USA dominates Lasers at ISAF Youth Worlds

by Marlieke de Lange Eaton on 23 Jul 2005 The US Youth World Team is celebrating today after winning a gold and a silver medal at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in Busan, Korea.

Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) won the Laser Radial fleet and Californians Megan Magill and Briana Provancha (San Diego) finished second in the 420 Girls. With strong finishes for the entire US Youth World Team, the Team placed fourth out of 46 countries for the Volvo Trophy, a competition which recognizes the best cumulative results across a country's top four events.

The 18 year-old Paige Railey will enter the record books with this year's win, becoming the first sailor in history to win two Singlehanded Girls Youth World Championship titles (she also won the event in 2003, and won bronze in 2002). Railey is very excited with her win. ‘Going into today I had a five point lead and a bit of the nerves. They cancelled racing today due to foggy conditions and I was completely excited,’ said en ecstatic Railey. ‘The other Americans and I were cheering with joy as I was thrown into the water.’

Railey credits her win to staying focused and training hard. ‘I have been really concentrating on just staying focused this week and trying as hard as I can, and getting back on it if things were not so good and I have managed that so I am delighted,’ she said. And her commitment is clearly visible: while her fellow athletes were getting ready to attend this evening's closing ceremonies, Railey went to the gym for a workout before heading over to the evening's party.

For USA's 420 Girls Megan Magill and Briana Provancha, consistency and dedicated training also paid off. Taking second place on the first day of the competition, Magill and Provancha (17 and 16 years old respectively) held on to that spot throughout the week, even though the fog was so thick one day that the fleet headed into the wrong direction for a mark rounding.

Magill and Provancha were able to recover quickly though. ‘I was doubting myself at times but then we just told ourselves to think positive and just concentrate on going fast and it paid off,’ grinned helm Magill. ‘But generally we have loved it here. It is really challenging sailing.’ The two Point Loma High School students have been sailing together for six years and are now traveling to Brest, France, for the International 420 World Championships which start next week.

There was no racing on the final day of the Championships due to heavy fog, which was unfortunate for USA's 420 Boys Adam Roberts and Nick Martin (both from San Diego, Calif.) who, in fourth place yesterday, were still in the running for a bronze medal. Like the 420 Boys, Laser sailor Royce Weber (Surf City, N.J.) had a strong regatta, finishing fifth overall in a 42-boat fleet, the largest fleet in the Championships. Brothers TJ and Jerry Tullo (Staten Island, N.Y.) finished 7th overall in the Hobie 16 fleet and with a first and second-place finish in the regatta, they're demonstrating that they are to be reckoned with.

The US Youth World Team was assisted by US SAILING coaches Mike Kalin and Rob Hallawell. ‘The team is very proud of their achievements, mentally exhausted from their awesome focus and extremely happy with both their sailing experience, and the many new friendships they made with folks from all over the world,’ said coach and team leader Kalin.

For more information about the members of the US Youth World Team, including reports from coaches Mike Kalin and Rob Hallawell, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics/YouthWorld/2005/team.htm. For complete results from the event, please visit the event website at www.worldyouthsailingbusan.com.

The US Youth World Team is sponsored by Extrasport, Gill, Harken, Nautica, New England Ropes, Rolex Watch U.S.A., Sperry Top-Sider, Team McLube, Vanguard Sailboats, Vineyard Vines, West Marine, and Zodiac of North America.

The US Youth World Team is managed by US SAILING. The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization's mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.


Final results for US Youth World Team:

420 Boys: Adam Roberts/Nick Martin - 4th overall
5-5-(21)-4-7-5-(33/OCS)-9-6-11: 52 pts, 32 boats

420 Girls: Megan Magill/Briana Provancha - 2nd overall - SILVER
2-(10)-(8)-4-4-2-3-3-3-8: 30 pts, 21 boats

Hobie 16: TJ Tullo/Jerry Tullo - 7th overall
8-5-1-(9)-2-5-(9)-7-7-8: 43 pts, 11 boats

Laser Radial: Paige Railey - 1st overall - GOLD
1-2-1-1-2-1-(13)-1-(32/OCS)-7-1: 17 pts, 31 boats

Laser: Royce Weber - 5th overall
(15)-2-8-2-3-13-8-10-9-(16): 55 pts, 42 boats