FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BRISTOL, R.I. (April 10, 2019) – US Sailing has named the 17 sailors that will be representing the United States at the XVIII Pan American Games.
The Pan American Games (Pan Am Games) take place every four years, in the year preceding the Olympic Games. The Pan Am Games is the third-largest multi-sport event in the world behind the Summer and Winter Olympics. The 2019 Pan Am Games will take place in Lima, Peru on July 26-August 11. The sailing events will take place from August 3-10 in Paracas, Peru.
2019 U.S. Pan American Games Sailing Team Roster:
- Pedro Pascual (West Palm Beach, Fla.) – Men’s RS:X
- Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.) – Women’s RS:X
- Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) – Men’s Laser Standard
- Charlotte Rose (Houston, Texas) – Women’s Laser Radial
- Andrew Mollerus (Larchmont, N.Y.) & Ian MacDiarmid (Delray Beach, Fla.) – Men’s 49er
- Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wisc.) & Maggie Shea (Wilmette, Ill.) – Women’s 49erFX
- Riley Gibbs (Long Beach, Calif.) & Anna Weis (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) – Mixed Nacra 17
- Conner Blouin (Tampa, Fla.) – Open Sunfish
- Will Cyr (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) – Open Kites
- Jody Starck (Buffalo, N.Y.), Ian Jones (Buffalo, N.Y.), & Skip Dieball (Grosse Ile, Mich.) – Mixed Lightning
- Ernesto Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) & Hallie Schiffman (Sarasota, Fla.) – Mixed Snipe
Note: This roster is subject to approval from the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). The above athletes have been named to the 2019 U.S. Pan American Games Sailing Team in accordance with US Sailing’s selection procedures.
Apart from Erika Reineke, each of the above sailors won their class’ trials. Laser Radial athlete, Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), earned selection at the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami (HWCSM). However, Railey will be placing her focus on training in Japan and will not be competing at the Pan Am Games. Reineke finished just four points behind Railey at HWCSM. As the next-highest finishing U.S. Laser Radial sailor, she will represent the country in Lima.
Since sailing events were added to the Pan Am Games in 1955, the United States has won 81 medals in sailing: 33 gold, 27 silver, and 21 bronze. Some sailors on the 2019 team will be returning competitors.
Sunfish sailor, Conner Blouin competed at the Pan Am Games in 2015 and is looking forward to returning to the event, “I’m really excited to represent the U.S. at the Pan American Games. I broke my wrist in 2015 and came in very underprepared for the last round in Toronto,” said Blouin. “I was disappointed in my performance there. I couldn’t be happier about getting a second chance.”
Blouin’s fellow 2015 team member, Charlie Buckingham, will also be returning to the Pan Am Games this summer. Buckingham finished fourth in the Men’s Laser fleet in Toronto.
The Pan American Games is a unique event for sailors. In that, it is a world–class regatta that features Olympic and non-Olympic classes on the same race courses. Following USOC approval, all the sailors listed above will be considered members of Team USA. All Olympic class sailors will also be considered members of the US Sailing Team.
Learn more about the XVIII Pan American Games and the US Sailing Team.
US Sailing Team Communications:
Brittney Manning, olympiccommunications@ussailing.org
About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and advancement for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Bristol, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. 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 US Sailing Team. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
About the US Sailing Team
The US Sailing Team is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. US Sailing names the top Olympic class athletes to the team annually, through both event qualification and at the discretion of team leadership. US Sailing helps these elite athletes with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing, and communications support. US Sailing Team sponsors include partners Kilroy Realty, Helly Hansen, Harken, McLube, Groupe Beneteau, and Marlow Ropes. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics.