Women's Match Racing U.S. Olympic Qualifying Regatta

[mpowlison]

Racing at U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta – Sailing Begins May 4
Final Event Will Determine Women’s Match Racing Team for 2012 Olympic Games

Portsmouth, R.I. (April 30, 2012) – On May 4, the USA’s top Olympic hopefuls in Women’s Match Racing will begin competition in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta, in Weymouth, England. Organized by US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport and the Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC), the event is scheduled for May 4-9 at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, site of the 2012 Olympic Sailing Regatta. The event will determine the three women’s match racing representatives for the 2012 Olympic Team. Daily racing recaps, results and photos will be on the event site: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Ev.../WMRTrials.htm

The four teams competing advanced to this event – the second, and final, selection event for the 2012 Olympic Team – by finishing in the top four at the U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta, part 1, October 26-30 at Key Biscayne Yacht Club, in Miami, Fla.

Competing teams in order of ISAF ranking (April 18) with skipper (skipper hometown), crew, crew:
#1 Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, FL) with Molly Vandemoer (Stanford, Calif.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.)
#6 Sally Barkow (Nashotah, WI), with Elizabeth Kratzig Burnham (Miami, Fla.) and Alana O’Reilly (Charleston, S.C.)
#10 Genny Tulloch (Sausalito, CA) with Alice Manard Leonard (East Haven, Conn.) and Jenn Chamberlin (Washington, D.C.)
#28 Stephanie Roble (East Troy, WI) with Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill.) and Darby Smith (Chicago, Ill.)

The teams headed by Tunnicliffe, Barkow and Tulloch are members of US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider.

The event format will consist of two stages. Stage 1 – Semifinal Knockout Series, in which the winner of each semifinal series will be the first boat to score six points. As the top-ranked skipper, Anna Tunnicliffe selected Stephanie Roble as her opponent in this stage. Sally Barkow and Genny Tulloch will compete in the other Semifinal Series match.

The winner of each of the two Semifinal Knockout Series matches will advance to Stage 2 – the Final Knockout Series, which is also a “first to win six matches” round. The winner will represent USA at the 2012 Olympic Games. The Olympic Sailing Regatta will be held July 27 – August 12, 2012, in Weymouth and Portland, located on the southern coast of England, approximately 120 miles southwest of London.

“Very soon we will have a complete 2012 US Olympic Sailing Team,” said Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.), Chairman of the Olympic Sailing Committee. “It is always a long road to the Olympic Games for the athletes, and the Women’s Match Racing selection is almost complete. Each of the four teams competing this week has put in a tremendous effort preparing for the Trials. We’re proud of each and every sailor, and their hard work and dedication to the Olympic dream.”

The OSC representative for the event is Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.), 2004 Olympian in women’s keelboat (Yngling); principal race officer is Tom Duggan (Hyannis, Mass.); women’s match racing consultant is Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.), executive director of Women’s International Match Racing Association (WIMRA); and chief umpire is Tom Rinda (Florida).

US Sailing selected the 13 athletes in the nine fleet racing Olympic events based on two previous events: 2011 Sail for Gold and 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships. The USA qualified in each of the 10 events selected for the 2012 Olympic Games with a maximum team size of 16.

[mpowlison]

Tunnicliffe and Tulloch Lead Day 1

Racing Summary (May 4, 20120): Racing in the U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta got underway in Weymouth/Portland, UK, with a significant portion of the Semi-final Round completed. Although the day started out with grey skies and light wind, the conditions improved to allow the Race Committee to complete four races in Flight A and five in Flight B.

In the “first-to-six wins” round, there are two pairings. The first, Flight A, completed four races. Anna Tunnicliffe’s “Team Maclaren” with Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi leads Stephanie Roble’s team of Maggie Shea and Darby Smith with four wins, zero losses.

Tunnicliffe and Roble headed off the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy docks for the first races held in 5-7 knots. In the opening match up, Roble’s nerves may have gotten the best of her as she crossed the starting line early, and incurring a penalty to give Tunnicliffe an early lead and a relatively simple first win.

The second race was the most exciting of the series with Roble leading Tunnicliffe off the line and around the first windward mark. She extended her lead on the first downwind run to round ahead by almost one minute. But then, the wind shifted and went light, giving Tunnicliffe a chance to get into a more favorable wind, at almost halfway behind on the course. She gained speed and passed Roble, who was still waiting for the wind to find her. The second, third and fourth race wins went to Tunnicliffe.

In Flight B, five races were held. Genny Tulloch, Alice Manard Leonard and Jenn Chamberlin lead Sally Barkow’s team of Elizabeth Kratzig Burnham and Alana O’Reilly with three wins to Barkow’s two losses. The afternoon match up of the two teams was held in slightly stronger wind, 7-10 knots and building over the rest of the day to 15.

Racing in the Semifinal round continues on Saturday, May 5. The winner of each of the two Semifinal Knockout Series matches will advance to Stage 2 – the Final Knockout Series, which is also a “first to win six matches” round. Tulloch handily won the first two matches, and then the wind built making the third match even more exciting. Barkow and Tulloch got into a heavy tacking duel in the first upwind leg, with Barkow round the top mark with a slight three boat-length advantage. Tulloch tried hard to pass from behind downwind, but Barkow covered well to round the mark ahead. She held the advantage to cross the finish line by less than one boat length for the win.

With Tulloch up 2-1, she went into the fourth race looking for another win. She had a strong start and held the lead around the course. While Barkow fought hard to catch and tried many times to get into a position to pass, it wasn’t mean to be. Tulloch up with three wins, to Barkow’s one.

The fifth race – the last one of day 1 – was held as the sky was getting dark. Barkow got off the starting line with good speed and conveyed that into a controlling lead on the course. She continued to lead Tulloch to take another win. The series stands at three wins for Tulloch, two wins for Barkow.

Racing in the Semi-final round continues Saturday, May 5. The winner of each of the two Semifinal Knockout Series matches will advance to Stage 2 – the Final Knockout Series, which is also a “first to win six matches” round. The winner will represent USA at the 2012 Olympic Games. The Olympic Sailing Regatta will be held July 27 – August 12, 2012, in Weymouth and Portland, located on the southern coast of England, approximately 120 miles southwest of London.

Daily racing recaps, results and photos will be on the event site: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Ev.../WMRTrials.htm

About the event: The USA’s top Olympic hopefuls in Women’s Match Racing will begin competition in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta, in Weymouth, England. Organized by US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport and the Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC), the event is scheduled for May 4-9 at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, site of the 2012 Olympic Sailing Regatta. The event will determine the three women’s match racing representatives for the 2012 Olympic Team. The four teams competing advanced to this event – the second, and final, selection event for the 2012 Olympic Team – by finishing in the top four at the U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta, part 1, October 26-30 at Key Biscayne Yacht Club, in Miami, Fla.

Competing teams:
Sally Barkow (Nashotah, WI), with Elizabeth Kratzig Burnham (Miami, Fla.) and Alana O’Reilly (Charleston, S.C.)
Stephanie Roble (East Troy, WI) with Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill.) and Darby Smith (Chicago, Ill.)
Genny Tulloch (Sausalito, CA) with Alice Manard Leonard (East Haven, Conn.) and Jenn Chamberlin (Washington, D.C.)
Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, FL) with Molly Vandemoer (Stanford, Calif.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport,
N.Y.)

The teams skippered by Barkow, Tulloch and Tunnicliffe are members of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider.

[mpowlison]

Tunnicliffe and Barkow Advance

Racing Summary (May 5, 2012): With the two Semi-Final Rounds complete in the U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta, two teams advance to the Final Round, a first-to-six series. Anna Tunnicliffe’s “Team Maclaren” with Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi will meet Sally Barkow’s team of Elizabeth Kratzig Burnham and Alana O’Reilly to decide who will represent the USA at the 2012 Olympic Games this summer.

Tunnicliffe’s team bested Stephanie Roble’s team of Maggie Shea and Darby Smith, in two straight races. Combined with four wins from Friday’s racing, Tunnicliffe heads into the final undefeated and looks to secure her second Olympic team berth.

Tunnicliffe leads Roble“Team Roble did a fantastic job and they’ve come a long way,” said Tunnicliffe. “We’re excited to advance to the finals. We want to go to the Olympic Games. We wanted to win the Semis; we want to win the finals. It’s another step along the way. We’re psyched we got through it and now we have another six races to win.”

Going into the semi-finals, Tunnicliffe will face Barkow. To go against the world #3 team, Tunnicliffe shared the team’s preparation insight. “We’ve been training the past three and a half years for this regatta and the Olympic Games. This is another regatta along the way. We knew we had to face one of the American teams. We’ll keep sailing the way we’ve been sailing. The past couple of months we’ve been sailing quite well and executing quite well. We’ll see what happens on the water tomorrow.”

In the second Semi-Final match, held in the morning, Genny Tulloch, Alice Manard Leonard and Jenn Chamberlin came out with a 3-2 advantage from Friday’s matches against Sally Barkow’s team of Elizabeth Kratzig Burnham and Alana O’Reilly.

Tulloch won the first match, but then Barkow came back to win the next four races. “We feel really good,” said Barkow after racing. “It was an awesome series against Genny, they’re a really strong s team. We didn’t think it would be that tough at the beginning. It was really about a team effort with Dave (Perry) and the girls. We just kept plugging away with what we’ve been working at and it paid off.”Tulloch and Barkow

The racing was close and exciting, with leads changing in every race. Compared to Friday’s racing, it appeared that Barkow’s team had adjusted slightly. “We changed our starting plan a little bit and we kept plugging away around the course,” said Barkow. “We also changed our jibing time downwind. That helped a lot.”

The Final match is a “first to win six matches” format. The US Sailing race committee will begin the round on Sunday. Racing is held on the Nothe Course, which is the approximate location for the Olympic Sailing Regatta.
The winner will represent USA at the 2012 Olympic Games. The Olympic Sailing Regatta will be held July 27 – August 12, 2012, in Weymouth and Portland, located on the southern coast of England, approximately 120 miles southwest of London.

Daily racing recaps, results and photos will be on the event site: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Ev.../WMRTrials.htm

[mpowlison]

Tunnicliffe Leads Finals

Racing Summary (May 6, 2012): Racing in the Final Round of the U.S. Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta began today with five flights competed. Anna Tunnicliffe’s “Team Maclaren” with Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi took an early lead over Sally Barkow’s team of Elizabeth Kratzig Burnham and Alana O’Reilly. Current standings are Tunnicliffe with four wins, Barkow with one. The format is a “first-to-win-six” match-up where the winner will qualify to represent the USA at the 2012 Olympic Games this summer.

“The crew did a fantastic job today. It was very tricky conditions; puffs were coming in from the left and the right. Just when you thought you’d settled into a trend it changed.

The day had a lot of ups and downs, with lead changes and tight racing. “All of our races were really close,” said Tunnicliffe. Sally and her team are very, very good. We are taking it one race at a time. A lot of our races went our way. We’re looking forward to more tomorrow.”

One of the standout moments of the day was the third race. Just when it looked like Tunnicliffe’s team was winning upwind and around the first weather mark, Barkow passed her downwind to take control. As Tunnicliffe explained, they went on to do the same maneuver on the second downwind leg and gain the lead. “We learned from what she did to us. We kept it really cool. It was set up to pin her up against the (committee boat) and jibe into the finish line and take the race. It was a tight race. It was an aggressive race. We learned from it and moved on. We had a rotation after that, so we went on to focus on the next race.”

To listen to the full audio interview with Anna Tunnicliffe: http://soundcloud.com/usstag/anna-tu...fe-post-racing

Barkow, Kratzig Burnham and O’Reilly, who advanced to from the Semi-Final Round after defeating Genny Tulloch, Alice Manard Leonard and Jenn Chamberlin, came into the Final Round prepared for any situation. What they found, was that the tricky wind conditions and aggressive racing did not go their way.WMR Trials 2012_d3 barkow

“It was a tough day,” said Barkow. “We just weren’t executing. We made some mistakes. We’re not super pleased. We’ll regroup tonight and make a plan for tomorrow.”

When asked to pinpoint what the team needs to improve upon, Barkow summed it up: “Boat speed felt fine. It was a pretty tricky day on the water. Every leg was a different wind direction. I think we need to look outside the boat a little more and anticipate what’s going to happen. We knew what was happening in the moment, not so much what was going to happen next and we need to connect the two. It’s not over.”

The US Sailing race committee will begin the round on Sunday. Racing is held on the Nothe Course, which is the approximate location for the Olympic Sailing Regatta.

The winner will represent USA at the 2012 Olympic Games. The Olympic Sailing Regatta will be held July 27 – August 12, 2012, in Weymouth and Portland, located on the southern coast of England, approximately 120 miles southwest of London.

Daily racing recaps, results and photos will be on the event site: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Ev.../WMRTrials.htm

[mpowlison]

Final Members of US Olympic Team Selected

Tunnicliffe, Vandemoer and Capozzi Qualify for 2012 US Olympic Team

Racing Summary (May 7, 2012): In a thrilling conclusion to four days of women’s match racing, Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) and her Team Maclaren crew Molly Vandemoer (Stanford, Calif.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) won the 2012 US Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta by defeating Sally Barkow (Nashotah, WI) and her Team 7 Match Race crew Elizabeth Kratzig Burnham (Miami, Fla.) and Alana O’Reilly (Charleston, S.C.). Tunnicliffe defeated Barkow in the “first-to-six-wins” final match-up, which was held in Weymouth and Portland, site of the 2012 Olympic Sailing Regatta. With the win, Tunnicliffe, Vandemoer and Capozzi were selected for the 2012 US Olympic Team – Sailing, pending confirmation from the U.S. Olympic Committee.

WMR Trials winners“We knew it was going to be a good day going into it,” said Tunnicliffe moments after reaching the dock. “The weather wasn’t spectacular, but we were glad to be out there.”

Going into the final day, Tunnicliffe was up four wins to Barkow’s one. Off the bat, Barkow won the first two wins to bring the score near even. “Sally’s team started the day really strong and came out with two wins,” said Tunnicliffe.

The second race of the day saw Barkow get a penalty off the start. Tunnicliffe lead around the two-lap course, until the last third of the downwind run. Barkow rolled over top of Tunnicliffe and incurred a second penalty. Quickly, they forced an offsetting penalty on Tunnicliffe and almost instantly cleared their remaining penalty. They crossed the line ahead to win and bring the finals to a 4-2 scoreline.

“To be honest, it all happened so fast,” said Tunnicliffe of the maneuvers. “I made a massive mistake and it cost us. We had that race in the bag. I got a little excited and tried to go for the finish, rather than just waiting. She did a really good job teeing us up, and sailing circles around us and getting rid of two penalties. I tried to jump her too soon on the line. I should have waited for her to get into a bad position for us to make our move. We had to dig deep and overcome her momentum.”

They went on to win race three convincingly, getting a strong start and worked hard to keep a lead throughout. “We had a really solid race in race three,” she continued. “Which got us back on track for the last race. At times we had a two-length lead, and she (Barkow) closed it up to a quarter-length lead. Coming into the last run it was all about keeping our breeze clear on the one jibe, coming into the mark. Unfortunately, I jibed into bad air and collapsed the kite. We were able to drift across the line ahead to take the victory.”

Vandemoer will be a first-time Olympian. “It’s awesome,” she said. “It’s reassuring to know that if you work hard and you keep focused it’s going to pay off in the end. We still have a lot to do.”WMR Trials final

Capozzi is a 2008 Olympian who sailed in the Women’s Keelboat (Yngling) with Barkow. The experience she brought from that campaign was an advantage for this team. “I think from the beginning I had some ideas, but we have to all accept them and choose if we want to use them or not,” she said. “We took a couple of those ideas and then just molded it to what we like. We changed it here and there, but it’s valuable to have all that experience on a three-person team.”
Her wisdom from Qingdao will be an advantage as they make their way to the 2012 Games. “We are going to keep doing the same thing we’re doing every day,” she said. “Outwork our competitors, train hard, have good conversation with our coach Dave Dellenbaugh, and have fun really. We’re not going to change much; we’re going to keep going.”

Giving full credit to their coach Dave Dellenbaugh, Tunnicliffe said: “He’s our rock. He kept the information going regardless of what the score was, regardless of what race we were in. Same info, same critiques. He never overanalyzed anything. We’re super psyched he’s here and that we get to take him to the Games.”

Four teams advanced to the 2012 US Olympic Qualifying Regatta from the 2011 event. In addition to Tunnicliffe’s and Barkow’s teams, the additional two teams are: Stephanie Roble (East Troy, WI) with Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill.) and Darby Smith (Chicago, Ill.); and Genny Tulloch (Sausalito, CA) with Alice Manard Leonard (East Haven, Conn.) and Jenn Chamberlin (Washington, D.C.).

“The US Olympic Trials is the hardest regatta to do in the world,” said Tunnicliffe. “Our teaml, Team Tulloch and Team Barkow are three of the top 10 world teams. Coming into the Games, we’re knew that whichever team won here is going to the Olympics and is going to win gold. The other teams are training
You have to put that extra bit of training it. It pushed us to the level we’re at and to keep training.”

The teams headed by Tunnicliffe, Barkow and Tulloch are members of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider.

For Barkow, the day was bittersweet. She had come so far from a disappointing 2008 Games to the finals to represent USA in 2012. “It was a tough battle,” said Barkow moments after arriving at the dock. “We knew we had the talent and the ability to do it. It didn’t go our way a few times. You feel pretty down after a situation like this. You work really hard for a long time and have a really great team. When you don’t win the last one it’s a bummer.

“It was a year and a half ago that we committed to sailing full time. Last October, it was committing again to more full time and leaving other things in our lives off the table. We’ve learned the game to a really high level. We worked on our strengths and weaknesses.”

“I’m really proud of the effort that all of our women’s match racing teams and coaches put in over the past several years,” said Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.), Chairman of the Olympic Sailing Committee. “Every one of them has a great deal to be proud of; even the teams that didn’t win have lots to be proud of. Our program worked together to build the best national match racing program in the world. We all congratulate Anna, Molly, Debbie and Dave Dellenbaugh. We also congratulate Team Barkow, Team Tulloch and Teamm Roble for a world-class performance.”

The Olympic Sailing Regatta will be held July 27 – August 12, 2012, in Weymouth and Portland, located on the southern coast of England, approximately 120 miles southwest of London.

Daily racing recaps, results and photos will be on the event site: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Ev.../WMRTrials.htm