Janzen, 2021 USODA Girls Champ

The 2021 USODA Girls National Championship concluded on Sunday, July 25th in Norfolk, VA. Ninety nine entries sailed four races in total, in 10-15 knots of breeze from the southwest. Racing area was in the mouth of the Lafayette River at the convergence with the Elizabeth River, directly off of the ODU Sailing Center.

All starts were U Flag starts, with U Flag disqualifications in Races 3 and 4. PRO Bill Stump, along with the judge team led by Chief Judge Cliff Black, completed all races with no delays and only one General Recall.

The competitors were split into four fleets, orange, yellow, blue and green. For each race, two fleets were called to the starting line. This enabled competitors to sail against all the other sailors, while still keeping the starting line to a manageable number. In total, 99 boats sailed the event.

After four races, Madeline Janzen of Lauderdale Yacht Club and Southern Yacht Club finished first with three points, dropping a 51/UFD in Race 3. Sophie De Leon Urban from Coral Reef Yacht Club finished in second with five points, dropping a third place finish in Race 1. Taylor Mertz from Lauderdale Yacht Club finished in third, also with five points, but losing the tiebreaker to Sophie De Leon Urban.

The US Optimist National Championship begins on Monday, July 26th, with 300 competitors from around the US and 10+ other countries. Competitors will sail four days with five races planned per day. 262 competitors will sail in the Championship division. They will be split into four fleets, orange, green, yellow and blue. Each day, the fleets will shuffle so that competitors can sail against other sailors.

Event details – Results

Source: Big Blue Sailing Academy/ODU Sailing