US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics Heads to Australia for World Championships

Posted on November 29, 2011 by US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics

Event Will Determine U.S. Olympic Team in Fleet Racing Classes

Portsmouth, R.I. (November 29, 2011) – It all comes down to one regatta for US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics athletes looking to clinch a U.S. Olympic Team spot. The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Sailing World Championships, set to take place Dec. 3-18, 2011 in Perth, Australia, will serve as the second and final U.S. Olympic Team Selection Event in the nine Olympic fleet racing events. It is also the country qualification regatta where USA will look to secure an Olympic berth in all 10 Olympic events. More than 5,000 officials, 1,200 sailors and tens of thousands of spectators are expected to visit Western Australia for the two-week regatta where world champions in each of the 10 Olympic sailing events will be determined. Exclusive photos and reports will be posted on USSTAG’s website, Facebookand Twitter channels.

“All of the training and preparation done by US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics athletes over the past three and a half years will come together in Perth,” said Olympic Sailing Committee Chairman Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.) “The Olympic Sailing Committee structured the U.S. Olympic Team selection process to align with our primary mission of fielding a team that gives the U.S. the best possible chances of success at the Games. And international competition at the highest level is what will best prepare America’s athletes for the Olympic Games. At the conclusion of this regatta, America will know 13 of the 16 U.S. Olympic Team members.”

USSTAG athletes will combine their overall score from this regatta with their result from the 2011 Skandia Sail for Gold, however not all USSTAG athletes are competing for an Olympic team spot. The top-performing eligible athlete(s) in each Olympic fleet racing class will be selected to join the U.S. Olympic Team to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games, scheduled for set for July 27- August 12, 2012 in Weymouth/Portland, England. To see who is leading the results after the Sail for Gold, please visit the Trials Tracker.

US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics members competing in the ISAF Sailing World Championships:          

49er (Men’s Two Person Dinghy High Performance):
Erik Storck (Huntington, N.Y.) and Trevor Moore (North Pomfret, Vt./Naples, Fla.)

Men’s 470 (Men’s Two Person Dinghy):
Stuart McNay (Boston, Mass.) and Graham Biehl (San Diego, Calif.)
Adam Roberts (San Diego, Calif.) and Nick Martin (San Diego, Calif.)

Women’s 470 (Women’s Two Person Dinghy):
Erin Maxwell (Wilton, Conn.) and Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar (New York/Fishers Island, N.Y.)
Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.) and Sarah Lihan (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Finn (Men’s One Person Dinghy Heavy):
Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.)
Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.)

Laser (Men’s One Person Dinghy):
Rob Crane (Darien, Conn.)
Clay Johnson (Toms River, N.J.)

Laser Radial (Women’s One Person Dinghy):
Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.)
Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Men’s RS:X (Men’s Windsurfer):
Robert Willis (Chicago, Ill.)
Ben Barger (St. Petersburg, Fla.)

Women’s RS:X (Women’s Windsurfer):
Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.)

Star (Men’s Keelboat):
Mark Mendelblatt (Miami, Fla.) and Brian Fatih (Miami, Fla.)
George Szabo (San Diego, Calif.) and Mark Strube (Punta Gorda, Fla.)
Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.) and Ian Coleman (Annapolis, Md.)
Andy Horton (Washington, D.C.) and John von Schwarz (Annapolis, Md.)
Rick Merriman (New York, N.Y.), who will sail with past USSTAG member Phil Trinter

Women’s Match Racing Olympic Team selection does not take place at the ISAF Sailing World Championships. The two events used to select the U.S. Olympic Team representatives are the U. S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regattas, held in October, 2011 and May, 2012. The top two placed teams in the first qualifying regatta earned the USA spot at the Worlds:
Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), Molly Vandemoer (Stanford, Calif.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.)
Genny Tulloch (Sausalito, Calif.), Alice Manard Leonard (East Haven, Conn.) and Jenn Chamberlin (Washington, D.C.).

The 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships is the key country qualification event for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Seventy five per cent of nations to participate in London will be decided at Perth 2011, based on the entry quotas established by ISAF. US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics athletes and all competing USA sailors are eligible to qualify the USA in each of the 10 Olympic events.

Also competing this week in the Laser class is Derick Vranizan (Shoreline, Wash.), a member of the US Sailing Development Team.

Follow the Athletes/ Follow the Team:

• Major daily highlights on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/USSTAG
• Live breaking news and results updated throughout the day on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/USSTAG
• Photo gallery http://olympics.ussailing.org/multimedia/photo-gallery
• Behind-the-scenes views about US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics from Team Leader Dean Brennerhttp://www.usstag.blogspot.com

Joining the team in Perth will be Olympic Sailing Committee Chairman and Team Leader Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.); High Performance Director/Head Coach and Finn coach Kenneth Andreasen (Tampa, Fla.); Communications Director Dana Paxton (Newport, R.I.); Commercial Manager Katie Smith (Newport, R.I.); Olympic Coach Luther Carpenter (La Porte, Texas), Laser Radial; Olympic Coach Leandro Spina (Miami, Fla.), Star; coaches Mike Kalin (San Francisco, Calif.), Laser; Olympic Coach Romain Bonnaud (France), Men’s 470; Zack Leonard (East Haven, Conn.) Women’s 470; David Hughes (San Diego, Calif.), 49er; and Dave Dellenbaugh (Southport, Conn.), Women’s Match Racing. The Performance Enhancement Team includes: Team Physical Therapist/Athletic Trainers, Mark Kenna (Sydney, AUS.) and Dr. Shawn E. Hunt (Miami, Fla.); Team Chef Leah Holsten-Danielson (La Cruz De Huanacaxtle, Mexico/Salem, Ore.); Sports Psychologist Dr. Wendy Borlabi (Chula Vista, Calif.); and Meteorologist Doug Charko (NZL).

To read the press release announcing the selection procedures, please click here. To read the details of the selection procedures, please click here. 

About US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics
The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US SAILING), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. US SAILING supports these elite athletes with funding, coaching and training. The title sponsor of the team is AlphaGraphics; other sponsors include Rolex Watch USA, Atlantis WeatherGear, Sperry Top-Sider, LaserPerformance, Harken Team McLube, Trinity Yachts, New England Ropes, Group Experiential Learning and Bow Down Training.

US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics on Facebook
US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics on Twitter
US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics on YouTube
US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics racing updates

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. For more information about US SAILING, please visit: www.ussailing.org. For more information about the US Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Program and the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, please visit:http://sailingteams.ussailing.org.