Pictured: US 49ers training in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
August 3, 2014
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – On Sunday August 3, racing at the Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta (Olympic Test Event) begins with Rio de Janeiro’s mountainous skyline and scenery providing a dramatic backdrop. For US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider athletes, the event will provide another competitive test and a key opportunity to learn more about a unique sailing venue. “For the national sailing teams that have invested to date in Rio training, this is an important event,” said Josh Adams, Managing Director of US Olympic Sailing. “For the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, next week marks the culmination of over a year’s worth of planning and a key step forward in the process of preparing for the ultimate test in Rio 2016.” (Read Adams’ full comments on this week’s event: http://bit.ly/UUqc06)
US sailors are focused on learning as much as possible during their time training in Rio and from the test event racing. “We need to maximize every moment on the water to build a better understanding of the key conditions here,” said Nacra 17 athlete Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.). “Obviously we want to perform well at this event,” said 470 crew Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.). “However, it’s not so much about the results as it is learning what we need to know about the venue. If we accomplish that, it’ll be a successful regatta for us.”
Significant planning and resources have been devoted to providing US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider athletes with great Rio de Janeiro training opportunities in the leadup to 2016. Thanks to a generous donation, a full fleet of Olympic-class boats has been purchased by US Sailing and placed in Rio for racing and training. “The US Sailing Team boats we have here in Rio provide an opportunity to put more training hours in on the water and against the world’s best competition in Olympic sailing,” said Nacra 17 crew John Casey (Miami, Fla.).
Pictured: Sarah Newberry and John Casey, Nacra 17.
Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta (Rio Test Event)
US Sailing Roster (Class, Athlete/Team, Hometown):
470 Men (Men’s Two-Person):
1. Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.)
470 Women: (Women’s Two-Person)
1. Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.)
2. Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.) and Carly Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
49er (Men’s Two-Person High-Performance):
1. Fred Strammer (Nokomis, Fla.) and Zach Brown (San Francisco/San Diego, Calif.)
2. Brad Funk (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.)
49erFX (Women’s Two-Person High-Performance):
1. Kristen Lane (San Francisco, Calif.) and Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill.)
2. Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.) and Kathleen Tocke (Buffalo, N.Y./Newport R.I.)
Finn (Men’s Heavyweight One-Person):
1. Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.)
Laser (Men’s One-Person):
1. Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.)
2. Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.)
Laser Radial (Women’s One-Person):
1. Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.)
2. Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Nacra 17 (Mixed Multihull):
1. Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) and John Casey (Miami, Fla.)
2. Stephanie Hudson (East Troy, Wisc.) and Ian Andrews (Kailua, Hawaii)
RS:X Men (Men’s Board):
1. Carson Crain (Houston, Texas)
2. Jonathan Rudich (Clearwater, Fla.)
Event website:
Photos:
Daily US Sailing Team photos are available here: http://bit.ly/1ok2Po0
For photo download password, email: willricketson@ussailing.org
The US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider will be doing live coverage of the event via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram:
www.facebook.com/ussailingteam
www.instagram.com/ussailingteam
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