U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehand titles - Heavy wind finish in Rochester

by Jake Fish on 20 Jul 2015 The fleet of 30 Laser Radial sailors put on quite a show this weekend on Lake Ontario at the 2015 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, hosted by the Rochester Yacht Club. In the end, it was Louisa Nordstrom (Osprey, Fla.) who held back several worthy contenders throughout the three days of racing to earn the Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy.

Talia Toland (Kirkland, Wash.), Hallie Schiffman (Sarasota, Fla.), and Hannah Steadman (St. Petersburg, Fla.) all made strong runs to the top of the leaderboard at some point during the championship this weekend.

On Friday, the fleet tallied four races in light and variable breezes. Racing was limited on Saturday with just two races. The fleet experienced strong, unusual current on Saturday. The race committee moved the course outside of the current for Saturday’s second race. Wind was just three to five knots for most of the day.

Nordstrom had tie-breaker leads at the end of racing on both Friday and Saturday, with four races on tap for Sunday. The first signal sounded at approximately 10:00am in 10 knots from the Southwest on Sunday. By the final race, the wind was howling with gusts of 19 knots.

Nordstrom won four of 10 races this week. She edged Schiffman by two points. The win qualifies her for the 2016 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship, the premiere youth sailing regatta in the country.

Nordstrom placed second at the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship in the Club 420 this past June in Columbia, S.C. She also raced earlier this month in Bristol, R.I. at the U.S. Youth Sailing Championships in the 29er.

“I went into today trying stay positive and not focus on results,” said Nordstrom. “Each race is a new opportunity. I’m defintely a light wind sailor, but I was able to keep up with today’s heavy conditions and all the hiking.”

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Final Standings – Top Five:

1. Louisa Nordstrom, Team FOR/Sarasota Youth Sailing, 2-1-1-3-1-5-6-1-[12]-7- ; 27
2. Hallie Schiffman, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, 5-[17]-4-5-2-3-1-4-2-3- ; 29
3. Talia Toland, Seattle Yacht Club/Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, 4-3-5-1-4-7-3-5-1-[8]- ; 33
4. Hannah Steadman, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, 1-2-2-2-[30/BFD]-1-5-11-10-5- ; 39
5. Gabrielle Rizika, Wianno Yacht Club, 8-[9]-6-7-6-6-9-2-6-4- ; 54

This five-day US Sailing National Championship featured two days of clinics last Wednesday and Thursday followed by three days of racing on Friday through Sunday. Sailors representing 14 different states participated in the US Sailing National Championship.

Like so many US Sailing National Championships, high-level coaching and skill development is a key component of this regatta. The clinics were led by Richard Feeny, US Sailing Junior National Coach, and featured several college sailing coaches:
• John Pearce: George Washington, Head Coach
• Scott Ikle: Hobart and William Smith, Head Coach
• Matt Lindblad: MIT, Head Coach
• Alana O’Reilly: Georgetown, Assistant Coach
• Morgan Wilson: SUNY Maritime, Assistant Coach

Perhaps even more important than the racing and skill development is the opportunity to build camaraderie with fellow sailors from around the country. The RYC will be hosting barbeques and pizza parties for the sailors after racing, along with a surprise activity for the participating sailors.

Prizes on the line

• US Sailing Championship medals were awarded to competitors who finished first through fifth.
• Keeper trophies were awarded to competitors finishing in the top three.
• The Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy is the perpetual trophy presented to the winner.
• The C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Sportsmanship Prize was awarded Sunday night. Recipient to be determined.

Support of the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship and the clinics 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.