Butler-Beashel Poised To Claim Fourth Trip To Olympic Games
LAYDAY FOR OLYMPIC CLASSES; PARALYMPIC SAILORS RESUME COMPETITION

PORTSMOUTH, RHODE ISLAND (November 12, 2003) – With a flawless performance thus far in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Mistral Women’s sailor Lanee Butler Beashel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) looks to be in an envious position. Her goal of a fourth trip to the Olympic Games appears to be well within reach after eight races of a planned 16-race series. With a discard figured into the total, Beashel carries an overall score of seven points. Racing, which resumes Thursday after today’s planned layday, could be over early for Beashel if she continues her streak as her closest competitors -- Taylor Duch (Savannah, Ga./Cocoa Beach, Fla.) and Beth Winkler (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) -- are second and third, respectively, with 18 and 19 points. In the Mistral Men’s division, Peter Wells (Newport Beach, Calif.) has finished first in five of his fleet’s eight races to hold a seven point lead over Ben Barger (St. Petersburg, Fla.) who has 17 points for second place. Kevin Jewett (Deephaven, Minn.) is third with 18 points. The balance of the boardsailing series is scheduled to conclude November 16, 2003, at the US Sailing Center – Martin Co. (Jensen Beach, Fla.).

Paralympic – With no cooperation from the wind, the two Paralympic classes -- the three-person Sonar and the singlehanded 2.4 Metre – started their planned 14-race series a day late, frustrating the sailors and officials who were anxious to get these events underway. After four races in the five-boat 2.4 Metre, fleet, Tom Brown (Northeast Harbor, Maine), with five points, holds a three-point lead over John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wisc.). Tom Franklin (Miami, Fla.) is in third with 11 points. In the five-boat Sonar fleet, there is little room to maneuver with racing close among the top three teams. Paul Callahan (Bourne, Mass.), Keith Burhans (Irondequoit, N.Y.) and Roger Cleworth (Brandon, Fla.) hold first place by one point over John Ross-Duggan (Newport Beach, Calif.), J.P. Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Brad Johnson (Gulfport, Fla.). They, in turn, hold a one-point lead over Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (both Marblehead, Mass.). Racing concludes November 14, 2003, at St. Petersburg Yacht Club, (St. Petersburg, Fla.).

470 and Laser – Competitors in the 470 (men and women) and Laser events at Houston Yacht Club (La Porte, Texas) have also been frustrated with a lack of breeze. Sailors in those three fleets head into the layday having sailed only six of the expected eight races after a total washout on day three of the series. Holding the lead in the 32-boat Laser fleet is Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) who posted two bullets in Tuesday’s final races for an overall score of 10 points. In second, 12-points back is Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), followed closely by Brad Funk (Clearwater, Fla.) with 24 points. In the 470 men’s fleet, Paul Foerster (Rockwall, Texas) and Kevin Burnham (Miami, Fla.) finished first in five of their six races for first place overall with five points. Following in second are Mikee Anderson-Mitterling and Graham Biehl (both San Diego, Calif.) with 11 points, and Mark Ivey (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Howard Cromwell (New Orleans, La.) in third with 15 points. In the 470 women’s fleet, Katie McDowell (Barrington, R.I.) and Isabelle Kinsolving (New York, N.Y.) started the series like gangbusters with three bullets. While they remain in the lead position, they are tied on points with Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.) and Sarah Mergenthaler (Colts Neck, N.J.) after the latter pair won the two final races on Tuesday. Also making their presence felt are Erin Maxwell (Stonington, Conn.) and Jen Morgan (Shoreline, Wash.) who won the first race on Tuesday and sit in third overall with 12 points.

For full results and additional background, visit www.ussailing.org/Olympics/OlympicTrials/2004

The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad will be held August 13-29, 2004, in Athens, Greece, followed by the Paralympic Regatta from September 17-28, which will utilize the same competition venue.

Top-Three by Fleet

2.4 Metre (5 boats)
1 Tom Brown (Northeast Harbor, Maine), 1-1-2-1; 5
2 John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wisc.), 2-3-1-2; 8
3 Tom Franklin (Miami, Fla.) 3-2-3-3; 11

Sonar (5 boats)
1 Callahan/Burhans/Cleworth (Bourne, Mass.) 2-2-2-1; 7
2 Ross-Duggan/Creignou/Johnson (Newport Beach, Calif.), 3-1-1-3; 8
3 Doerr/Angle/McKinnon-Tucker (Clifton, N.J.), 1-3-3-2; 9

470 Men (9 boats)
1 Foerster/ Burnham (Rockwall, Texas) 1-1-1-1-(8)-1; 5
2 Anderson-Mitterling/ Biehl (San Diego, Calif.) 2-2-2-2-(6)-; 11
3 Ivey/Cromwell (Huntington Beach, Calif.) 4-(5)-3-5-1-2; 15

470 Women (7 boats)
1 McDowell/Kinsolving (Barrington, R.I.) 1-1-1-(3)-3-2; 8
2 Clark/Mergenthaler (Shelter Island, N.Y.) (3)-2-2-2-1-1; 8
3 Maxwell/Morgan (Stonington, Conn.) 2-(5)-4-1-2-3; 12

Laser (32 boats)
1 Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) 2-(4)-4-2-1-1; 10
2 Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) (16)-5-7-3-5-2; 22
3 Brad Funk (Clearwater, Fla.) (8(-7-1-5-6-5; 24

Mistral Men (10 boards)
1 Peter Wells (Newport Beach, Calif.), 1-1-(5)-1-3-2-1-1; 10
2 Ben Barger (St. Petersburg, Fla.), (4)-4-3-3-1-1-3-2; 17
3 Kevin Jewett (Deephaven, Minn.), 2-2-1-4-4-(7)- 2- 3; 18

Mistral Women (7 boards)
1 Lanee Beashel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.), (1)-1-1-1-1-1-1-1; 7
2 Taylor Duch (Savannah, Ga.), 2-2-(4)-2-4-3-2-3; 18
3 Beth Winkler (Cocoa Beach, Fla.), (3)-3-3-3-3-2-3-2; 19