Top sailors for U.S. Youth Sailing Championship

by Marlieke de Lange Eaton on 24 Jun 2008 From June 26 to July 1, the country's top youth sailors are slated to compete in the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship hosted by the San Francisco Yacht Club, sponsored nationally by Nautica and LaserPerformance. The young sailors ranging from 13 to 19 years old will race Lasers, Laser Radials, 29ers, and Club 420s in the challenging conditions of San Francisco Bay.

National event organizer US SAILING has selected a field of 150 sailors hailing from 16 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands based on their sailing resumes and performance at regional, national and international competitions; they represent some of the most talented young athletes in the sport.

In the singlehanded events, among those to watch in the Laser class will be Luke Lawrence (Palm City, Fla.) with an impressive record of wins at national and international events including first place in both the US Youth Worlds Qualifier and Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta and 11th place at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in 2007. He will be up against some tough competition, such as Georgetown University freshman Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.), who is fresh from his win at the ICSA College National Championship, and Teddy Himler (Manhasset, N.Y.), who has moved up from the Laser Radial after winning that class in 2006.

In the Laser Radials, Anne Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill.) will be one to watch after a successful 2007 in which she won silver at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, was the highest finishing girl at the U.S. Youth Championship, and finished an impressive fourth at the very competitive U.S. Olympic Team Trials. A victory for Haeger is not a given however, particularly with names such as Ian Heausler (last year's Laser Radial champion from Tampa, Fla.), as well as Claire Dennis (Sarasota, Calif.) and Emily Billing (Clearwater, Fla.).

In the doublehanded classes, San Diegans Briana Provancha and Tyler Sinks could be the favorites in the Club 420 fleet. These two champions have teamed up after each having won a doublehanded fleet in the event last year (Provancha won the 29er, Sinks the Club 420). They will need to look out for sailors such as Stephanie Hudson of Winnetka, Ill., and Laura McKenna of Palo Alto, Calif., who have had solid front-row finishes at the 420 Youth and National Championships. The 29er team of Oliver Toole and Willie McBride (both of Santa Barbara, Calif.), last year's second-place finishers in the Youth Championship, will be challenged by sailors such as Max Fraser (Capitola, Calif.) and David Liebenberg (Livermore, Calif.) who finished first in the recent 29er National Championship.

One of the highlights of the Championship will be advanced racing clinics taught by world-class sailors, including US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics member Molly Carapiet; Brett Davis; Bern Noack; John Vandemoer; and John Pearce.

At the conclusion of the regatta, a number of significant awards will be presented to the winners. The Robert L. Johnstone Trophy, which honors Johnstone's pioneering work in popularizing one-design sailing and serving as the Youth Championship's creator and first committee chairman, will go to the winner of the Laser class. The Manton D. Scott Memorial Trophy, honors the life of an aspiring Olympic sailor whose life was cut short prematurely when he was electrocuted in 1973 when the mast of his boat made contact with an overhead power line, will be awarded to the winning boat in the Club 420 class. The Robert and Ann Conner Trophy, to honor the Conners' lifelong effort to promote junior sailing, will be awarded the winner of the Laser Radial class.

For more information about the U.S. Youth Championship, including a complete list of competitors and latest updates as the event is happening, please visit www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/youthchamp.

About the Event Sponsors
LaserPerformance, manufacturer of most of the boats sailed in this championship, is a sponsor of the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship as part of the company's ongoing commitment to youth sailing. Nautica-the Official General Apparel Supplier to the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics-also returns this year as an sponsor of the Championship, affirming its support of youth sailing.

The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. 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 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.