Applications for 2008 Elite Youth Development Sailing Team Now Being Accepted
Top youth sailors under 21 may be eligible

Posted Thursday, October 25, 2007

 
 E-mail this page
 Printer-friendly page

Portsmouth, R.I. (September 26, 2007) – Applications for the 2008 US Elite Youth Development Sailing Team are now being accepted. Launched by US SAILING in January 2007, the Elite Youth Development Team was created for young athletes who have been identified as future Olympic prospects.

Made up of the country’s top youth sailors in the Laser and Laser Radial classes, the team provides its members with national coaching, educational, administrative, and financial-support structure. To help these young athletes gain more sailing experience at the highest levels, team members travel to major international regattas worldwide and are supported by elite-level coaches.

US SAILING is currently accepting applications from sailors under the age of 21 for the 2008 team. Team members will be selected by sailing resume, and all applicants must be current members of US SAILING.

Sailors interested in being considered should e-mail a cover letter and their sailing resume to US SAILING’s High Performance Director Gary Bodie at Olympics@ussailing.org. The deadline for applications is Friday, November 2. Team members will be announced by November 21.

The team's initial focus is on the singlehanded classes. Over time, the intention is to broaden the program to also include other Olympic classes.

The US Elite Youth Development Sailing Team is managed by US SAILING, national governing body of the sport. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. 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 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.