardt. “It is also an incredibly physical type of sailing, sort of like combining a boxing match and a marathon. I think our new generation has a lot of potential, and I’m excited to watch them improve.”
On day 3 of the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships, the men’s and women’s 470 classes will hold their first races. The RS:X fleets will have their final day of qualifying competition, and the Laser and Laser Radial fleets will hold their first gold, silver and bronze division races.
Pictured: Farrah Hall, RS:X
Notable US Results (Overall), Day 2:
Laser Men (147 boats):
- 8th, Charlie Buckingham, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
- 12th, Chris Barnard, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
- 25th Erik Bowers, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
Laser Radial Women (120 boats):
- 8th, Erika Reineke, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
RS:X Men (97 boards):
- 39th, Carson Crain, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
RS:X Women (62 boards)
- 35th, Farrah Hall, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
Santander 2014 Media Guide:
Event Website: http://www.santander2014.com
US Sailing Team Live Updates: www.Twitter.com/USSailingTeam
US Sailing Team Daily Reports: www.ussailing.org/olympics
Social Media (Facebook): www.Facebook.com.USSailingTeam
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Photos (Daily): www.usst.photoshelter.com
About the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
The US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. US Sailing helps these elite athletes with with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing and communications support. The title sponsor of the team is Sperry Top-Sider; other sponsors include Harken and Team McLube. Yale Cordage is a team supplier. The US Sailing Center Miami is an Olympic training site. Oakcliff Sailing and Clearwater Community Sailing Center are US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider training centers. Chubb Personal Insurance sponsors US Sailing’s National Team Tour, a nationwide presentation program for US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider athletes.
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. 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 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org
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Press contact: Will Ricketson, Olympic Communications Manager, US Sailing. willricketson@ussailing.org, +1 978 697 2384