Pictured: Girls 420, Carmen Cowles (Larchmont, N.Y.) and Emma Cowles (Larchmont, N.Y.).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2017
Sanya, China – With three days of racing complete at the 2017 Youth World Sailing Championship in Sanya, China (December 11-16), 14 Americans are in the midst of intense racing against 360 other competitors from 60 nations at the world’s premier junior sailing event. U.S. sailors currently lead two fleets (Girls Laser Radial, Girls I420), stand in third in Boys I420, are battling in the top-10 in three other classes (Nacra 15, Boys Laser Radial, Boys 29er) and are third in the standings of the highly coveted Nations Trophy, which honors overall national performance. Two more days of racing remain before the closing ceremony on Friday, December 15.
“I am really pleased and proud with the effort of our athletes and coaches here in Sanya so far this week,” said Leandro Spina, Olympic Development Director at US Sailing and U.S. Team Leader for the event. “We have seen very difficult conditions so far, and our sailors have raced very well. Our team is focused on finishing the event as strong as possible, and also on improving as athletes against some of the best competition in youth sailing. This is my 6th year serving as Team Leader, and the level of our sailors is truly getting better every year. This can be seen from the results. People should be excited about the future of high performance sailing in the U.S.”
Pictured: Laser Radial Charlotte Rose (Houston, Texas).
American Laser Radials have acquitted themselves well, with Charlotte Rose (Houston, Texas) leading the regatta since Day 1 while locked in a close battle with Dolores Fraschini from Uruguay. Rose has won an impressive four of the six completed races, and has only eight net points, but is carrying a 17th as a drop race. Fraschini is close behind with 12 net points while dropping a 9th. The battle for the podium should be fascinating to watch as the event comes to a conclusion, and the Texas native hopes to return to her home state, host venue of the 2018 Youth Worlds, with some hardware.
Joseph Hou (Newport Beach, Calif.) is in 7th overall in the Boys Laser Radial, but is firmly in the hunt with only 14 points separating himself from 3rd place with three races remaining in the series.
See Also: Sanya 2017 U.S. Youth Worlds Team Preview
In the Girls 420, Carmen Cowles (Larchmont, N.Y.) and Emma Cowles (Larchmont, N.Y.) have been the regatta leaders since Day 2, and hardly let their foot off the gas on Wednesday on their way to a 2, 2. Since coming out on the wrong side of a protest on Day 1, the identical twins from New York have not had a finish worse than second in the highly competitive 25 boat fleet. 12 points separate them from the pack. France and Italy are the closest teams, with three races remaining.
The Boys 420 team of Thomas Rice (Garden City, N.Y.) and Trevor Bornath (Stuart, Fla.) are in 3rd position overall but tied on points (22) with Australia. Both teams are only six behind the leaders from Israel. Rice and Bornath have been remarkably consistent all week, and have yet to record a double-digit score.
In the Nacra 15 multihull, Mark Brunsvold (Sarasota, Fla.) and Dylan Heinz (Sarasota, Fla.) have eight top-10 scores in nine races, and sit in 5th overall. “Racing at the Youth Worlds, and being the only American boat, is kinda cool to think about,” said Brunsvold. “It makes you try harder, and makes you want to win more.”
Neil Marcellini (Lafayette, Calif.) and Ian Brill (San Diego, Calif.) are sitting in 8th overall, and continue to fight hard in the top-10 of the Boys 29er class. First-time Youth Worlds competitor Marcellini and returning Youth Worlds medalist Brill have flashed top-level speed this week, with five single-digit scores in nine races, and will look for more consistency to close out the event.
Pictured: Girls’s 29er, Berta Puig (Key Biscayne, Fla.) and Charlotte Mack (Stuart, Fla.).
In the Girls’s 29er, Berta Puig (Key Biscayne, Fla.) and Charlotte Mack (Stuart, Fla.) crossed the finish line in the lead in Race 7 on Wednesday, only to discover that they had been UFD-flagged for crossing the starting line an instant too early. Nevertheless, Puig and Mack, who currently sit in 16th overall, said they were encouraged by their day. “Overall I’d say it’s getting better, though today was rough [with the UFD flag],” said Mack, who is in her first year as a student at the University of Miami. “We’re sailing against all girls, which is cool, because normally we’re a mixed fleet [in the 29er]. It’s pretty cool to be at the Youth Worlds, and it’s pretty charged up, but once you start racing it’s the same out there.”
In the RS:X, Steven Cramer (Miami Beach, Fla.) is in 17th overall, but said that his trip could hardly have been more valuable. “Everything here is just top-level and incredible,” said the Floridian. “I’ve learned so much in just the three days we’ve been competing,” said Cramer, echoing a sentiment shared by many sailors at the event. “It’s another level, and it’s much better [for learning] than even the [RS:X class] Worlds or Europeans. It’s one athlete per country, the best of the best, and everyone trains hard for this.”
Dominique Stater (who currently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina) said that she has really appreciated the team atmosphere that surrounds the U.S. Youth Worlds team and coaches. Prior to the Youth Worlds, the team participated in multiple U.S.- based training camps organized by US Sailing’s Olympic Development Program (ODP). After arriving in China, American sailors have operated as a united team by sharing coaching, housing, transportation, meals and following a joint performance program.
“I think it’s great, and I’ve learned a lot in all of our meetings,” said Stater, who until recently lived in Bethesda, Maryland. “Every time I meet with a coach, or in a group, I learn a lot about what I can do to improve. Coming to this event is very motivating. It tells you what you are lacking, and what you need to work harder on. One thing I really wish is that more girls from the U.S. would start windsurfing.”
The coaching staff for the team is comprised of Leandro Spina, Steve Keen (Stamford, Conn.) and Rosie Chapman (Houston, Texas). Racing will continue until Friday, December 15.
Pictured: RS:X, Steven Cramer (Miami Beach, Fla.).
How to Follow the 2017 U.S. Youth Worlds Team:
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Contact: Will Ricketson, Communications Manager, US Sailing
Email: willricketson@ussailing.org
Phone: +1 978 697 2384 (USA)
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 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 US Sailing’s Olympic Development Program:
US Sailing’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) was launched in January 2015 to lead the progression of the most promising youth sailing talent in the US. Guided by the US Olympic Sailing Committee’s Project Pipeline strategic initiative, the ODP fosters an integrated approach to training in the core development and Olympic classes, and is part of a system to provide the United States with a steady stream of well-prepared sailors. Some of these athletes will go on to represent Team USA at The Olympic Games, and provide the national team with consistent success. The fundamental premise of the ODP is to focus on the critical transition from youth sailing to high performance racing in Olympic classes. The ODP is funded through generous donations by individuals and organizations. The lead gift as well as a matching grant has been provided by the AmericaOne Foundation, and the US Olympic Sailing Program is actively seeking supporters to meet this generous match. For more information on the ODP and the America One Match campaign, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics
ABOUT THE YOUTH WORLDS
The Youth Sailing World Championship was first held in Angelholm, Sweden in 1971 where 16 nations competed for the inaugural titles in the two-person dinghies, 420 and Flipper.
As the regatta evolved further classes were added to bring the best young sailing talent across the world together in one place and in 1984 the Mistral windsurfer was added to the list of events with Knut Budig (GER) taking the first gold medal in San Diego, California.
Open to sailors aged 19 and under the 47th version of the Youth Worlds heads to the Sanya, China from 9-16 December as the stars of the future are born once again.
Past notable winners include American’s Cup skippers, Chris Dickson (NZL), Russell Coutts (NZL), Dean Barker (NZL); Olympic medallists, Ben Ainslie (GBR), Robert Scheidt (BRA), Alessandra Sensini (ITA), Iain Percy (GBR) and Elise Rechichi (AUS); Volvo Ocean Race sailors like Stuart Bannatyne (NZL) and Richard Clarke (CAN). The most successful Youth World Champions are Great Britain’s Sally Cuthbert and Poland’s Zofia Klepacka having won four successive titles in the Laser II and Mistral respectively.
Italy is the current holder of the Nations Trophy, awarded annually to the top performing nation at the Youth Worlds. The Nations Trophy was first introduced in 1991 and in 1999 became the Volvo Trophy until 2010. France is the most successful nation through the history of the Championship, winning the Nations Trophy on a record eleven occasions and holding a record 76 medals: 28 gold, 30 silver and 18 bronze.