Junior Women Sailors Race for Leiter Trophy in Seattle

U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship – 2016 Preview

Chubb JrSEATTLE, Wash. (July 28, 2016) – The U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship for the Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy will be decided on the waters of Lake Washington this weekend. Sail Sand Point in Seattle will host this US Sailing National Championship that features three days of racing for 28 sailors in the Laser Radial, beginning this Friday, July 29 through Sunday, July 31, preceded by two days of clinics.

The top six boats will qualify for early acceptance to the 2017 U.S. Youth Sailing Championships – a qualifier for the 2017 ISAF Youth World Championships in Israel.

High-level coaching and skill development is a key component of this championship. Prior to racing, teams took part in a two-day clinic on led by Richard Feeny, US Sailing Junior National Coach.

Participating Coaches

  • John Pearce: US Sailing Youth Development Director
  • Scott Ikle: Hobart and William Smith Head Coach
  • Matt Lindblad: MIT Head Coach
  • Hannah Tuson-Turner: Sail Orcas Sailing Director
  • Jaclyn Hollander: Southwestern Yacht Club

Results & Coverage

  • For Twitter updates from the racecourse, results and standings, photos, final report, and more information from the 2016 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, please visit the event website.
  • Take part in the conversation throughout the championship using #Leiter16.

Racing & Venue

  • List of 28 Competing Sailors
  • Sailors racing this week are ages 13 to 18.
  • The first signal warning for racing is 11:00am PST on Friday through Sunday.
  • Ten races are scheduled. Three races are required to be completed to constitute a series. When fewer than six (races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores. When six or more races have been completed, a boat’s series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score.
  • Racing takes place on Lake Washington.

Championship Notes

  • Support of the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship as well as the clinics associated with the event is made possible by funds provided by the late C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. to perpetuate his unwavering dedication to junior women’s sailing. This support is intended to encourage young American women to enhance their sailing ability, with emphasis on sportsmanship, by providing the opportunity to compete in national-level competition with guidance from high-level coaching. Tom Clagett’s family continues to assist in fulfilling his vision
  • The U.S. Junior Women’s Championships Committee annually hosts two events: a Singlehanded and a Doublehanded championship. Both championships are open events.
  • The U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship started in 1980.

Prizes

  • The Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy is the perpetual trophy presented to the winning team.
  • US Sailing Championship medals will be awarded to competitors who finish first through fifth.
  • Trophies will be awarded to competitors finishing in the top three places.
  • The C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Sportsmanship Prize will be awarded to a team based on the results of the competitors’ ballots.

The 2016 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship is sponsored by Gill North America and Switlik Survival Products. This US Sailing National Championship is a Sailors for the Sea – Clean Regatta.

Contact: Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications Manager, jakefish@ussailing.org

About US Sailing
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. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

About Gill North America
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, GA is the exclusive importer and distributor of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America including Caribbean, US and Canada. Gill is a worldwide apparel and accessories brand serving the marine industry with over three decades of experience. Gill specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company develops and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear. Gill products are available through hundreds of independent dealers and select West Marine Stores. For further information, please contact: Gary Barker at 941 505 2111 or gary.barker@gillna.com.

About Switlik
Established in 1920, Switlik Parachute Co. has been owned and operated by the Switlik family for four generations and is known worldwide as a manufacturer of the highest quality sewn and heat sealed inflatable safety and survival products for the aviation, marine, and military/government markets. Our capabilities include a wide variety of anti-exposure and anti-g suits, inflatable life rafts, inflatable life vests, inflation systems and other specialty textile-based military equipment all manufactured at our 85,000 sq. ft facility located in Trenton, NJ USA. www.switlik.com