NEISA News


INTERCOLLEGIATE SAILING CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BE SAILED AT THE BELMONT PIER IN LONG BEACH, CA


The top 18 men and 18 women singlehanded college sailors from around the country will descend upon sunny Southern California starting Friday, November 2nd to compete in the 2012 LaserPerformance/ ICSA Singlehanded Nationals off of the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier in Long Beach, CA.

The event is hosted and organized by the United States Sailing Center-Long Beach and the University of Southern California Varsity Sailing Team.

The women, sailing Laser Radials, are competing for the Janet Lutz Trophy. The men, sailing Laser Full Rigs, are competing for the Glen S. Foster Trophy. Each sailor has earned a spot by qualifying at championship regattas in their respective conferences.

Last year’s winner of the men’s championship, Cam Cullman of Yale University, is back to defend his title. He will face stiff competition though, including the 2011-2012 College Sailor of the Year, Southern California native, Chris Barnard sailing for Georgetown University.

In the women’s division, Claire Dennis of Yale looks to improve upon her second place finish last year. She won the championship two years ago in South Florida.

Long Beach should be warm this weekend, with the forecasts predicting temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s. These conditions should be well received by the sailors coming from colder climates.

Racing is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, and 10:15 a.m. Sunday; conditions permitting. All on-land activities will be based at the US Sailing Center-Long Beach, and racing can be watched from the pier.

For scoring updates and information, follow the regatta online at: http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/5465#_home
For Event Photos visit: www.gtsphotos.com.

About LaserPerformance – LaserPerformance is the world’s largest producer of small sailboats and proudly promotes the sailing community. LaserPerformance boats are designed and built to meet the needs of all sailors.

LaserPerformance proudly produces many sailboats including: Laser, Sunfish Pico, Bug, Club FJ, Club 420, Vanguard 15, and Vapor Optimist. For more information, visit: www.laserperformance.com.

The United States Sailing Center – Long Beach offers a wide range of programs that range from youth summer sailing camps, adult “Learn-to-Sail”, outreach for at-risk and disabled as well as programs for high-school, collegiate and Olympic sailors. The not-for-profit US Sailing Center is administered by the Pacific Coast Sailing Foundation, a 501.c.3 organization; tax-deductible donations may be made to the PCSF to support these programs.

For more information, please visit the United States Sailing Center – Long Beach website, www.ussclb.org or call the Sailing Center at 562-433-7939. Address: 5489 East Ocean Blvd. Long Beach 90803

Information on the University of Southern California Varsity Sailing Team can be found at: www.uscsailing.org
The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) is the governing body of college sailing in the United States and parts of Canada. Detailed info on the ICSA can be found at: www.collegesailing.org.

Photo caption: Female collegiate sailors race off of the starting line with speed during the 2010 Laser Performance / ICSA Singlehanded Championship.