FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dana Paxton, Media Pro Int’l for Rolex, +1 401-849-0220, dana.paxton@mediapronewport.com
Cynthia Goss, US SAILING, +1 203-453-2731, cynthiagoss@ussailing.org
US SAILING’S Rolex International Women’s
Keelboat Championship
First ever Junior Road to Rolex Clinic a success
Marblehead, Mass. (August 6, 2007) – This past weekend, 18 youth sailors took part in the first Junior Road to Rolex Clinic, held at Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass. The two-day keelboat clinic is a new initiative of US SAILING and Rolex to support junior women sailors in making the transition from dinghies to keelboats and with an eye toward future competition in the Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (Rolex IWKC). The girls – ranging in age from 14-18 and traveling from as far away as California and St. Croix –also had participated in the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, a US SAILING National Championship that preceded the clinic. Coaching and classroom instruction featured US Sailing Team member (470 women) Molly O’Bryan Vandemoer (Annapolis, Md.) while the Sonar keelboats and housing were generously provided by the Sonar Class Association and Eastern Yacht Club with organization by Deborah Noble.
Although most girls admitted to a mild case of pre-clinic nerves, all of the participants found that once they put their new-found skills into action, their confidence increased in steering or crewing a Sonar. For some, this was the first time at trying spinnaker handling. “Being on the bow is crazy,” said 15-year-old Marissa Lihan (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) of her spinnaker jibing experience. “But I liked it!”
Afterward, some of the girls talked about getting a team together for the Rolex IWKC. With a little over two months until the big league event begins, there is time to charter a boat and begin a training schedule. Who knows, maybe they’ll wind up in a jibing duel with Vandemoer who will be crewing for skipper and fellow US Sailing Team member Anna Tunnicliffe (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.). This year’s biennial Rolex IWKC will take place November 14-17 at the Houston Yacht Club in La Porte, Texas.
For more information about the Road to Rolex Clinic or the Rolex IWKC, please visit http://www.ussailing.org/championships/.
About the Rolex IWKC: Inaugurated in 1985 at the instigation of US SAILING's Women’s Championship Committee, the Rolex IWKC quickly became the premier women’s sailing event in the U.S. and worldwide. Held biennially, the event provides women keelboat and offshore sailors high quality racing and an opportunity to compete with top national and international women sailors. The winning team will receive US SAILING’s Bengt Julin Trophy.
About US 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 U.S. 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.
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