2014 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider Announced

Portsmouth, RI (February 27, 2014) – US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport, has named forty-two Olympic and Paralympic class athletes to the 2014 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. The national team is selected annually and is comprised of the top sailors competing in the events selected for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Olympic class athletes qualified for the team at their 2013 class world championships and at 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami (Jan. 26-Feb. 1). Paralympic class athletes qualified during 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami. US Sailing provides the members of the 2014 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing and communications support.

“As we build towards The Games in 2016, we are pleased to announce the members of the 2014 team, and are focused on supporting our athletes to the highest degree possible,” said Josh Adams, Managing Director of US Olympic Sailing. “This is a critical year of the Olympic Quadrennium, culminating in the Rio Olympic Test Event and the ISAF Combined World Championships in Santander, Spain.”

The members of the 2014 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider (listed by class):
Athlete (Hometown)

2.4mR
Danny Evans (Miami, Fla.)
Charles Rosenfield (Woodstock, Ct.)

470 Men:
Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.)
Jordan Factor (Burlington, Vt.) and Matthew Wefer (Glen Head, N.Y.)

470 Women:
Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.)
Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.) and Carly Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.)

49er:
Brad Funk (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.)
Fred Strammer (Nokomis, Fla.) and Zach Brown (San Francisco/San Diego, Calif.)

49erFX:
Kristen Lane (San Francisco, Calif.) and Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill.)
Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.) and Kathleen Tocke (Buffalo, N.Y./Newport R.I.)
Molly Vandemoer (Stanford, Calif.)

Finn:
Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.)
John F. Dane (Pass Christian, Miss.)

Laser:
Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.)
Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.)

Laser Radial:
Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.)
Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Nacra 17:
Robbie Daniel (Clearwater, Fla.) and Catherine Shanahan (St. Petersburg, Fla.)
Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) and John Casey (Longwood, Fla.)

RS:X Men:
Carson Crain (Houston, Texas)
Jonathan Rudich (Clearwater, Fla.)

RS:X Women:
Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.)
Marion Lepert (Belmont, Calif.)

SKUD-18:
Ryan Porteous (Pacific Beach, Calif.) and Cindy Walker (Plymouth, Mass.)
Sarah Everhart Skeels (Tiverton, R.I.) and Gerry Tiernan (Falmouth, Maine)

Sonar:
Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle (Reading, Mass.), Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine.)
Andrew Fisher (Greenwich, Conn.) and Bradley Johnson (Pompano Beach, Fla.)

Meet the Team:
Watch as members of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider give us an insight into their lives as they prepare for 2014 during Episode One of a new documentary series, Rising Tide.

RISING TIDE
US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider: The Pursuit
Episode 1, The Year of Santander.

Two-time men’s 470 Olympian Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) enjoyed a strong first full year with David Hughes (Miami, Fla.) to kick off their 2016 campaign. A 6th place finish at the tough 470 Class World Championships in La Rochelle, France, set the tone for this new but experienced team, and they have their sights set higher for 2014. McNay and Hughes have continued to look fast, winning bronze at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami. Returning to join them on the team are college sailing standouts Jordan Factor (Burlington, Vt.) and Matthew Wefer (Glen Head, N.Y.).

Laser Radial athlete and ISAF Rolex World Sailor and Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year (’06) Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) won bronze at the 2013 Worlds in Rizhao, China, and achieved the impressive feat of medaling at each of her events during the past year. Railey also started out 2014 strong by winning ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami for the second year running. Laser Radial Youth World Champion Erika Reineke is back on the team, after winning yet another ICSA (Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association) Singlehanded national championship as a sophomore for Boston College.

2012 Olympian Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.) enjoyed a career-best season of international results in 2013 and returns to the team in the RS:X, bringing years of high-level experience to the table. Marion Lepert (Belmont, Calif.) finished an impressive 4th at the ISAF Youth Worlds in 2013, and looks to continue her rapid ascent to the highest levels of windsurfing. On the men’s side, Carson Crain (Houston, Texas) is back for a second year, after graduating from the US Sailing Development Team (USSDT) in 2013. He’s joined by newcomer Jonathan Rudich (Clearwater, Fla.).

Two-time College Sailor of the Year Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) leads US athletes in the Laser class along with junior sailing, high school and college teammate (and fellow College Sailor of the Year) Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.). The men’s singlehanded heavyweight class, the Finn, will be manned this year by Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) and John F. Dane (Pass Christian, Miss.), who is joining the team for the first time. Dane follows in the footsteps of his father and namesake, who was a 2008 Olympian in the Star class.

With the help of team partners Oakcliff Sailing, the US has built up one of the largest domestic fleets of 49er skiffs, 49erFX skiffs and Nacra 17 multihulls in the world. Representing the 49er in 2014 will be Fred Strammer (Nakomis, Fla.) and Zach Brown (San Francisco/San Diego, Calif.) who were the top American boat at the 2013 Worlds. Joining them is former Laser ace Brad Funk (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.) who began 2014 by winning silver at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami. On the women’s side in the 49erFX, Kristen Lane (San Francisco, Calif.) has moved up from the USSDT, joined by Open and Women’s US Match Racing National Champion Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill.). Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.), another Match Racing National Champion, who campaigned in the Elliot 6m class for 2012, has taken the plunge into the skiff world and will sail with Kathleen Tocke (Buffalo, N.Y./Newport, R.I). In the Nacra 17, an all-Florida group is led by North American Champions Sarah Newberry (Miami Fla.) and John Casey (Longwood, Fla.), together with multihull veteran Robbie Daniel (Clearwater, Fla.) and crew Catherine Shanahan (St. Petersburg, Fla.).

2013 was a breakout year for the women’s 470 team of 2011 ICSA Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.). The pair made the podium at ISAF World Cup Events in Miami (USA) and Palma (Spain), and the 2013 Delta Lloyd Regatta (The Netherlands). Firmly established as contenders in this fleet, they will look for further improvement in 2014. Joining them will be 2012 ICSA Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif.) and crew Carly Shevitz (Santa Barbara, Calif.), a senior at the College of Charleston.

In the 2.4mR Paralympic class, former Marine Danny Evans (Miami, Fla.) returns with 2013 teammate Charlie Rosenfield (Woodstock, Ct.). In the triple-handed Sonar, 16-year US Sailing Team veteran Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.) leads a team of Tim Angle (Reading, Mass.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine), who took bronze at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami 2014. Sperry Top-Sider St. Petersburg NOOD winners Andy Fisher (Greenwich, Conn.) and Bradley Johnson (Pompano Beach, Fla.) join them on the Sonar squad. In the SKUD-18 double-handed Paralympic class, the new team of Ryan Porteous (Pacific Beach, Fla.) and Cindy Walker (Plymouth, Mass.) burst onto the scene in 2013 by making the podium at the C. Thomas Clagett Memorial Regatta in Newport, ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami 2014, and taking an impressive 4th place at the IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championships in Ireland. They are joined by veteran Sarah Everhart Skeels (Tiverton, R.I.) and Gerry Tiernan (Falmouth, Maine)

To learn more about the 2014 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider athletes and staff, click here to visit the team’s homepage.

For more information on selection:

Olympic classes Selection: http://bit.ly/1hgCF5Z
Paralympic classes Selection: http://bit.ly/1cQmQkW

About the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider 


The US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. US Sailing helps these elite athletes with with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing and communications support. The title sponsor of the team is Sperry Top-Sider; other sponsors include Harken and Team McLube. Yale Cordage is a team supplier. The US Sailing Center Miami is an Olympic training site. Oakcliff Sailing and Clearwater Community Sailing Center are US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider training centers. Chubb Personal Insurance sponsors US Sailing’s National Team Tour, a nationwide presentation program for US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider athletes.

The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org

Source: Will Ricketson, Olympic Communications Manager, US Sailing