U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship features top sailors

by Jake Fish on 16 Jul 2009 Fifty of the top junior women sailors from across the country will compete at the 2009 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship for three days of racing in Laser Radials on July 21-24. This year’s championship is hosted by the Westhampton Yacht Squadron in Remsenburg, N.Y. and sponsored by LaserPerformance. This open event will be preceded by a two-day advanced racing clinic.

The top three and seven of the top ten finishers from last year’s championship have returned to race for the Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy. Half (25) of the competition from a year ago is back. Arielle deLisser (Miami, Fla.), a member of the US Sailing Team – Under 18, claimed last year’s title by winning the final two races of the event. She edged Marissa Lihan (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) by two points and Sky Adams (Santa Barbara, Calif.) by six.

Lihan is also a member of the US Sailing Team – Under 18. She is one of ten athletes on the US Youth World Team representing the USA at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Buzios, Brazil on July 9-18. Lihan has a history of success at the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship. Along with the second place finish a year ago, she finished seventh in 2007. Her sister, Sarah, won the event in 2006.

The field of competitors, who range in age from 13 to 18 years old, will take part in a two-day advanced racing clinic on July 19-20 led by US SAILING’s Junior National Coach and Stanford University Head Coach, John Vandemoer.

The event is part of US SAILING’s National Championship series, and was founded in 1980 to encourage women’s sailing in the United States by providing an opportunity for young women to compete at the national level. Among the past winners of this event is former Olympian, Amanda Clark and ISAF’s top ranked Laser Radial sailor, Paige Railey who won the championship three times.

Previous Winners

2008 Arielle deLisser, Miami, FL
2007 Carolyn Prioleau, Houston, TX
2006 Sarah Lihan - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
2005 Stephanie Roble - East Troy, WI
2004 Paige Railey - Clearwater, FL
2003 Charlotte Hill - Miami, FL
2002 Paige Railey - Clearwater, FL
2001 Paige Railey - Clearwater, FL
2000 Amanda Clark - Shelter Island, NY
1999 Corrie Clement - Metairie, LA
1998 Amanda Clark - Shelter Island, NY
1997 Lynsi Hood - Sylvania, OH
1996 Annemarie Casesa - St. Petersburg, FL
1995 Casey Hogan - Newport Harbor, CA
1994 Christin Feldman - Grosse Pte. Park, MI
1993 Danielle Brennan - New York, NY
1992 Rebecca Harris - Vacaville, CA
1991 Rebecca Harris - Vacaville, CA
1990 Jennifer Lovell - New Orleans, LA
1989 Giselle Camet - San Diego, CA
1988 Giselle Camet - San Diego, CA
1987 Giselle Camet - San Diego, CA
1986 Julia Trotman - Syosset, NY (1st Year USYRU - US SAILING - National Championship)