Team Trouble Takes US Team Racing Champs

Sheboygan, WI (August 21, 2016) – Team Trouble, comprised of Charles Higgins (Norfold, Va.), Marissa Golison (Annapolis, Md.), Johnny Norfleet (New York, NY), Isabel Strachan (Annapolis, Md.), Matt Allen (Hamilton, Mass.) and Gabriel Smith (Annapolis, Md.), saved their best for Sunday’s knockout rounds and rallied to win the historic George R. Hinman Trophy at the 2016 U.S. Team Racing Championship, hosted by Sail Sheboygan.

The win qualified Team Trouble to represent the United States at the 2017 Team Racing World Championship. They will look to follow in the footsteps of several U.S. teams who have gone on to win at Worlds in years past.

Team Trouble struggled through Friday’s Qualifying Series round robin stage with just four points in 10 races and ranked seventh at the conclusion of the round. They bounced back to win all four races in the Silver Round Robin to advance to the Knockout Series Quarterfinals. Team Trouble defeated Jet Lag, 2-1, in Quarterfinal and they defeated BOSS, 2-1, in the Semifinal. Team Trouble beat Mostly Grad Bods, 1-0, in the single race Final to win the championship.

This premier team racing event in the United States is an invitational event. First held in 1981, the U.S. Team Racing Championship remains one of the hottest events in the country for collegiate and post-collegiate sailors. Interested teams applied by resume. The championship is raced in three-boat/six-person teams (three skippers and three crews).

Racing took place on Sheboygan Harbor. Teams raced the Zim 15, a doublehanded, monohull dinghy designed by Steve Clark. The Zim 15 is very maneuverable which will make for some terrific team racing.

Team racing is one of the most popular disciplines in sailing. Over 100 races are sailed in just a few days. Races, or flights, are shorter than traditional race courses. Three flights are racing simultaneously with teams swapping out after each race with each team wearing a unique identifying pinny or bib.

Check out the complete roster of sailors and their teams racing this week … click here.

Event Website

About US Sailing
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. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.