Qualifiers complete at Optimist US Team Race Nationals

Pensacola, FL (July 20, 2015) – The 26 teams at the USODA Team Race National Championship were full on during Day 2 of the event compared to a day earlier which was cut short by nearby lightning. While on Sunday Circle A had completed twelve races and Circle B finished eleven, Monday was brilliant with both circles completing the full 78-race round robin.

The committee decided to cover their bases after losing so many race opportunities on Sunday. With the mandatory round robin completed, they decided to amend the format and go straight to the round robin between the top four teams from each circle for the medals. They didn’t want to face another set of afternoon thunderstorms and fail to finish the sail-off for the championship.

Circle A Preliminary Qualifying Series overall standings have Long Island Sound’s LISOT Black, Newport Rhode Island’s BCRP Red, Lake Ontario’s LOOT 2, and Fishing Bay Virginia’s FBYC moving into the medal round.

Circle B Preliminary Qualifying Series overall standings find the top four as New Jersey’s Colie Elite Racing Team CERT, Lake Ontario’s LOOT 1, and Houston Texas teams Lakewood Red and Lakewood Blue. They join the Circle A top four in an eight boat round robin for the USODA Team Race Championship title.

The next four boats from each circle will sail in the silver fleet sail-off. See Results and Rotations for more details.

During the lightning delay on Sunday we talked with LOOT team members and the mother of two of the sailors, Katinia Blauvelt who told us while team racing is special. “What makes team racing unique,’ she said, “is that it takes teamwork and strategy. Team racing teaches kids to reach their goals.”

LOOT team-member Charlie Savard talked about teamwork and ‘chatter.’ He said, “There are two kinds of chatter. If you are yelling at your own team, you are telling them to tack or gybe because you may have a better angle to see the action. If you are yelling hat the other team, you are yelling about your right, your right of way on the course. We are a team and work together in a group.”

Teams have code words that they use for their communication and may have times when what they say means for their teammate to do just the opposite.

The USODA Team Race National Championship has 26 teams racing on July 19-21. Then comes the 86-boat USODA Girls National Championship on Wednesday (July 22) and the boys and girls racing in the 306-boat USODA National Championship on July 23-26.

Event website: www.usoda2015nationals.com

Report by Talbot Wilson.