Date Set for 2008 Youth World Qualifier Regatta

Inaugural event marks exciting development for U.S. youth sailors

Portsmouth, R.I. (September 12, 2007) — US SAILING's 2008 Youth World Qualifier Regatta, a new multi-class event that will determine the sailors who will represent the U.S. at the 2008 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF (International Sailing Federation) World Championship, will be hosted this January by the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club of Long Beach, California. This new multi-class event sailed in Lasers, Laser Radials, 29ers, RS:X, and SL16s marks an exciting development for U.S. youth sailors. In previous years, separate class events were selected as the qualifying events for the Youth Worlds. For 2008, US SAILING and Alamitos Bay YC will draw the nation's top youth sailors to the West Coast to vie for a spot on the Youth Worlds starting line. Racing at the Qualifier Regatta will be held from January 19-21 in Lasers (boys singlehanded), Laser Radials (girls singlehanded), 29er (girls doublehanded, boys doublehanded), RS-X (girls board, boys board), and the SL16 (open mulithull). Competitors in search of more information can visit the event website (http://abyc.org/event.cfm?id=280) or contact Event Chair Steve Smith at salaor@sbcglobal.net. The 2008 Youth World Qualifier Regatta is open to all competitors who were born in 1990 or later. The 2007 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship drew 226 of the world's best youth sailors from 52 nations, who competed for seven gold medals. The 2008 regatta will be held in Aarhus, Denmark, from July 10-18, 2008. About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing. 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.