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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 AlphaGraphics 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 held 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.
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 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 or a series of qualifying events. 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
Athletes have the opportunity to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team in Sailing, in nine of 10 Olympic classes based on their combined performance at two international events: Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta and the ISAF Sailing World Championships, while in the Women’s Match Racing event, athletes will qualify based on their combined performance at two separate qualifying regattas, available to U.S. athletes only. For additional details about the selection procedures for the 2012 Olympic Team - Sailing, please visit http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Games/Olympics/Selection.htm. Follow the progress of U.S. athletes as they campaign for the U.S. Olympic Team - http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Games/Olympics/Track.htm
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 were held September 6-17, 2008 in Beijing, China. The Paralympic Regatta was held in Qingdao, a coastal city located 430 miles east of Beijing. The classes chosen for the 2012 Paralympic Regatta are the 2.4mR, the Sonar, and SKUD-18. The US Paralympic 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/ and http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/.
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 Guadalajara in October, 2011. For full results and event information, the website is: http://www.guadalajara2011.org.mx/eng/index.asp. The classes raced were 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 USOC, 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://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Games/PAG.htm for the US SAILING link about the Pan Am Games.
World Youth Sailing Championship
The 2012 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship will be held July 12-21 in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland. Sailors are selected based on first-place finishes in their respective classes at the 2012 US SAILING ISAF Youth World Qualifier which will take place January 13-16, 2012 at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, Calif. All entrants are required to bring their own boat to compete in the following events: Singlehanded boy’s: Laser Radial; Singlehanded girls: Laser Radial; Doublehanded boy’s: International 420; Doublehanded girl’s: International 420; Open Skiff: 29er; Boy’s windsurfer: Techno 293, all sail sizes (top athlete with 7.8 and/or 6.8 qualify); Girls windsurfer: Techno 293, all sail sizes (top athlete with 7.8 and/or 6.8 qualify).
All competitors must be members of US SAILING, under the age of 19 by December 31, 2012, and be eligible to represent the United States at the ISAF Youth World Championships 2012. Eligible competitors may enter by completing an online entry by following the link posted on the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club website. Entry deadline is by January 6, 2012.
Racing for this event will take place on San Pedro Bay January 14-16, 2012 with registration and measurement checks taking place on January 13, 2012. Nine races are scheduled
For more information, www.ussailing.org or Jerelyn Biehl at jerelyn@odmsail.com. For more information about the 2012 ISAF World Championship in Dublin Bay (Dun Laoghaire), Ireland, please visit the event web site: http://www.isafyouthworlds.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 2011-2012 ISAF Sailing World Cup consists of the following events:
06-12 Nov 2011 - Sail Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
22-28 Jan 2011 - US Sailing's Rolex Miami OCR, Miami, USA
31 March-12 April 2012 - Trofeo SAR Princess Sofia MAPFRE, Palma de Majorca, Spain
20-27 April 2012 - Semaine Olympic Francaise, Hyeres, France
22-27 May 2012 - Delta Lloyd Regatta, Medemblik, Netherlands
04-09 June 2012 - Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta, Weymouth, Great Britain
16-24 June 2012 - Kieler Woche, Kiel, Germany
US Youth Sailing Championship
The US Youth Championship is the pinnacle of competitive racing for youth sailors in the United States. This regatta rotates to different venues around the country. Typically, this event has been held in the last week of June, however, beginning in 2010, the regatta will be held the first week in August. 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 a triple-handed event. For more info: http://championships.ussailing.org/Youth/ChubbJrChampionships.htm
The Bemis Trophy began in 1975. 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://championships.ussailing.org/Youth/ChubbJrChampionships.htm
Added in 1974, the Smythe Championship is a 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. For more info: http://championships.ussailing.org/Youth/ChubbJrChampionships.htm
You can also get more info by contacting Vicki Sodaro (hoodsails@aol.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 at the USODA website: http://www.usoda.org/
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 2010, the Opti Team Trials will be held from April 29 to May 2 in Kemah, Texas at Texas Corinthian Yacht Club.
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 a series of qualifying events, set forth by the Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) and approved by the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and International Olympic Committee (IOC). To read about the specifics of the Selection process for the 2012 Games in London (Weymouth for sailing), click here.
To see the team that represented the US at the 2008 Olympic sailing events in Qingdao, click here.
US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics
The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) has historically recognized the top-ranked American teams in each of the Olympic Classes. Qualifying for the USSTAG 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 2011 US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics 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 Paralympic Sailing Team AlphaGraphics
Created in 1998, the US Paralympic Team annually recognizes the top three teams in the classes chosen for the upcoming Paralympic Games. Qualifying for the USSTAG indicates that the athlete or team may be a serious contender to represent the United States at the next Games. The US Paralympic Sailing Team annually recognizes the top three ranked sailors in the classes chosen for the next Paralympic Games. The classes chosen for the 2012 Paralympic Regatta, to be held in Weymouth, England, are the 2.4mR, the Sonar, and SKUD-18. The 2012 Paralympic Team will be selected after a series of qualifying events, set forth by the Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) and approvided by the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS). To read more about the Selection Procedures, click here.
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 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships, which are held each year. It is comprised of the class winners from the Youth World Selection Trials, held January 15-18, 2010 at the Clearwater Yacht Club in Clearwater, Florida. The Open multihull team will be chosen by resume. Resumes should be sent to: olympics@ussailing.org and are due January 9th, 2010.. To see the team that represented the US at the 2009 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Brazil, 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 Development Team (USSDT)
Formerly known as the US Sailing Team – U18 and US Sailing Team – U23, the USSDT is comprised of talented, up-and-coming sailors, aged 13 years or older as of January 1, 2010, who have shown a strong work ethic, willingness to work within a team, and promising results at international events and high-level domestic events. The OSC selected team members from a pool of sailing resumes and proposed training plans for 2010.
The USSDT was created to help young athletes, who have been identified as future Olympic prospects, acquire the skills necessary to launch successful campaigns and compete at the Olympic level. In addition to receiving elite-level coaching, guidance and mentoring, the members benefit from joint training with US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) members and other top young sailors from across the United States. The OSC supports these athletes with shipping and logistical assistance and advice, as well as access to the OSC’s Performance Enhancement Team of physical therapists, trainers and nutritionists.
The USSDT is chosen from sailors in the following classes: Laser, Laser Radial, Finn, 470, I420, 49er & 29er.
For a list of the athletes currently on the USSDT, their hometowns, yacht club affiliations and schools, please visit the USSDT page on the US SAILING web site: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/2010USSDT.htm
For more details and information about the USSDT, including its mission, benefits and training/competition schedule, please visit: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Selection/USSDT/Team_Concept.htm.
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