US Sailing Youth National Team qualification reaches mid-point

by US Sailing 8 Mar 01:38 HKT

June ILCA 6 Camp New Bedford © Lexi Pline / US Sailing

As March begins, qualification for the US Sailing Youth National Team is well under way. Over half of the 72 sailors who will qualify for the Youth National Team in 2025 have now earned their spot on the team based on top finishes at class association Midwinter Championships.

The US Sailing Youth National Team is a new initiative to recognize and expand support the top American youth sailors sailing in the international youth classes: 29er, i420, Nacra 15, ILCA 6, iQFOiL, and Formula Kite. The Youth National Team is the entry point to the performance pathway connecting youth, Olympic Development, and US Sailing Teams.

Qualified Youth National Team sailors are invited to class-specific training camps this spring and early summer in preparation for international events this July and August. With the 2025 Youth Sailing World Championships in December 2025, the summer block will be an important marker to identify where individual sailors are developmentally and lay the groundwork toward Youth Worlds selection in the fall.

"Our goal is to bring the top youth sailors in the US together as one team, to train in collaborative settings and compete for the USA. The training schedule and deliverables for each sailor are bespoke, and based on the unique needs of each class, it's sailors, and future development of vital skills," says Phil Muller, US Sailing Youth Performance Manager and Head Coach of the US Youth Team. "We are thrilled for the opportunity to work with such a talented group of young athletes, as well as their coaches, clubs, and supporters at home."

Miami Thanksgiving Racing Camp 2024 - photo © Allison Chenard

Youth National Team Qualifier News

January kicked off with the first Youth Team qualifier, and the sole qualifier event for the Nacra 15 class, at the Lauderdale Olympic Classes Regatta hosted by Lauderdale Yacht Club. Fort Lauderdale's characteristic ocean conditions challenged the youth sailors in this high-performance catamaran class.

In February, the first qualifier events for the 29er and i420 classes took place over President's Day weekend. The 29er Midwinters East, hosted by Clearwater Community Sailing Center, attracted 22 teams from across North America. Notably, female teams took the top two positions in the open competition, with 2024 Youth Worlds Bronze Medalists Annie Sitzmann/Molly Bonham finishing just behind the siblings Olympia Barelli/Maribelle Barelli. At the i420 Midwinters East, hosted by Miami Yacht Club, 23 teams enjoyed good breeze and big waves on the Atlantic Ocean off Miami Beach. Finally, in late February the ILCA Midwinters East hosted by St Petersburg Yacht Club drew 150 athletes in the ILCA 6 class, the largest of the midwinter qualifying events thus far.

In the Formula Kite and iQFOiL Classes, Youth National Team athletes will be selected based on resume application, which is available on the US Youth Team webpage (Resume applications are due March 15, 2025). American athletes Graceanna Dixon (iQFOiL) and Henry Vare (Formula Kite) participated in the 2025 Mayan Windfest in Cancun, Mexico, taking advantage of strong competition from across the Americas to get valuable international racing experience. In the iQFOiL Fleet, many athletes recently competed in the 2025 iQFOiL Midwinters, which also served as the qualifier for the Junior Pan Am Games coming up this summer.

The final qualifier for the Youth National Team in the 29er, i420 and ILCA 6 classes will be at the Midwinters West Championship, hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, CA on March 21-23, 2025. For full selection criteria details for the US Sailing Youth National Team, please refer to the selection criteria posted on the US Sailing Selections webpage.

Long Beach Thanksgiving Racing Camp 2024 - photo © Lexi Pline / US Sailing

2025 US Sailing Youth National Qualified Athletes

Congratulations to the athletes who have qualified so far for the 2025 US Sailing Youth National Team!

29er:

Olympia Barelli / Maribelle Barelli, San Diego Yacht Club
Annie Sitzmann / Molly Bonham, Skiff+
Sean Kaseburg / Wesley LaRue, San Diego Yacht Club
Wylder Smith / Wyatt Lipp, Skiff+

International 420:

Richard Sykes / Reid Packard, LISOT/Riverside Yacht Club/Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club
Harrison Gandy / Sara Komaroff, LISOT/Larchmont Yacht Club/Coral Reef Yacht Club
Helena Borcherding / Genevieve Schmidt, LISOT/Belle Haven Yacht Club/US Sailing Center Martin County
Annie Ulmer / Marin Redmond, Maximus Sailing/LYC

ILCA 6: