Gusty Finish in Rochester as Nordstrom Wins Leiter Trophy

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RChubb Jrochester, N.Y. (July 19, 2015) – The fleet of 30 Laser Radial sailors put on quite a show this weekend on Lake Ontario at the 2015 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, hosted by the Rochester Yacht Club. In the end, it was Louisa Nordstrom (Osprey, Fla.) who held back several worthy contenders throughout the three days of racing to earn the Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy.

Talia Toland (Kirkland, Wash.), Hallie Schiffman (Sarasota, Fla.), and Hannah Steadman (St. Petersburg, Fla.) all  made strong runs to the top of the leaderboard at some point during the championship this weekend.

On Friday, the fleet tallied four races in light and variable breezes. Racing was limited on Saturday with just two races. The fleet experienced strong, unusual current on Saturday. The race committee moved the course outside of the current for Saturday’s second race. Wind was just 3 to 5 knots for most of the day.

Nordstrom had tie-breaker leads at the end of racing on both Friday and Saturday, with four races on tap for Sunday. The first signal sounded at approximately 10:00am in 10 knots from the Southwest on Sunday. By the final race, the wind was howling with gusts of 19 knots.

Nordstrom won four of 10 races this week. She edged Schiffman by two points. The win qualifies her for the 2016 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship, the premiere youth sailing regatta in the country.

Nordstrom placed second at the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship in the Club 420 this past June in Columbia, S.C. She also raced earlier this month in Bristol, R.I. at the U.S. Youth Sailing Championships in the 29er.

“I went into today trying stay positive and not focus on results,” said Nordstrom. “Each race is a new opportunity. I’m defintely a light wind sailor, but I was able to keep up with today’s heavy conditions and all the hiking.”

Final Standings – Top 5:
1. Louisa Nordstrom, Team FOR/Sarasota Youth Sailing, 2-1-1-3-1-5-6-1-[12]-7- ; 27
2. Hallie Schiffman, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, 5-[17]-4-5-2-3-1-4-2-3- ; 29
3. Talia Toland, Seattle Yacht Club/Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, 4-3-5-1-4-7-3-5-1-[8]- ; 33
4. Hannah Steadman, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, 1-2-2-2-[30/BFD]-1-5-11-10-5- ; 39
5. Gabrielle Rizika, Wianno Yacht Club, 8-[9]-6-7-6-6-9-2-6-4- ; 54
Complete Standings

For Twitter updates, results and standings, photos, final report, and more information from the 2015 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, please visit the event website.

This five-day US Sailing National Championship featured two days of clinics last Wednesday and Thursday followed by three days of racing on Friday through Sunday. Sailors representing 14 different states participated in the US Sailing National Championship.

Like so many US Sailing National Championships, high-level coaching and skill development is a key component of this regatta. The clinics were led by Richard Feeny, US Sailing Junior National Coach, and featured several college sailing coaches:

  • John Pearce: George Washington, Head Coach
  • Scott Ikle: Hobart and William Smith, Head Coach
  • Matt Lindblad: MIT, Head Coach
  • Alana O’Reilly: Georgetown, Assistant Coach
  • Morgan Wilson: SUNY Maritime, Assistant Coach

Prizes on the line

  • US Sailing Championship medals were awarded to competitors who finished first through fifth.
  • Keeper trophies were awarded to competitors finishing in the top three.
  • The Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy is the perpetual trophy presented to the winner.
  • The C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Sportsmanship Prize was awarded Sunday night. Recipient to be determined.

Support of the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship and the clinics is made possible by funds provided by the late C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. to perpetuate his unwavering dedication to junior women’s sailing. This support is intended to encourage young American women to enhance their sailing ability, with emphasis on sportsmanship, by providing the opportunity to compete in national-level competition with guidance from high-level coaching. Tom Clagett’s family continues to assist in fulfilling his vision.

The 2015 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship is sponsored by Gill North America and Switlik Survival Products. This US Sailing National Championship is a Sailors for the Sea certified Clean Regatta.

Social Media Highlights:

We can’t wait for the US Sailing Women’s Junior Singlehanded Regatta. The clinic starts tomorrow. We have a great group of competitors and coaches. Photos courtesy of Sophie Esquier. #LeiterTrophy15

Posted by Rochester Yacht Club on Tuesday, July 14, 2015


Created with flickr slideshow.

 

Contact: Jake Fish, US Sailing Communications Manager, jakefish@ussailing.org

About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, 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 Sperry. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

About Gill North America
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, GA is the exclusive importer and distributor of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America including Caribbean, US and Canada. Gill is a worldwide apparel and accessories brand serving the marine industry with over three decades of experience. Gill specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company develops and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear. Gill products are available through hundreds of independent dealers and select West Marine Stores. For further information, please contact: Gary Barker at 941 505 2111 or gary.barker@gillna.com.

About Switlik Survival Products
Established in 1920, Switlik Parachute Co. has been owned and operated by the Switlik family for four generations and is known worldwide as a manufacturer of the highest quality sewn and heat sealed inflatable safety and survival products for the aviation, marine, and military/government markets. Our capabilities include a wide variety of anti-exposure and anti-g suits, inflatable life rafts, inflatable life vests, inflation systems and other specialty textile-based military equipment all manufactured at our 85,000 sq. ft facility located in Trenton, NJ USA. www.switlik.com