High School & College Regional Qualifier Registration Opens
by WASZP Class 28 Nov 2025 15:40 GMT
2025 U.S. Singlehanded Championship © Lexi Pline / US Sailing Club
A New National Stage for America's Next Generation of Foiling Sailors
The WASZP Class has set the stage for a major shift in American youth and collegiate sailing with the announcement of its Regional Qualifiers for the inaugural National Championship. For the first time, high school and college sailors will have a dedicated, school-recognized pathway in a foiling one-design class — a development that reflects both the rapid expansion of the WASZP fleet and the rising success of the young athletes within it.
For years, foiling existed mostly outside the structure of school sailing. Talented young WASZP sailors were progressing quickly, winning major regattas, and earning opportunities around the world, but had no national stage where those achievements connected back to their high school or college programs. This new Qualifier Series changes that dramatically.
Four Regional Qualifiers — West Coast, South, Great Lakes, and Northeast — will determine the 24 sailors (12 high school and 12 college) who advance to the National Championship at Toms River Yacht Club in May 2026. Sailors register for the qualifier tied to the school they attend. The top three high school sailors and top three college sailors from each region will qualify for the Championship.
The announcement represents far more than a new regatta. It signals that high school and college sailors now have a way to be recognized for foiling achievement within their existing school athletic structures. And it plugs directly into a WASZP pathway that is already established, active, and expanding across North America.
Tyler Bjorn, North American Class Manager, describes it simply:
"The WASZP pathway is creating something truly powerful for young American sailors. For the first time, we have a foiling ecosystem with real scale, real structure, and real access. These qualifiers represent a national framework that will only strengthen as more schools and clubs join in."
Four Regions — One National Championship
The 2026 Qualifiers will be held as follows:
West Coast Qualifier
January 31 - February 1, 2026
Coronado, California
South Qualifier
January 31 - February 1, 2026
Jensen Beach, Florida
Northeast Qualifier
April 25-26, 2026
Annapolis, Maryland
Great Lakes Qualifier
May 9-10, 2026
Muskegon, Michigan
Find your event and enter on RaceHub, the official registration site for all WASZP events.
Learn more about the Regions in the original announcement if you missed it.
Each event advances the top three high school and top three college sailors. The format is familiar for school-based sailing programs but new — and exciting — for foiling dinghies.