US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider names Oakcliff as training center

by Dana Paxton on 10 Jan 2013 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider has announced a partnership with Oakcliff Sailing of Oyster Bay, N.Y, naming Oakcliff an official training center of the team. Through the generous support of Oakcliff founder Hunt and Betsy Lawrence, Oakcliff will acquire twenty-four Olympic class boats – eight each of the Nacra 17, 49er and 49er FX skiffs – that the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider will have full access to for Team-level training and youth development throughout the year.

'We are thrilled to have Oakcliff as a partner and grateful for the support of Hunt and Betsy Lawrence in the U.S. effort to create winning national teams at all levels of Olympic class sailing,' said Josh Adams, Managing Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing. 'Oakcliff’s fleet-building effort in the Nacra 17, 49er and 49er FX is a tremendous asset for the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program, providing a training platform for US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider that is designed to help generate a performance edge in these classes.'

In addition to US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider training, the center will host US Sailing Development Team training camps, and focus on regional and national youth development in multihulls and skiffs through Oakcliff’s sailing programs. The center will display the new logo, shown at right.

'Oakcliff is excited to be working with US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider,' said Dawn Riley, Executive Director at Oakcliff. 'We welcome the opportunity to help train the best in the world and in conjunction with our Acorn and Sapling programs led by Jay Kehoe, identify and coach the next generation of Olympic champions.'

By owning and operating fleets of multihulls and skiffs, the center will focus on four primary goals: provide a training ground for US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider; power development of three Olympic classes in which the U.S. lacks fleet size; create an avenue of training and development for young sailors on the rise; and expand Oakcliff’s sailing programs to feature Olympic class US Sailing Team website