The U.S. Singlehanded Championship is going in a new direction in 2014. For the first time, a US Sailing National Championship will be integrated as part of a larger class event. The 2014 Laser North Americans will be the host of the U.S. Singlehanded Championship, and the top eligible male Laser and female Radial sailor will be named United States Singlehanded Champion. The regatta will be hosted by the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club on June 12-15 in Long Beach, Calif.
Athletes competing at the 2014 U.S. Singlehanded Championships will get a golden opportunity to race against a talented collection of the top Laser sailors in the world.
With the growth of one-design sailing here in the U.S., and with a growing number of events on the sailing calendar, it became clear to US Sailing that the traditional qualifying series was limiting the number of sailors who could compete for the O’Day and Hanley Trophies. Our goal is to allow more people to have a chance to compete for these historic championships. As the Laser class is one of the largest singlehanded classes in the world, identifying the top U.S. Singlehanded sailor through the North Americans is a natural fit.
Who is eligible to be named U.S. Singlehanded Champion? Sailors must be at least 17 years of age in the calendar year and current members of US Sailing and the Laser class. All the sailors will be scored as one fleet with the highest eligible male Laser sailor winning the O’Day Trophy and the highest female Radial sailor winning the Hanley Trophy.
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 Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.