FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marlieke de Lange Eaton
401-683-0800

STEELE AND NORDHEM WIN
U.S. JUNIOR WOMEN’S DOUBLEHANDED CHAMPIONSHIP

Portsmouth, R.I. (July 6, 2004) – After two day of educational clinics followed by three days of exciting races, Roberta Steele (Shoreacres, TX) and Meredith Nordhem (Chicago, IL) have won the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship. Racing in Club 420’s provided by Vanguard Sailboats at host Tred Avon Yacht Club in Oxford, MD, Steele and Nordhem defeated 33 teams to take home US SAILING’s Ida Lewis Trophy. For a second consecutive year, Meredith Muller (Fort Pierce, FL) received the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Sportsmanship Award.

Steele and Nordhem finished the eight-race Championship with a total of 15 points, ten points ahead of second-place finishers Andrea Savage (Grosse Pointe Shores, MI) and Alison Trost (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI). Finishing in the top three at the end of every day’s racing, Rebecca Dellenbaugh (Easton, CT) and Keisha Pearson (East Patchogue, NY) ended up in third place with a total of 34 points.

For some people, the number 13 maybe a number of bad luck, but not for Meredith Muller. Muller finished 13 in the event but received the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Sportsmanship Award for a second year in a row. The 17-year-old sailor was chosen for the award by fellow competitors at the event for her honest rivalry and her willingness to help others on and off the water.

A new award presented at this year’s event was the Judges’ Trophy, presented to the team that demonstrated the biggest improvement throughout the event. This year’s winning team is Blair Johnson and Lauren Sheffield from Santa Barbara, CA, who showed up at the event having sailed only four times in a Club 420. The two finished 27th place.

For more information, including complete results, daily reports, and photos, of the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship, please visit the event’s website at www.ussailing.org/Idalewis.

Racing at the event was dominated by light winds, which many competitors from across the country were not accustomed to. The two-day clinic led by US SAILING’s Olympic Development Coach Brian Doyle (Hanover, NH) focused on enhancing sailing skills in light wind conditions and also taught competitors more about sailing in the Olympic Games and about the US Sailing Team-members going to Athens, Greece this summer.

The event is part of US SAILING’s National Championship series. For more information about US SAILING’s National Championship series, visit www.ussailing.org/championships or contact US SAILING’s championships manager Liz Walker at 401-683-0800.

The event is sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats. Their support of the event, and youth sailing at many levels, encourages youth in the U.S. to participate in and enjoy the sport, and ensures great competition among the young sailors. As a longtime sponsor of US SAILING Championships, Vanguard Sailboats provides brand new boats for the event, ensuring that the sailors can enjoy the competition in high-quality equipment.

The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization’s mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.