US Team in force at start of European Olympic season

The US Sailing Team Sperry and US Sailing Development Team will be present in force at the 46th Trofeo Princesa Sofía (March 28-April 4, 2015), one of the most enduring and prestigious Olympic-class regattas in the world. The event is held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, a venue with a rich sailing history, and this year approximately 1,000 sailors from over 50 nations are expected to compete. Forty-six Americans have entered in all ten Olympic classes.

The regatta holds special significance for American athletes, as the 2015 edition will form part of the US qualification system for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Test Event in August, where each nation may send only one boat per class. In addition, next year’s (2016) Trofeo Princesa Sofía will be a major component of the selection process for the 2016 US Olympic Sailing Team.

While next year’s Olympic Trials draw ever closer, the focus of the US Sailing Team Sperry remains firmly focused on the present.

“We come to Palma every year to experience a wide variety of conditions, and get a true test against the world’s best,” said Charlie McKee, US Sailing’s High Performance Director, and a two-time Olympic medalist. McKee noted that he has encouraged the team to concentrate on the task at hand. “To do well in any major international event, the most important thing is simply to be ready to race on day one. I’m sure the fact that they will be back in 12 months [for the Olympic Trials] will be in the back of their minds, but it should definitely be in the back and not the front. Our athletes have a lot of details to focus on if the are going to have a chance to contend for the podium at the Olympic Games.”

Racing will begin at the 46th Trofeo Princesa Sofía on Monday, March 30, and conclude with medal races on Saturday, April 4. To follow the US Sailing Team Sperry, use the multimedia channels listed below.

US Athletes Competing at the 2015 Trofeo Princesa Sofía:

Men’s 470 (Men’s Two-Person Dinghy):

Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Jordan Factor (Burlington, Vt.) and Matthew Wefer (Glen Head, N.Y.), US Sailing Team Sperry

Women’s 470 (Women’s Two-Person Dinghy):

Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.) and Carly Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry

49er (Men’s Two-Person High Performance Skiff):
Brad Funk (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.), US Sailing Team Sperry
David Liebenberg (Livermore, Calif.) and Daniel Morris (San Francisco, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Fred Strammer (Nokomis, Fla.) and Michael Kuschner (Gloucester Pt., Va.), US Sailing Development Team
Thomas Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI) and Joseph Morris (Annapolis, Md.)
Andrew Mollerus (Larchmont, N.Y.) and Matthew Mollerus (Larchmont, N.Y.)

49erFX (Women’s Two-Person High Performance Skiff):
Paris Henken (Coronado, Calif.) and Helena Scutt (Kirkland, Wash.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Debbie Capozzi (Blue Point, N.Y.) and Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill., filling in for injured Molly Vandemoer), US Sailing Team Sperry
Emily Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.) and Elizabeth Barry (Riverside, Conn.), US Sailing Development Team

Finn (Men’s One-Person Heavyweight Dinghy):

Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Philip Toth (Los Angeles, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry

Laser (Men’s One-Person Dinghy):

Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Erik Bowers (Excelsior, Minn.), US Sailing Development Team
Frederick Vranizan (Seattle, Wash.)

Laser Radial (Women’s One-Person Dinghy):

Erika Reineke (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Haddon Hughes (Houston, Texas), US Sailing Development Team

Nacra 17 (Mixed Two-Person Multihull):
Michael Easton (Bedford, Mass.) and Katie Pettibone (Port Huron, Mich.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) and Matthew Whitehead (Panama City, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Jeremy Wilmot (Newport, R.I.) and Louisa Chafee (Warwick, R.I.), US Sailing Development Team
John Casey (Miami, Fla.) and Kristen Lane (San Francisco, Calif.)

Men’s RS:X (Men’s Windsurfer):

Carson Crain (Houston, Texas), US Sailing Team Sperry
Ben Barger (Tampa, Fla.), US Sailing Development Team

Women’s RS:X (Women’s Windsurfer):

Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.), US Sailing Team Sperry
Solvig Sayre (Vineyard Haven, Mass.), US Sailing Development Team
Kathleen Tocke (Miami, Fla.)

Additional team details – Event information

Report by team media.