U.S. Olympic Sailing Program Partners with Oakcliff Sailing
Portsmouth, R.I. (January 9, 2013) – US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider announced a partnership with Oakcliff Sailing of Oyster Bay, N.Y, naming Oakcliff an official training center of the team. Through the generous support of Oakcliff founder Hunt and Betsy Lawrence, Oakcliff will acquire 24 Olympic class boats – eight each of the Nacra 17, 49er and 49er FX skiffs – that the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider will have full access to for Team-level training and youth development throughout the year.
“We are thrilled to have Oakcliff as a partner and grateful for the support of Hunt and Betsy Lawrence in the U.S. effort to create winning national teams at all levels of Olympic class sailing,” said Josh Adams, Managing Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing. “Oakcliff’s fleet-building effort in the Nacra 17, 49er and 49er FX is a tremendous asset for the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program, providing a training platform for US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider that is designed to help generate a performance edge in these classes.”
In addition to US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider training, the center will host US Sailing Development Team training camps, and focus on regional and national youth development in multihulls and skiffs through Oakcliff’s sailing programs. The center will display the new logo, shown at right.
“Oakcliff is excited to be working with US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider,” said Dawn Riley, Executive Director at Oakcliff. “We welcome the opportunity to help train the best in the world and in conjunction with our Acorn and Sapling programs led by Jay Kehoe, identify and coach the next generation of Olympic champions.”
By owning and operating fleets of multihulls and skiffs, the center will focus on four primary goals: provide a training ground for US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider; power development of three Olympic classes in which the U.S. lacks fleet size; create an avenue of training and development for young sailors on the rise; and expand Oakcliff’s sailing programs to feature Olympic class boats.
About Oakcliff Sailing
Oakcliff Sailing, in Oyster Bay, N.Y., is the only complete training and coaching center in the world. Oakcliff’s Sapling and Acorn youth development programs create complete sailors who are capable of sailing in any position, fixing every aspect of a boat and managing a small marine business. Oakcliff trains sailors in match and fleet racing, inshore and offshore, fully crewed and shorthanded as well as providing access to historically significant classic yachts. Oakcliff is a nonprofit organization open to all sailors of all ages and levels. Oakcliff is an official US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider Training Center.
About US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
The US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top sailors in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. US Sailing supports these elite athletes with funding, coaching and training. The title sponsor of the team is Sperry Top-Sider; other sponsors include Harken Team McLube. Oakcliff Sailing Center is an official US Sailing Team Training Center.
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.
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