2010 Championship of Champions****

[MLovett]

One-Design Class Titlists Compete for US SAILING’s 2010 Championship of Champions****


PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (October 12, 2010) –Thirty-one applications from one-design classes were submitted**** to compete in US SAILING’s 2010 Championship of Champions. Of those 31, 20 of the country’s best one-design sailors and their crew were selected to race for the Jack Brown Trophy this week in Greenwich, Conn. for three days of racing in Ideal 18s. The annual Championship of Champions is recognized as one of the most unique US SAILING Championships of the year. All of the competitors have qualified by winning a National and/or North American Championship in a one-design class. Racing starts this Thursday, October 14, at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club and concludes on Saturday, October 16.

US SAILING’s 2006 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Jud Smith (Marblehead, Mass.) will be the guest competitor at this year’s Championship of Champions. Representing the Etchells class, Smith is no stranger to US SAILING's Championship of Champions. He won the event in 1984 when the championship was sailed in Albacores.

“I can’t think of a better time of year to race on Western Long Island Sound during fall foliage season,” said Smith. “Indian Harbor Yacht Club provides the traditional New England Yacht club setting on a protected harbor and the ability to run races inside the islands or on the open waters. To my pleasure, my 22 year old daughter, Lindsay, a senior at Smith College, agreed to sail with me for the championship. I look forward to the opportunity to race against the best sailors from many of the top one-design classes in the U.S.”****

A number of other notable class champions will be on hand. Mike Ingram (Rochester, N.Y.), will compete in his sixth Championship of Champions, after winning the Thistle National Championship this summer in La Salle, Mich. He won the event in 2005, which was raced in Flying Scots, and has finished second on three occasions. Alan Field (Los Angeles, Calif.) makes his first return to the Championship of Champions since his win in the 2006 event, which was raced in Y Flyers. Field qualified this year with his win at the Melges 24 National Championships in Newport, R.I. last June.

Accomplished team racer and local standout, Danny Pletsch (Greenwich, Conn.) will take his first shot at the Championship of Champions. He won the Interclub National Championships last April in New Bedford, Mass.**** Chris Rabb (Sunset Beach, Calif.) qualified with his win in last year’s Mercury Nationals in Richmond, Calif. He is making his sixth appearance at the Championship of Champions. Rabb has tallied four top three finishes. Lightning World Champion, Matt Fisher (Westerville, Ohio), is a long-time competitor in this event. He finished sixth in 1998, eighth in 1996, and fifth in 1977. Fisher won the Lightning Worlds in September of 2009 in Burlington, Vt. Augie Diaz (Miami, Fla.) qualified following his win at the 505 North American Championship in Chicago last June. Diaz finished fifth at last year’s Championship of Champions and third in 2007. Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.) is the fleet’s only woman skipper. She qualified with her win at the Snipe Women’s National Championship last April in Jacksonville, Fla. Ernest Dieball (Toledo, Ohio) qualified this year with his win at the Highlander National Championship in Jamestown, Pa. in July. His brother, Skip Dieball, won last year’s Championship of Champions.

The Indian Harbor Yacht Club will provide a limited number of spectator boats. Spectators are encouraged to make advanced reservations by contacting the front desk at the club by phone at 203.869.2484.

US SAILING’s Championship of Champions is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Dry Creek Vineyard. Please visit the event web site at http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/CofC.htm for standings, results, daily reports, photo galleries, and more. For up-to-the-minute updates from Greenwich, please visit US SAILING’s Twitter and Facebook sites at http://twitter.com/USSAILING and http://www.facebook.com/USSAILING.


About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership for the sport in the United States.**** Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US SAILING is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.**** 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 US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

About Rolex Watch U.S.A.
Since Rolex Watch U.S.A. first presented timepieces to America's Cup defenders in 1958, the company has consistently recognized and encouraged excellence in every important arena of competitive sailing, including US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics preparation, US SAILING championships, disabled sailing, offshore, one-design and women's events.

About Dry Creek Vineyard
Founded in 1972 by David S. Stare, Dry Creek Vineyard is located in the heart of Dry Creek Valley, just outside of the charming wine country town of Healdsburg. The winery is known for producing some of California’s finest Fumé Blancs and Zinfandels. In addition to these “flagships,” Dry Creek Vineyard is also known for excellent Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. In 1997, the family released a new vineyard designated**** Cabernet Sauvignon from their estate Endeavour vineyard. Then, beginning with the 2004 vintage, the family introduced a new proprietary blend called The Mariner. Each wine has redefined the concept of terroir as the winery continues shape their portfolio for future success. Dry Creek Vineyard owns over 200 acres of vineyard land, primarily in Dry Creek Valley and the Russian River Valley. For more information on Dry Creek Vineyard please visit www.drycreekvineyard.com.

[MLovett]

Chris Raab Wins His First US SAILING Championship of Champions

Chris Raab Wins His First US SAILING Championship of Champions

GREENWICH, Conn. (October 16, 2010) – In his sixth appearance at US SAILING's 2010 Championship of Champions <http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/CofC.htm> , Chris Raab (Sunset Beach, Calif.) won his first Jack Brown Trophy on Saturday. Raab and crew Robert Kinney were the most consistent team all week and won by a 12-point margin. The fleet of 20 one-design champions completed just ten races over three days due to extremely high winds on Friday and Saturday. They managed just two races on Saturday and one on Friday.

Raab and Kinney expanded their lead six point lead from Friday by posting fifth and fourth place finishes on Saturday morning. Raab didn’t finish worse than fifth (twice) in any race. He won one and finished in the top three in five races. Local standout, Danny Pletsch (Greenwich, Conn.) and crew Mark Kroening finished second overall.

Raab explained, “We pounded the middle of the course. In these really shifty winds, we couldn’t pick a side. With the largest crew in the fleet, we put our bow down and let it rip when it got windy.”

A member of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club (Calif.), Raab qualified for the event with his win in last year’s Mercury 18 National Championship in Richmond, Calif. In previous Championship of Champions events he has collected four top three finishes, but never quite got over the top until this week.

“This is truly a thrill for us,” said Raab. “I’ve come close to winning this before and we finally made it happen this year. I remember my first run at the championship back in the late 70s with Randy Smyth.”

The annual Championship of Champions is recognized as one of the most unique US SAILING Championships of the year. All of the competitors qualified by winning a National and/or North American Championship in a one-design class. The Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, Conn. was the host this year. Racing was conducted in Ideal 18s. Similar to Friday, wind speeds ranged from 20 to 30 knots on Long Island Sound.

A number of notable class champions were competing this week. US SAILING’s 2006 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Jud Smith (Marblehead, Mass.), representing the Etchells class, was the guest competitor this year. He won the event in 1984. Mike Ingham (Rochester, N.Y.) competed in his sixth Championship of Champions after winning the Thistle Nationals this summer. He won the event in 2005. Alan Field (Los Angeles, Calif.) made his first return to the Championship of Champions since his win in 2006. Field qualified this year with his win at the Melges 24 National Championships last June.


Final Standings: Top Five

Pos. Class ****************Skipper/Crew ****************************************Results ************************************************To tal Points
1. Mercury 18 Chris Raab/Robert Kinney ************4-3-4-3-[5]-1-3-2-5-4: ********************29
2. Interclub ****Danny Pletsch/Mark Kroening 9-[13]-2-5-6-7-4-1-2-5: ****************41
3. Thistle ************Mike Ingham/Bryan Jerman 5-8-8-4-7-6-[15]-5-3-2: ****************48
4. Lightning ********Marcus Eagan/Cardwell Potts 3-6-1-13-8-3-1-4-12-[21/DNF]: **** 51
5. Etchells ****************Jud Smith/Lindsey Smith ************1-1-10-9-2-9-7-9-6-[14]: **** ************54

[alpyssa12]

In this system, a competitor has to challenge the current champion to win the championship. This form of championship is used in wrestling, boxing, and other combat sports.


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