INDEPENDENCE CUP ABOUT TO BEGIN; BENSON TO TRY FOR THIRD WIN

August 2, 2002 (Chicago, IL)- On August 3, the best and the brightest of disabled sailing will battle for the US Independence Cup (North American Challenge Cup) at the Chicago Yacht Club (Chicago, IL). The challengers, who join the race through ladder events or by resume, will sail Freedom 20s and the 2.4mR. Rolex Watch, U.S.A. is the event sponsor.

The Freedom 20 is sailed by two people with disabilities; the host provides a randomly selected able-bodied crewmember for each heat and this third person is on board for specific duties only. The winner of this event will receive the Chandler Hovey, Jr. Trophy. The 2.4mR is a single-handed class, which is sailed by one person with a disability. The singlehanded class competitors were chosen by resume, and are vying for the Judd Goldman Trophy.

At this year’s Independence Cup, Peter Benson (Bedford, NH) and Matt Sullivan (Coventry, RI) will defend their title, having won the 2001 event. Benson won in 2000 as well.

On Friday, August 2, sailors will participate in a Rolex Racing Clinic. Racing will take place on August 3-5. Following racing on Monday, August 5, and awards banquet will be held at the Chicago Yacht Club.

Some competitors in the Freedom 20 class qualified for the event by participating in regattas through the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program (Chicago, IL), Royal Vancouver Yacht Club (Vancouver, BC Canada), South Beach Yacht Club (San Francisco, CA), Shake-A-Leg Miami (Miami, FL), Annapolis Yacht Club (Annapolis, MD), and Shake-A-Leg Newport (Newport, RI). Links to these and other adaptive programs are available at <http://ussailing.org/swsn/adaptive.htm>.

Regatta Chairman is Herb Meyer, who can be reached at Maximeye@webperception.com <mailto:Maximeye@webperception.com>. For complete information on the Independence Cup, visit http://www.ussailing.org/independence/.

First established in 1986, the U.S. Independence Cup became US SAILING’s national championship for disabled sailors in 1989 and is organized by the Committee on Sailors with Special Needs. The Chandler Hovey, Jr. Trophy was donated at the 1994 Independence Cup by A.G.A. Correa and Co. to US SAILING. "Buzz" Hovey, for whom it is named, was active in 12 Metre racing in the ‘50 ’s and ‘60’s with the family owned Twelve, Easterner. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1947, he continued, nonetheless, to sail and race actively, especially in his Shields Class boat, until 1981 when he retired from the racing circuit.

The Judd Goldman Trophy for singlehanded racing was named in honor of Judd Goldman, who despite a disabling bone disease suffered at the age of seventeen, competed in many races for the nest 58 years of his life, including over 25 Chicago-Mackinac Races. He founded the One-Design Dragon class in Chicago, and was the inspiration for his family in the creation in 1990 of the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program in Chicago.

For more information about US SAILING’s Sailors with Special Needs Committee, visit http://www.ussailing.org/swsn/

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.

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.