U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship – 2015 Preview

Rochester, N.Y. (July 15, 2015) – The Rochester Yacht Club (RYC) has a long history of hosting outstanding racing events for adult and youth in a variety of classes and formats. The RYC welcomes 30 top young sailors under the age of 19 this week at the 2015 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship for the Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy.

This five-day US Sailing National Championship features two days of clinics this Wednesday and Thursday followed by three days of racing Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19. Sailors representing 14 different states have convened for this opportunity to test themselves against their peers, improve their skills, and enjoy the sport of sailing. The championship will be sailed on Lake Ontario in Laser Radials.

The winning sailor will qualify for the 2016 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship, the premiere youth sailing regatta in the country.

Like so many US Sailing National Championships, high-level coaching and skill development is a key component of this regatta. The clinics will familiarize the competitors with the local conditions and race course. Led by Richard Feeny, US Sailing Junior National Coach, the clinics will feature 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

Perhaps even more important than the racing and skill development is the opportunity to build camaraderie with fellow sailors from around the country. The RYC will be hosting barbeques and pizza parties for the sailors after racing, along with a surprise activity for the participating sailors.

The Rochester Yacht Club has hosted other US Sailing National Championships in the recent past, including the U.S. Adult Sailing Championship and International Women’s Keelboat Championship. Later this month they will be hosting a USA Junior Olympic Festival, featuring a Skill Builder Clinic. They were honored by US Sailing in 2010 and 1989 with the St. Petersburg Trophy for excellence in race management.

Prizes on the line

• US Sailing Championship medals will be awarded to competitors who finish first through fifth.
• Keeper trophies will be 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 will be awarded to a competitor based on the results of the competitors’ ballots.

Championship Coverage

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

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.

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