Public tryouts planned for Stars & Stripes Team USA

Long Beach, CA (December 20, 2018) – Stars & Stripes Team USA, the first all-American, America’s Cup challenger in 15 years, will begin a public recruitment process in early-2019 for both sailing and shore team openings.

“Since our announcement just a week ago, the level of public support for our Challenge has blown us away,” said team co-founder Mike Buckley.

“Based on the sheer number of inquiries to date, we want to make sure prospective team members know that there will be an open tryout and recruitment process early next year to be a part of Stars & Stripes Team USA.”

The team will look to bolster their ranks with Americans who have experience in many areas including: sailors, performance analysts, trainers, nutritionists, safety experts, engineers, software developers, client services, and hospitality amongst others.

The team plans to roll out the recruitment process after the first of the year.

In addition to a growing list of athletes the team has already signed, Stars & Stripes Team USA will be hosting several tryout sessions in February and March for athletes selected to participate based upon review of their applications.

A separate, invitation-only foiling camp is scheduled to take place in January for pre-selected athletes the team has already been in contact with.

“Ultimately, we want this team to represent an inclusive effort to bring America’s best talent to Auckland in 2021,” said Buckley. “We have been incredibly moved by the outpouring of public support for this team and look forward to building the next generation of American sailing.”

Interested applicants are advised to sign-up for the team newsletter to be notified further of the application process: click here.

About Long Beach Yacht Club:
Established in 1929, Long Beach Yacht Club is located in Long Beach, CA on the Southeast Corner of Naples Island on Alamitos Bay. Along with its world-renowned annual regatta, the Congressional Cup, the Club offers educational resources and programs, social and public outreach programs, as well as youth programs and aquatic sports, year-round social events for members. A full calendar of social experiences for every season will create memorable family traditions.

Source: Matt Knighton, Stars & Stripes Team USA

In addition to Challenges from Italy, USA, and Great Britain that were accepted during the initial entry period (January 1 to June 30), eight additional Notices of Challenge were received by the late entry deadline on November 30. Of those eight submittals, entries from Malta and USA have thus far been accepted. Here’s the current list:

Defender:
• Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL)

Challengers:
• Luna Rossa (ITA) – Challenger of Record
• American Magic (USA)
• INEOS Team UK (GBR)
• Malta Altus Challenge (MLT)
• Stars & Stripes Team USA (USA)

Key America’s Cup dates:
✔ September 28, 2017: 36th America’s Cup Protocol released
✔ November 30, 2017: AC75 Class concepts released to key stakeholders
✔ January 1, 2018: Entries for Challengers open
✔ March 31, 2018: AC75 Class Rule published
✔ June 30, 2018: Entries for Challengers close
✔ August 31, 2018: Location of the America’s Cup Match and The PRADA Cup confirmed
✔ August 31, 2018: Specific race course area confirmed
✔ November 30, 2018: Late entries deadline
March 31, 2019: Boat 1 can be launched
2nd half of 2019: 2 x America’s Cup World Series Preliminary Events
February 1, 2020: Boat 2 can be launched
During 2020: 3 x America’s Cup World Series Preliminary Events
December 10-20, 2020: America’s Cup Christmas Race
January and February 2021: The PRADA Cup Challenger Selection Series
March 2021: The America’s Cup Match

Details: www.americascup.com