EVENTS & TEAMS

In sailboat racing, many regattas are open only to sailors who have pre-qualified for that event. The Olympics, Pan Am Games, Youth Worlds and US Youth Champs are good examples. There are also certain sailing teams (e.g. the US Sailing Team and Optimist National Team) that pick their sailors through various selection processes. It’s hard for even the most serious sailor to understand all the age, nationality, gender and performance requirements of various regattas and teams. Here is a listing of various events and the process that a US sailor must follow to sail in the regatta or become a part of the team. REGATTAS Olympic Games The Olympic sailing events are held every four years during the summer Olympic Games.  The most recent Olympics were help in Qingdao, China, in 2008 where the U.S. brought home one gold medal in the Laser Radial (Anna Tunnicliffe) and one silver medal in the Finn Dinghy (Zach Railey). The next Olympics will be in 2012 in London; sailing will take place in Weymouth & Portland.  Click here to see and learn more about the 2012 sailing venue.

Competitors racing in the Women’s Fleet at the 2006 420 World Championship in the Canary Islands, Spain.

The 2012 Olympic Games will have the following 10 Olympic sailing disciplines: 470 Men, 470 Women, 49'er, Laser, Laser Radial, RS:X Men, RS:X Women, Finn, Star, & Women's Match racing in the Elliot 6M.  In order to attend the Olympics for the US, sailors must win the US Olympic Trials.  Like all other countries (except the hosting country), sailors must qualify the country at any of three regattas designated by ISAF.  Sailors must also meet nationality rules as set forth by the International Olympic Committee.  To learn more about the US Olympic program, e-mail Katie Kelly at US Sailing at Olympics@ussailing.org; or click here to go to the US Olympic Sailing website.

US Olympic Trials
The US Olympic Trials is a single regatta for each class to pick a winner who goes to the Olympic Games. The venue and the date for the Olympic Trials is generally decided in November three years before the next Olympics. It is not uncommon for the Trials of the 11 Olympic disciplines to be held in different venues — for the 2008 Games, the Trials were run in fall of 2007. Click here http://olympics.ussailing.org/Olympics.htm to go to the US Olympic Sailing website, where you will find updates about upcoming Olympic Trials requirements, schedules and details.

Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are held at the same venue as the Olympic Games, usually just after the Olympics. In 2008, the Paralympic Games are scheduled for September 6-17, 2008 in Beijing, China. The Paralympic Regatta will be held in Qingdao, a coastal city located 430 miles east of Beijing. The classes chosen for the 2008 Paralympic Regatta are the 2.4mR, the Sonar, and SKUD-18. The US Disabled Sailing Team is chosen at the Paralympic Trials, which is held for each class during the year preceding the Games. For more info on the qualification process and other disabled sailing subjects, go to www.ussailing.org/swsn/.

Pan Am Games
The Pan Am Games occur every four years, the year before the Olympic Games.  Participation is limited to Pan American countries – that is North, Central and South America, as well as, the Caribbean Islands.  The last Pan Am Games was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2007.  The next Pan Am Games will be held in 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The classes raced will be as follows: Laser (men); Laser Radial (women); RS:X (men & women); Snipe; Lightning; J/24; Hobie Cat 16; & Sunfish (Open class).  The classes have changed throughout the years, but are generally announced at least two years prior to the event.  In order to attend, the US Olympic Committee announces a specific qualifying event (or set of events) for each class.  The winner of each event is then approved or nominated by the USOSC, which has final say as to whom can attend. Under Pan Am Games procedures, a sailor cannot be appointed to attend the event – they must qualify.  There are no age limits, but sailors must be U.S. citizens with a valid U.S. passport.  Participating athletes must sign the U.S. Sailing Athlete Agreement and be current members of U.S. Sailing.  Click here  http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/PanAm/ to see a copy of the U.S.Sailing Athlete Agreement.  (Go to ‘2007 Pan American Games – Sailing Selection Procedures’ to find the actual document). Click here http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/PanAm/ for the US Sailing link about the Pan Am Games.

World Youth Sailing Championship
The 2009 Youth World Championship will be held July 9-18 in Buzios, Brazil. Members of the 2009 US Youth Worlds Team will be chosen at the 2009 US Youth Worlds Qualifier Regatta, which is scheduled for January 17-19 at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, CA. The classes that will be sailed at the 2009 Youth Worlds are the International 420 (Boys, Girls), Laser Radial (Boys, Girls), Hobie 16 catamaran (open) and RSX Board (Boys, Girls). All competitors at this event must be US citizens born in 1991 or later. For more information, contact Katie Kelly at US Sailing at Olympics@ussailing.org or Jerelyn Biehl at jerelyn@odmsail.com.

The ISAF Sailing World Cup
The ISAF Sailing World Cup is a new series of seven events worldwide designed to enhance and promote competition in Olympic classes. A sailor’s finishing place at each individual event in the World Cup series will count towards his or her ISAF Sailing World Cup score, using a high point scoring system and no discard. The intention is to also count results from the individual Olympic Class World Championships within the World Cup scoring. From 2010 onwards, ISAF plans to introduce a Grand Final which will take place in the months after Kiel Week and see the top sailors from the series in a 'head to head' Grand Final at a venue which will be moved around the world each year. ISAF also intends to add additional non-European events to the World Cup series in the coming years, with an initial focus on an event in Asia.

The 2008-2009 ISAF Sailing World Cup consists of the following events:
16-21 Dec 2008 - Sail Melbourne Regatta, Melbourne, Australia
25-31 Jan 2009 - Rolex Miami OCR, Miami, USA
04-10 April 2009 - Trofeo SAR Princess Sofia MAPFRE, Palma, Spain
18-24 April 2009 - Semaine Olympique Francaise, Hyeres, France
27-31 May 2009 - Delta Lloyd Regatta, Medemblik, Netherlands
21-29 June 2009 - Kieler Woche, Kiel, Germany
14-19 Sept 2009 - Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta, Weymouth, Great Britain

US Youth Sailing Championship
The US Youth Championship is the pinnacle of competitive racing for youth sailors in the United States. This regatta, held each year in late June, rotates to different venues around the country. For the last three years, the classes racing at the Youth Champs have been the Laser, Radial, 29er and Club 420. Approximately 150 sailors are chosen for each regatta from resume applications that must be submitted online to US Sailing in the winter. For a detailed schedule of the application schedule and requirements, click here.

Sears, Bemis, Smythe
These are three separate national junior championships held annually.  For all three events, junior sailors must qualify through a series of events or elimination rounds for the Area group in which their respective YRA or District is located. Sailors must be over twelve and under eighteen.  Historically, the three events have been sailed at the same venue. However, in the recent past, the Sears Cup is often sailed at a different location. Each event is four days of racing and is preceded with a one-day clinic at the event venue.
     The Sears Cup, started in 1921 by Commodore Herbert M. Sears of the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead Y.C., is the triple-handed event. It was last sailed in Chicago, at the Chicago Yacht Club in Lightnings.  For more info: http://www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/triple/
     The Bemis Trophy began in 1975. It was last sailed at Chicago Yacht Club in Club 420s.  In 1999 the event was expanded to include two teams per Area, with the exception of Areas H and L, each of whom send only one team. For more info: http://www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/double/
     Added in 1974, the Smythe Championship is the singlehanded Junior National regatta. Like the Bemis, in 1999 the event was expanded to include two teams per Area, with the exceptions of Areas H and L, who send only one team.  The event was last sailed in Lasers at the Chicago Yacht Club. For more info: http://www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/single/
     You can also get more info by contacting John Strassman (jstrassman@wi.rr.com), the national chair of all three events. 

Optimist International Events
Many of the top international Optimist regattas (e.g. Worlds, Europeans, South Americans) limit the number of sailors that can enter from each country. For these events, the US team is chosen based on results from the Optimist Midwinters in the fall or the US Optimist Team Trials in the spring. Other Opti events are open to any sailors who would like to enter. You can find the entry requirements in the Notice of Race for each event.

US Optimist Team Trials
The Team Trials is the most competitive Opti regatta in the US each year. Sailors have to qualify for this regatta by finishing in the top 25% of a regional Opti Championship or in the top 50% of the Opti National Championship (see www.usoda.org). The results of the Team Trials regatta are used to select the teams of sailors that will represent the US at the major international Opti regattas each summer, including the Worlds, Europeans and North Americans. In 2009, the Opti Team Trials will be held from April 30 to May 3 at the Noroton Yacht Club in Darien, CT.

International 420 Worlds, Europeans and Junior Europeans
The International 420 World Championships are held every year, while the Europeans are organized only in years when the Worlds are held in the Southern Hemisphere. Both of these events are divided into two fleets: Open (or Mixed) Fleet and the Women’s Fleet (both members of the crew must be female). Each country is allowed to enter 7 open teams and 7 women’s teams (except the host country which is allowed 14 of each). The Junior European Championship is held every year for sailors who will not turn 19 in the year of the championship. It has an Open division only and accepts seven boats per country. For more details on these regattas or the selection process for the US team, please contact Larry Law (president of the US I420 Class Association) at 949-650-2909 or llaw@jrlcap.com.

Lightning Youth World Championship
The World Youth Championship is held during each even-numbered year. Every country with organized yachting activity is entitled to two (2) entries for the World Youth Championship. The host country shall be entitled to two (2) additional entries. Skippers and crews must not be older than 19 – they cannot turn 20 during the year of the championship. For information on the selection process used to choose the US representatives, go to www.lightningclass.org.

Snipe Junior Worlds
This event is held in odd-numbered years. Each country is allowed 2 teams, and the host country gets one extra entry. The reigning Junior World champion can also attend if he or she is not too old. Competitors cannot turn 22 in the year of the event. Selection is chosen by each country. For more information go to <http://www.snipe.org>  or <http://www.snipeus.org>  in the US.

TEAMS

US Olympic Sailing Team
This is the team of sailors that represents the United States every four years at the Olympic sailing events. The team is comprised of the winners of the US Olympic Trials, which are held during the year prior to the Olympics. To see the team that represented the US at the 2008 Olympic sailing events in Qingdao, click here.

US Sailing Team
The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) has historically recognized the top-ranked American teams in each of the Olympic Classes. Qualifying for the USST indicates that the athlete or team may be a serious contender to represent the United States at the next Olympic Games. As part of the US Sailing Olympic Sailing Committee’s ongoing mission to facilitate the success of elite performance athletes, the 2007 US Sailing Team included the top three (3) ranked sailors in each of the classes. To see the selection criteria, required events and scoring procedures, click here. For the most recent information and selection criteria, contact Katie Kelly at US Sailing at Olympics@ussailing.org.

US Disabled Sailing Team
Created in 1998, the US Disabled Sailing Team (USDST) annually recognizes the top three teams in the classes chosen for the upcoming Paralympic Games. Qualifying for the USDST indicates that the athlete or team may be a serious contender to represent the United States at the next Games. The US Disabled Sailing Team annually recognizes the top three ranked sailors in the classes chosen for the next Paralympic Games.  The classes chosen for the 2008 Paralympic Regatta, to be held in Qingdao China, are the 2.4mR, the Sonar, and SKUD-18. To see the team that represented the US at the 2008 Paralympic sailing events in Qingdao, click here.

US Youth World Team
This is the team that represents the US at the World Youth sailing Championships, which are held each year. It is comprised of the class winners from the Youth World Selection Trials, help each January at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. To see the team that represented the US at the 2008 Youth World Championship in Denmark, click here.

US Optimist National Team (USNT)
The purpose of the USNT is to improve the level of Optimist sailing in the United States, by providing high level training to top US Optimist sailors who compete internationally. The team receives the best coaching available and is be able to practice against the best sailors in the country. The team also tries to improve the fitness of sailors. Currently the top forty-five (45) sailors from the Team Trials, who are age-eligible for the following year, are invited to participate on the US National Team.

US Optimist Development Team (USDT)
The USDT is another group of up-and-coming Opti sailors. After the National Team sailors have been selected at the Team Trials, the next thirty (30) sailors who are age-eligible for the following year are invited to participate on the US Development Team. (For more info on the USNT and USDT, go to www.usoda.org.)

US Sailing Team U-18 and US Sailing Team U-23
US Sailing’s Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) irecently announced a new Olympic sailing training pipeline, which will help guide talented sailors from youth programs to the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program. As part of the new pipeline, the OSC will launch two new teams in 2009: The US Sailing Team – U18 (Under 18) and US Sailing Team – U23 (Under 23). US SAILING will provide the teams with elite-level coaching, as well as educational, administrative and logistical support throughout the year. The country’s top youth sailors will gain invaluable experience by competing at major national and international regattas, learn how to campaign for the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team AlphaGraphics and choose, prepare and maintain equipment.
      Formerly known as the Elite Youth Development Team, the US Sailing Team – U18 and US Sailing Team – U23 were created for athletes who have been identified as future Olympic prospects. The US Sailing Team – U18 will include the top sailors in the Laser Radial (boys), Laser Radial (girls), 29er (open) and I420 (boys or girls) classes, who were born after 1991. The OSC will accept up to five boats in each class for the U18 team. The US Sailing Team – U23 will consist of the top two sailors born after 1986 in each of the Laser (men) and Laser Radial (women) classes. Members of the U23 team may also compete concurrently at the college level.
     Team members will be selected by sailing resume, including regatta results and awards, as well as a proposed training plan for the next season. Sailors who have qualified for the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) will not be eligible for the U18 or U23 teams. Team members must be available to train and compete for a minimum of 65 days a year.
     Sailors interested in being considered for the team should e-mail a cover letter, sailing resume, training and regatta plan and headshot to US SAILING’s High Performance Director Kenneth Andreasen and US SAILING’s Olympic Director Katie Kelly at Olympics@ussailing.org <mailto:Olympics@ussailing.org> . The deadline for the 2009 teams is December 7, 2008.