YOUTH: Dave Perry on the pulpit

Dave Perry is a motivational guy, and while wearing his hat as the Chairman of the US Sailing Match Racing Committee, he is fired up about spreading the gospel of match racing to junior sailors. Sit back, relax, and enjoy his sermon…

I am excited for another year of match racing in the U.S., and to doing all I can to get you involved, and advancing, in match racing.

I have attached an information paper which details many of the opportunities for youth match racing in the U.S. this year. In addition to the events listed, many of you have easily enough experience and expertise to apply to many of the grade 3 and 2 events being held this year.

These events incluce those at the Chicago Match Race Center, Oakcliff Sailing in Oyster Bay, and the Great Lakes Championship in Rochester in June 12-16 (two day advanced clinic coached by me, followed by the three day championship, in Sonars, the boats being used in the 2013 ICSA Sloop National Championship). Go to the US Sailing Calendar, select “Match Racing”, find some events that you could do, and request an invitation! Do it now before the events fill up.

I particularly want to encourage all of you who are interested in match racing and who do not turn 21 in 2013 to apply to the Rose Cup, a U.S. national youth match racing event that will soon become the U.S. Youth Match Racing National Championship. This year it is in Sheboygan, Wisconsin in their Elliott 6m’s, which are the boats the women raced in the Olympics last summer.

They are really cool boats to sail and match race, and Sheboygan is one of the premier match racing locations and facilities in the U.S. The event is June 19-23, with the first two days being a coached clinic by some of the best match racers in the game, followed by three days of racing.

The winner of the Rose Cup gets an invite to the Governor’s Cup, which is a prestigious international match racing event in southern California, July 16-21. Last year’s top two skippers also got invitations to the HARKEN New Zealand Youth Match Racing Championship, which they sailed in this February. In addition, Chris Love Productions will be filming the event and showing it each evening through the event website. And thanks to the support of many sponsors, the entry fee has been kept very low; only $250 a team for the week (includes housing, meals, clinic and regatta).

Attached is the Request for Invitation to the Rose Cup. The NOR and an information brochure can be found at the event website: www.sailsheboygan.org

Requests received by April 15, 2013, will get preference, so please send it in soon for your best chance of being invited. You can send in the request for invitation after April 15, but it will be dealt with on a first come-first served basis if there are any openings remaining.

Also, if you are not age-eligible, but would like to skipper in the Governor’s Cup, notice you can be a little older; you just can’t turn 21 before July 16, 2013. Go to the Balboa Yacht Club website and learn how to request an invitation.

Finally, feel free to email me directly if you have any questions about getting involved in match racing…it should be a cool year, with all the chances for you to participate, plus the America’s Cup and Red Bull Youth America’s Cup racing happening this summer on San Francisco Bay.

Make sure your Coach knows of your interest in match racing as he or she will also know of other events you can participate in.

Get involved, and Good Luck!

Request for Invitation

2013 Youth Match Racing Opportunities