US Junior Womens Singlehanded Championships

The final day of racing at the US Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship was sailed in a mild easterly breeze of 6 to 8 knots with minimal chop. After numerous postponements and general recalls at the start of the day, Hanne Weaver seized control, and locked up an impressive victory over the field of 48.

After surging to the front after yesterday’s racing, Weaver (Gig Harbor, Wash.) quickly extended her lead with a win in today’s opening race. The first place finish sealed the win for Weaver. She sailed with remarkable consistency throughout the Championship. Weaver placed in the top five in seven of ten races, including five top three finishes, and bullets in races five and nine.

The second day was the windiest of the three days, and opened the door for her to jump to the front of the pack. Weaver believes that her training and physical fitness played a huge role in her ability to capture the title.

“I was nervous coming into the regatta because I sail against all of these girls at a lot of events,” said Weaver. “I liked the breeze, and it was noticeable during the clinic that I was one of the strongest girls in the group. I exercise on a daily basis in addition to my sailing. I also do a great deal of sailing at the Gorge in Oregon.”

The high school senior will continue to push herself this summer. She plans on competing in the Laser Radial North American Championship, US Singlehanded Championship, US Youth Championship, and CORK Olympic Class Regatta later this summer. Looking ahead at next year, she has Miami OCR marked on her calendar as a goal.

“I want to compete at OCR in Miami, and try to make the US Sailing Team”. Weaver has dreams of making the Olympic Team for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

Just behind weaver was a three way skirmish for second place. Lindsey Baab (Saratoga, Calif.) edged Dana Rohde (Richmond Hill, Ga.) and Lola Bushnell (San Francisco, Calif.), with two points separating the three sailors. The trio shuffled around the top of the leaderboard for the latter part of the regatta. Baab put an exclamation point on her series with a win in the final race to steal the second place spot on the podium.

The reward for winning this Championship is the prestigious Leiter Cup. The top three individuals were awarded trophies, and the top five individuals received US Sailing Championship Medals. Later this evening, a sailor will also be rewarded with the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Sportsmanship Award.

The Championship was preceded by a two day clinic put on by US Sailing, and hosted by Chicago Yacht Club on Lake Michigan in Laser Radials. The competitors received top level coaching from US Sailings Junior National Coach, Brian Clancy, and a team of notable sailing coaches from across the country.

For results, photos and more details about the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, please visit the event website at championships.ussailing.org/Youth/USJrWomensSinglehanded.htm. This Championship is a Sailors for the Sea - Clean Regattas certification event.

The U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship is sponsored by Gill North America and Switlik Survival Products, and is supported by the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Trust.