US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics Awards 2010

by Dana Paxton on 23 Jan 2011 US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics Awards were presented by Olympic Sailing Program to the 2010 team members who achieved excellence in the following categories in 2010: Breakthrough Performance, Most Improved Fitness, Best Teammate, Best Individual Performance, Best Team Performance, and Commercial Award, and Outstanding Service to the Team.

The awards were presented at the second annual US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) Awards Banquet Friday evening in Miami, Florida, prior to US Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR, the biggest Olympic and Paralympic class sailing event in North America.

'The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics had another great year on the water, and this awards dinner was about two things: celebrating the world-class performances of our athletes and saying ‘thank you’ to the many people who made those performances possible,' said Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.), the Chairman of the US Olympic Sailing Program. 'We have a great team on and off the water, all working together toward a common goal.'

The following awards were presented:

Breakthrough Performance: Team Tulloch - Genny Tulloch, Alice Manard Leonard and Jenn Chamberlain
This award is presented to the athlete who, over the previous 12 months, has begun Olympic or Paralympic Class competition for the first time, or switched to a new event, and achieved notable performance on the water.

In less than one year, Team Tulloch – Genny Tulloch (Sausalito, Calif.), Alice Manard Leonard (New Orleans, La.) and Jenn Chamberlain (Washington, D.C.) – has collected an impressive resume in the Olympic discipline of Women’s Match Racing. After finishing in second at the ISAF Grade 1 Boat U.S. Santa Maria Cup, in April, the team went on to win the Grade 1 Rolex Osprey Cup in October and the U.S. Women’s Racing Championship for a second straight year. Additional wins include the Carlos Aguilar Match Race, in St. Thomas, USVI, and the St. Francis Yacht Club Match Racing Championship. The team ended the year with a world #8 ranking. The award was presented by USSTAG Olympic Coach Luther Carpenter (La Porte, Texas).

Commercial Award: Rick Doerr
This award is presented to the athlete who has made an outstanding effort in support of the commercial and sponsorship activities of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics.

'Not only does Rick look like Captain America, but he sails like him too,' said USSTAG Commercial Director Dan Cooney (Marion, Mass.) of Sonar skipper Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.). 'Rick and his entire team are especially good at team branding, giving feedback on our technical gear and giving good video interviews. Rick always goes above and beyond when asked in all ways on behalf of the team.'

Most Improved Fitness: Rob Crane
This award is given to the athlete who, over the previous 12 months, has made the most significant improvement to their physical fitness.

'Rob is an absolute machine,' said 2009 recipient Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) of Laser sailor Rob Crane (Darien, Conn.). 'He outworks and lifts more than anyone, and he can probably squat our Star sailors. It’s typical to see him riding his bike, then going to the gym and putting in hours of training.'

Best Teammate: Brian Fatih
This award is given to the athlete who best exemplifies what it means to be a great teammate. This athlete has demonstrated commitment, flexibility, collaboration and generosity of spirit.

'He is the guy that always say yes when you need him,' said USSTAG’s Olympic Coach Leandro Spina (North Miami Beach, Fla.) of Star sailor Brian Fatih (Miami, Fla.) 'While the team is here in Miami getting everything ready for next week’s regatta, he is the one getting boats fixed, bringing his own tools and making sure everyone gets some help. He is not just a great team mate with Mark (Mendelblatt), but for the whole US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics.'

Best Team Performance: Team Tunnicliffe - Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi
This award is given to the team who, over the previous 12 months, has produced the best overall performance on the water.

'Anna, Molly and Debbie are excellent sailors individually, but when they came together as a match racing team they began to really excel,' said Kevin Cushing, CEO of AlphaGraphics, who presented the award to Women’s Match Racing team Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), Molly Vandemoer (Redwood City, Calif.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.).

In 2010, Team Tunnicliffe collected an impressive string of results at World Cup events, in Women’s Match Racing. The year started with a gold medal at US Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR and was followed-up by a silver at Semaine Olympique Française and two bronze medals at Kiel Week and at Skandia Sail for Gold. The team ended the year with a silver medal in the overall World Cup standings and a #4 international ranking.

Best Individual Performance: Paige Railey
This award is given to the athlete who, over the previous 12 months, has produced the best overall performance on the water by an individual.

'Paige finished third at the Laser Radial World Championship, won two gold medals at ISAF Sailing World Cup events – Kiel Week and US Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR – and completed the World Cup year with an overall bronze medal,' said USSTAG High Performance Director/Head Coach Kenneth Andreasen (Tampa, Fla.) of Laser Radial sailor Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.). 'She had a fantastic year and managed to do all that while finishing university, which is quite an accomplishment. This year she will turn her full attention to sailing full-time and I look forward to seeing what she does.'

Charles M. Leighton Award for Outstanding Service: Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.)
This award is presented to the individual who has made a significant difference in the lives of the members of the US Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Program.

'No one does more to bring the stories of our athletes out to the sailing public than Gary Jobson,' said past US Sailing Executive Director Charlie Leighton (Middletown, R.I.), for whom the award is named. 'Gary travels the country promoting our sport, promoting the good work being done at US Sailing, and promoting the hard work and great success of the athletes on the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. 'He’s supported the U.S. Team as a member of the OSC, as a Board member, and now as President. In all these roles and over the past year while giving 118 presentations around the country he’s always kept our athletes on the tip of his tongue.'

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