US SAILING’s 2002 U.S. Junior Doublehanded and Singlehanded National Champions
Decided 14 August 2002

(Hampton, VA/Portsmouth, RI) - In the third day of racing, Mike Wilde (Rochester, NY) settled a close battle for US SAILING’s U.S. Junior Singlehanded Championship, sailed in Lasers, by winning the coveted Smythe Trophy. In the U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship, sailed in Club 420s, the lead was never taken away from Bemis Trophy winner's Erik Storck and Zach Goldman (Huntington, NY). The two Championships, held at the Hampton Yacht Club (Hampton, VA), brought together young sailors representing the best in each of the 20 national areas, and were sponsored by Vanguard. For complete results, reports, and pictures, visit <http://www.hamptonyc.com/bemis_smythe/results.htm>.

Patience was the key for the opening round of US SAILING’s National Junior Championship regatta for the Smythe and Bemis Trophies. With one race in the books, the race committee was forced to abandon the second race half way through because the light wind faded to no wind. After a couple of hours delay, the predictable sea breeze appeared and the racers completed three more races before retiring for the day. "We sailed four and one half races," race committee member Nick Worth joked referring to the abandoned race. On the Laser course, after one day of racing, Mike Wilde and Matthew Barry were tied for first place. In the two-man team fleet, skipper Erik Storck and crew Zach Goldman were firmly in first place, having won the first two races of the day. Tied for second were the team from Plymouth, MA, Ben Sampson and Mike Komar, and the team from San Diego, Adam Roberts and Anna Brun. "Well, no one can say we didn't try [to get in more races today]," said race committee member (finish line) Dick Boykin after the second day of racing. Just as lunch began, following two morning races, the wind died and Principal Race Officer Joe Hallissy decided the racers and the race staff should wait out the slack time in the shade of the Hampton Yacht Club lawn. Around 3:30 p.m., a light breeze appeared, but never became established. Race #7 was abandoned shortly after it began. The major event of the afternoon became the "towboat race," each trying to be first to deliver its attached line of Lasers and 420s to the dock. At the top of each fleet competition remained tight. Matthew Barry of Riverside, CT, opened up a one-point lead over Mike Wilde of Rochester, NY. The two were tied going into the second day’s races. In the 420 fleet, Erik Storch and Zach Goldman of Huntington, NY, continued to dominate the competition, taking another first place and a fifth. The team of Adam Roberts and Anna Brun moved ahead of Ben Sampson and Mike Komar, with whom they had been tied for second place in the standings. During the three-day event, sailed in Virginia's Hampton Roads harbor, scene of the historic battle fought between Civil War ironclads, The Monitor and The Merrimac, Wilde fought off his chief competitor for the title, Matthew Barry of Riverside, CT. Wilde finished just 2 points ahead of Barry after 7 races with one throw out allowed. Four points behind Wilde, in third place was Kyle Kovacs of Pennington, NJ. A nine-point gap in the scoring kept the distance between the top three finishers and the best of the remaining 17 competitors. In the six races figured in their scores, the Storck-Goldman team had three firsts and three thirds. Adam Roberts and Anna Brun of San Diego finished second, five points behind the leaders. For more information about the Singlehanded Championship, visit <http://www.ussailing.org/youth/racing/jc/smythe/>. For information about the Doublehanded Championship, visit <http://www.ussailing.org/youth/racing/jc/bemis/>.

Regatta Chairpeople for both events were Glenn and Carol Giles, who can be reached at gilesgeg@yahoo.com <mailto:gilesgeg@yahoo.com>. F. Gregg Bemis was best known for his work on the racing rules which included a long tenure as chairman of the Appeals Committee, but it was his leadership role in judging at junior and intercollegiate regattas that inspired a group of co-judges to donate in 1975 a trophy for doublehanded junior sailing. Similar to the Sears it is a ladder competition starting at the yacht club level. In 1999 it was expanded to include two teams per Area (groupings of Yacht Racing or District Associations). The only two-time winner is John Shadden of the Long Beach Yacht Club, CA. Singlehanded sailing in the U.S, spurred by a growing interest in the Olympics, led to the addition in 1975 of a national single-handed championship and the donation of a trophy in honor of a long-time chairman of the Sears Cup Committee, D. Verner Smythe. An active member of the Pequot Yacht Club at Southport, CT, he also served as Chairman for the Coordinating Committee of the NAYRU championships. As a member, also, of the National Sea Scouts board, he was instrumental in persuading officials of NAYRU to assist with their championship. Similar to the Bemis Trophy, the field was expanded to include two teams per Area. For more information about US SAILING’s Championship series, visit www.ussailing.org/championships or contact Linda Christofersen at Christofersen@ussailing.org or at 401-683-0800.

Vanguard Sailboats (www.teamvanguard.com <http://www.teamvanguard.com>) is the leading world manufacturer, and largest US supplier, of recreational and high performance small sailboats. Vanguard products include the Sunfish and Laser, two of the most recognized brands in the sailing world. Vanguard was started in 1967 and is located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for the sport of sailing. The mission of this volunteer organization is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the United States. More information about US SAILING, which is headquartered in Portsmouth, RI, is available at www.ussailing.org.