USA Names Youth Sailing Worlds Team

Portsmouth, RI (October 20, 2016) – US Sailing has named 13 athletes to its 2016 Youth Sailing World Championship Team. As the premier youth event in international sailing, the Youth Worlds is expected to include competitors from over 70 nations. The event is set to be held in Auckland, New Zealand from December 14-20.

“A talented and competitive American team has been selected for the 2016 Youth Worlds,” said Leandro Spina, US Sailing’s Youth Development Director. “It takes hard work to develop the skills needed to reach this level, and US Sailing’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) will assist with preparations as we get closer to the event. We are excited to name our team, and to help them deliver a peak performance in Auckland.”

US Sailing’s 2016 Youth World Championship Team:
• Laser Radial (girl’s one person dinghy): Sophia Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
• Laser Radial (boy’s one person dinghy): Carrson Pearce (Manahawkin, N.J.)
• International 420 (girl’s two person dinghy): Kathryn Hall (Haverford, Penn.) and Ashton Borcherding (Greenwich, Conn.)
• International 420 (boy’s two person dinghy): Wiley Rogers (Houston, Texas) and Jack Parkin (Riverside, Conn.)
• 29er (girl’s high performance dinghy): Louisa Nordstrom (Osprey, Fla.) and Catherine Mollerus (Larchmont, N.Y.)
• 29er (boy’s high performance dinghy): Ryan Ratliffe (San Diego, Calif.) and Sam Merson (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.)
• RS:X (girl’s windsurfer): No Selection*
• RS:X (boy’s windsurfer): Geronimo Nores (Miami Beach, Fla.)
• Nacra 15 (open multihull): Romaine Scree (Kentfield, Calif.) and Ian Brill (San Diego, Calif.)

* No female US RS:X sailor qualified for the 2016 Youth Worlds Team

Several 2016 Youth Worlds Team sailors have worked with the ODP prior to their selection, and their campaign for Auckland represents a natural extension of their previous training.

“US Sailing fully supports the Youth Worlds as an event, and we encourage all dedicated young sailors to try to qualify for, and medal at, this regatta,” said Spina. “The ODP staff have been in contact will all of our sailors, and we plan to have a dedicated Youth Worlds training camp in Miami in a few weeks. ODP staff will work closely with each athlete, as well as several of their individual coaches, to works towards our goals. This camp, and the Youth Worlds itself, will help us finish a strong second year of operation for the ODP.”

Spina will serve as Head Coach of the team in Auckland, and will be joined by Rio 2016 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team coach Willie McBride (Santa Barbara, Calif.). Two-time US Sailing National Development Coach of the Year Steve Keen (Stamford, Conn.) rounds out the team’s world-class coaching staff.

2016 Youth Worlds: http://www.isafyouthworlds.com/home.php

About US Sailing’s Olympic Development Program:
US Sailing’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) was launched in January 2015 to lead the progression of the most promising youth sailing talent in the US. Guided by the US Olympic Sailing Committee’s Project Pipeline strategic initiative, the ODP fosters an integrated approach to training in the core development and Olympic classes, and is part of a system to provide the United States with a steady stream of well-prepared sailors. Some of these athletes will go on to represent Team USA at The Olympic Games, and provide the national team with consistent success. The fundamental premise of the ODP is to focus on the critical transition from youth sailing to high performance racing in Olympic classes. The ODP is funded through generous donations by individuals and organizations. The lead gift as well as a matching grant has been provided by the AmericaOne Foundation, and the US Olympic Sailing Program is actively seeking supporters to meet this generous match. For more information on the ODP and the America One Match campaign, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics

Source: Will Ricketson, US Olympic Communications Manager