FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Marlieke de Lange Eaton
401-683-0800
Top Young
Sailors from Across the Nation Will Compete in
Chubb U.S. Junior Championships in Chicago
Portsmouth, R.I. (July 23, 2008) – Chicago Yacht Club’s Belmont Harbor
Station is gearing up to host the country's top youth sailors at the Chubb
U.S. Junior Championships from July 28 through August 1. Sponsored by the
Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and LaserPerformance, the events will
feature competition in single-, double-, and triplehanded classes sailing
Lasers, Club 420s and Lightnings respectively. Accomplished junior sailors
from across the country have qualified to race in this regatta based on
their performance in a ladder system of numerous eliminations held at dozens
of sailing organizations nationwide.
The Laser fleet will race for the Smythe Trophy. Established in 1974, this
award is named for D. Verner Smythe, who was dedicated to organizing US
SAILING Championships. The competition in this class will be closely
contested as last year’s third place finisher Caleb Paine (San Diego,
Calif.) square off against Michael Schalka (Seattle, Wash.), who took 6th at
the 2008 ISSA High School Singlehanded Nationals, and Cleve Hancock (St.
Petersburg, Fla.), last year’s 6th place finisher and also a top-ten
finisher at the ISAF Youth Worlds Qualifier.
The Bemis Trophy, established in 1975, will be awarded to the winning duo in
the 420 fleet and is named for F. Gregg Bemis who was known for his work on
the Racing Rules of Sailing and his leadership role in judging at junior and
intercollegiate regattas. This fleet is comprised of a deep field of
talented doublehanded sailing crews. Among them are returning skippers
Lindsay Grove (Lafayette, Calif.) and Tyler Wooldridge (Kailua, Hawaii), who
placed seventh and eighth respectively in 2007. They will face off against
the experienced team of skipper William Haeger and Laura McKenna (both from
Lake Forest, Ill.). Haeger finished 10th at the ISAF Youth Worlds Qualifying
event this year (singlehanded) while McKenna was crew for the runner-up boat
at the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship in 2007.
The Lightning class will be competing for the coveted Sears Cup - US
SAILING's oldest trophy - named for Commodore Herbert M. Sears of Eastern
Yacht Club (Marblehead, Mass.) who founded the competition in 1921. The 2008
triplehanded fleet will be comprised largely of newcomers to the event,
including skippers Luke Adams (Middletown, R.I.) who is fresh off racing at
the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship, Nevin Snow (San Diego, Calif.), who
took 4th in the multihull division at the Youth Worlds Qualifier, and Will
Stocke (Sarasota, Fla.) who is moving to the triplehanded division after
taking 11th in the doublehanded event last year.
During the competition, daily results, updates, and photos will be posted
at:
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/2008/DailyReport/DailyReport.asp.
For more information about each event, please visit the individual event
websites at:
- Singlehanded Championship at
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/single;
- Doublehanded Championships at
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/double;
and
- Triplehanded Championship at
www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/triple.
US SAILING’s Chubb U.S. Junior Championships are part of US SAILING’s
National Championship series. For more information about these
championships, please visit
www.ussailing.org/championships.
About Chubb
Member insurers of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies form a
multi-billion-dollar organization providing property and casualty insurance
for personal and commercial customers through 8,500 independent agents and
brokers worldwide. Since its founding in the seaport district of New York
City in 1882, Chubb has been a leading insurer of marine-related operations.
Chubb provides insurance and loss control services to marina operators,
charterers, ship repairers, stevedores, terminal operators, wharfingers and
vessel builders. It also insures yacht owners. Chubb’s global network
includes branches and affiliates throughout North America, Europe, Latin
America, Asia and Australia. More information on Chubb may be obtained at
www.chubb.com.
About LaserPerformance
Demonstrating a continuing commitment to youth sailing, LaserPerformance,
manufacturer of the Lasers and Club 420s sailed in the singlehanded and
doublehanded events, is once again sponsoring these events. LaserPerformance
has been a dedicated sponsor of numerous U.S. National Championships for
more than a decade, encouraging sailors to enjoy the sport while also
ensuring great competition. Visit their website at
www.laserperformance.com.
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.
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