Over 50 members of US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) are in
Weymouth, U.K. this week competing in Sail for Gold, the first of two
Selection Events for the U.S. Olympic Team - Sailing.
The regatta marks an important milestone for USSTAG athletes in the lead up to the 2012 Olympic Games. In addition to the venue being the same as the one used for the 2012 Games, the top performing American sailors in nine of 10 Olympic classes will qualify for the 2011 Weymouth and Portland International Regatta, which serves as a pre-Olympic test event.
Organizers expect over 1,000 athletes from 62 nations to compete at Sail for Gold. As the final stop on the ISAF (International Sailing Federation) World Cup circuit, ISAF will award medals for the overall season standings.
“This is the event that our athletes have been working toward all year,” said USSTAG’s High Performance Director/Head Coach Kenneth Andreasen (Tampa, Fla.). “We have put countless hours in at the gym and on the water to prepare. Our sailors have spent many days here in Weymouth training in preparation for this regatta.”
“As the first of two Selection Events, Sail for Gold is where U.S. athletes begin to stake their claim on an Olympic berth,” said Olympic Sailing Committee Chairman Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.). “The best combined performance at this and at the second Selection Event, ISAF Sailing World Championship, in December, 2011, will determine our Olympic Team in all classes except Women’s Match Racing. We’re confident that this process will select our best prospect for medals in 2012.”
Racing starts Monday, June 6 in all classes and concludes with the medal race on Saturday, June 11. Sailors accrue points at each of the seven ISAF Sailing World Cup events to earn an overall Series Score. A first place win translates into 20 points, a second place earns 19 points and so on. (Twentieth place earns one point.) The skipper/crew with the highest Series Score at the end of the season wins the ISAF Sailing World Cup Trophy. Exclusive photos, video interviews and reports from the racecourse will be
posted on USSTAG’s Facebook and Twitter channels. For a full list of USSTAG athletes competing at the 2011 Skandia Sail for Gold regatta
