2013 Youth Match Racing Opportunities in the U.S.
Compiled by Dave Perry, Chairman, US Sailing Match Racing Committee
Match Racing is one of the fastest growing disciplines in the sport of Sailing. It is fast-paced, very combative tactically, and it demands you to be pushing the boat, your team and yourself to the highest limits of boat handling and boat speed at all times.
Some of the very best U.S. sailors in our sport are former or current match racers, such as Ed Baird, Anna Tunnicliffe, Terry Hutchinson, Sally Barkow, John Kostecki and many many others.
And Match Racing is both an end to itself if one chooses to go that route, or a tool to sharpen one’s fleet and team racing skills and to help a sailor get to the next level in their sailing career.
The US Sailing Match Racing Committee is actively working on ways to get the more advanced 16-22 year old U.S. sailors into match racing, and this letter will let you know some of the opportunities we are working on.
1) The Rose Cup, a National Youth Match Racing Event 2013, which is a qualifier for The Governor’s Cup (an international youth match racing event).
We are running a national youth match racing event this summer, called The Rose Cup, which will be hosted by Sail Sheboygan in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, June 19-23. The event is for sailors aged 16-20 and will be in the 3-person Elliott 6’s, the boat raced in the match racing event in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Ten skippers from around the country will be invited based on requests for invitation; and requests received by April 15 will receive preference. The Request for Invitation form, the Notice of Race, and a four-color brochure with all the details are available on the Sail Sheboygan website (www.sailsheboygan.org) or by phone at 920.889.0758. The winning skipper of the Rose Cup will receive an invitation to the prestigious 2013 Governor’s Cup, a premier international youth match racing event, held at the Balboa Yacht Club in Newport Beach, Calif. on July 16-21.
2) Regional Youth Match Racing Clinegattas (a clinic and regatta in one event)
May 31 - June 2 – Youth Match Racing Clinegatta – West - in J/22’s
San Diego Yacht Club, San Diego, California (www.sdyc.org/juniors)
Aug 8-11 – Youth Match Racing Clinegatta – East - in Sonars (boat used for the ICSA National Match Racing Champs; see below). Oakcliff Sailing, Oyster Bay, NY (www.oakcliffsailing.org) Bill Simon: 516-662-4926
Fall (date tba) – Youth Match Racing Clinegatta - South
(in 2012 we were at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, St. Petersburg, Florida)
For youth match racing opportunities, check in with the Chicago Match Race Center (chicagomatchrace.com) and the Titusville Match Racing Center (Titusville, Florida; contact Larry Landrigan at 407-467-8787 for events in March and April)
3) Intercollegiate (ICSA) Match Racing (http://collegesailing.org/)
The intercollegiate national sloop championship is done in match racing. Sailors in college interested in match racing should alert their coach, or look at the ICSA schedule for match racing events and qualifiers.
Oct 12-13 - Intercollegiate Match Racing event sponsored by the Storm Trysail Club at the Larchmont Yacht Club in Larchmont, NY. For info, check with your coach.
Nov 22-24 - Intercollegiate National Match Racing Championship, St. Petersburg YC, Florida in Sonars
(more)
4) Calendar of Events
The most complete calendar of Match Racing in the U.S. is the US Sailing Calendar, which you can sort by Match Racing. For a more comprehensive calendar of match racing world-wide, use the ISAF Calendar.
US Sailing Calendar: http://racing.ussailing.org/Match_Racing/Match_Racing_Calendar.htm
ISAF Calendar: http://www.sailing.org/regattasearch.php (then under Discipline, select Match Racing)
5) Information and Resources for Match Racing, including Dave Perry’s Match Racing Playbook and free DVD Welcome to Match Racing, which explains how match racing works and what the tactics are
US Sailing Match Racing Resources website: www.ussailing.org > Racing > Match Racing > MR Resources
- Welcome to Match Racing DVD can be viewed for free on line (scroll down on the Resources page)
- Calendar of match racing events in U.S.
- Much information on Match Racing
North U Match Racing website: www.northu.com > All Things Match Racing!
- Dave Perry’s Match Racing Playbook; a comprehensive book on how to match race, and drills to do
- Match Racing – a CD with video shots, by Henry Menin and John Cutler
- Dave Perry’s Welcome to Match Racing DVD – free other than the cost of shipping