Portsmouth, R.I. (June 24, 2013) – American sailors aiming for a berth at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games will have an additional opportunity this summer to qualify for the 2013 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider in the SKUD-18 and Nacra 17 classes. Two events will serve as Team selection events: the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Memorial Clinic & Regatta, June 26-30 (Newport, R.I.), and the Nacra World Championship, July 20-28 (The Hague, NED), where the top two U.S. teams in the SKUD-18 and Nacra 17, respectively, will qualify for the national team.
The Nacra 17 is the equipment selected for the mixed crew multihull Olympic event at the 2016 Olympic Games and will see its first world championship contested in 2013. The SKUD-18 was selected for the 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games as the equipment for the two person dinghy. It was first introduced at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games where USA’s Nick Scandone and Maureen McKinnon won a gold medal. At the 2012 Games, USA’s Jen French and JP Creignou won silver. The USA leads the Paralympic Games medal table with six won since sailing was included in the Games in 1996.
For more information:
Olympic classes Selection
Paralympic classes Selection
Sailors in nine of the Olympic and two of the Paralympic classes: 2.4mR, 470 Men/Women, 49er, 49er FX, Finn, Laser, Laser Radial, RS:X Men/Women and Sonar qualified for the team based on their 2012 results or performance at 2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, January 28-February 2. For a list of athletes who comprise the 2013 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, please visit http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/USSTSTS13.htm
About 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 supports these elite athletes with funding, coaching and training. The title sponsor of the team is Sperry Top-Sider; other sponsors include Harken Team McLube. Yale Cordage is a supplier. Oakcliff Sailing is an official training center. Jaguar Therapeutics is an official fitness center.
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: Dana Paxton, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, 401-683-0800 x615, danapaxton@ussailing.org