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Olympic Trials
We've been down with Betsy Alison from the beginning, and when she sends us stuff, we like to run it. What she does is an arduous and admirable task. Betsy and team are trying to win an Olympic berth in the Yngling Class, and here's where they are at. Other Olympic team trials are going at it as well. Welcome to the US Olympic Trials for the Yngling Class. Yesterday marked the start of racing for the very small but talented Yngling class which will make its Olympic debut in Athens. Only 6 boats are competing in this year’s Trials, a disappointingly small number, but the talent in the fleet is incredible. The format is an 16 race series over 9 days of competition with a mandatory rest day on Wednesday, February 18. Two days of measurement opened the event on Thursday and Friday, with all boats undergoing the full process witch included weighing of the boats, templating the hull, keel and rudder, sail measurement, spar measurement and equipment checks. Any questions on theses issues were decided by the measurement team of John Koopman, Bill Abbott, and Olympic Sailing Committee representative Dean Brenner. Opening ceremonies took place on Friday evening with the raising of the Olympic flag and the teams were ready to race. The sailing conditions on Saturday were excellent. Winds were almost due south at 10 to 15 knots. Sea state was choppy. Both races were course W2, a double windward/leeward course on Biscayne Bay. The race committee did a great job of getting the starts off on time and the action going. Sally Barkow and her team of recent college graduates took top honors in both races closely followed by Hannah Swett and her crew. Team Challenge US – Betsy Alison, Suzy Leech and Lee Icyda – posted two fouth place finishes, but the finishing positions do not reflect the tightness of the racing or the action on the course. Positions changed back and forth on the course, particularly on the downwind legs. Team Challenge had a very good start in Race 1, but had some upwind speed issues plague them, but excellent downwind speed helped keep them in the game. In Race 2, the girls fixed the speed bump with a mast tuning adjustment, and after a very nice start, were battling for the lead. In a questionably close port/starboard crossing with Barkow on the first windward, Team Challenge chose to do penalty turns for security sake, dropping serious boatlengths of distance in the process. Good positioning and downwind speed enabled them to close back up to the leaders (within meters at the finish), but not enough to finish better than a close fouth. Sunday will see the series continue with another two races. Start time is 11 AM, and the Team is good to go. Betsy, Lee and Suzy are in great shape, mentally fired up to get the job done on the water. Keep those positive thoughts and well wishes coming. More to come later today.
Another day on Biscayne Bay provided sailors and spectators alike with great racing! With southwesterly breezes in the 10 to 16 knot range, the racing was exciting on the triple windward/leeward courses. In the first race of the day, Team Challenge US led from the start, with the Barkow and Swett teams in hot pursuit. Approaching frontal lines created some gusty conditions with fairly regular oscillations. Alison, Icyda and Leech stretched out their lead on the final beat and were solidly able to take the gun. In what appeared to be a “photo finish,” Barkow nipped Swett for the second. In the second race of the day, the RC had to postpone with less than a minute to go when the breeze abruptly shifted 15 degrees to the right. They quickly reset the course and got the Yngling fleet off. Barkow and Osmeara were OCS and returned to the starting line. Most of the fleet immediately went to the right anticipating more shift. Team Challenge worked a little left, with Carol Cronin and her crew stretching more left. Barkow, after restarting, went even farther left. As the beat developed, a left shift came back to almost the original wind direction, allowing Cronin to lead at the top with a decent margin. Team Challenge US and Barkow rounded behind. On the run, positions changed and Barkow led the pack, splitting gates with Cronin. As the second lap progressed, Barkow, Swett and Alison were all basically neck and neck. As a frontal clearing patch approached, Alison and her team leveraged slightly to the right anticipating a shift with the clearing, but it stayed just off the course they lost valuable ground to both Swett and Barkow. Team Challenge US ground down the leaders on the next few legs, but in the end, Barkow took the gun followed by Swett with the Team just one boat length behind. All in all, it was a good day for Team Challenge US. The girls did a lot of very good things on the water: excellent starts, fast downwind legs and good strategic thinking. They are capitalizing on their strengths, having a great time on the race course and thinking positive thoughts about the next 12 races. The regatta has only just begun! Thanks for your continued support. We’ll continue to keep you updated. More tomorrow. After 4 races: Barkow – 5 points Swett – 9 points Team Challenge US – 12 points Cronin – 13 points Swanson – 19 points Osmeara – 24 points
Racing Tightens Up As The Regatta Moves Along Biscayne Bay presented the six Yngling teams with extremely challenging conditions today on the third day of the Olympic Trials. The Trials is the single event, 16 race series that will determine who will represent the United States in Athens in August. Team Challenge US stepped up to the plate and slid into second place in the series with their finishes of 4-2, while Jody Swanson had the best day with 2-1. Carol Cronin ( 1-3 today) and Hannah Swett are tied at 24 points with Alison, Icyda and Leech, but are sitting in 3rd and 4th respectively based on individual race finishes. Sally Barkow and her team still lead the event by 6 points, but the fleet is nipping at their heels. The races were sailed in light conditions, with the current changing direction as the day wore on. Alison and team led at the top mark in both races, but a close tack with Swanson in the first saw the team take penalty turns for insurance measures (since risking a protest could be costly at this stage), and in the second race, the fickle breeze filled in from behind allowing the trailing pack to attack. Such is sail boat racing. The girls are moving forward each day, enjoying the close racing and taking advantage of opportunities on the race course as they present themselves. The key to success in this event is to maintain focus and control as the week wears on. It is a long series with a lot of close racing; many things can and will happen – some predictable and others unforeseen. It is how you view them, and deal with them that can mean the difference between winning and losing. The series is not even halfway over yet, with 10 races to go. Tomorrow should bring lighter winds as the high moves over south Florida. Anything and everything will happen. Stay tuned!
For all the latest information on Team Challenge US [Betsy Alison, Lee Icyda and Suzy Leech] |
