Olympic and Paralympic Hopefuls Kick Off Campaigns at US SAILINGs 2009 Rolex Miami OCR
With one week before online registration closes and two weeks before racing begins, US SAILING's 2009 Rolex Miami OCR is shaping up to be an international "must-sail" regatta for elite Olympic and Paralympic-class sailors. As the second stop on the inaugural International (ISAF) Sailing World Cup, this popular event will bring previous Olympians/Paralympians and future Olympic/Paralympic hopefuls together to compete on the waters of Biscayne Bay from January 25 to 31, 2009. Many sailors are eager to sail US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR in order to kick off the Olympic and Paralympic quadrennium at the top of their fleets and to see how they stack up against their foreign competitors.
photo Walter Cooper
"It's a great opportunity to get back in the water and start the year off seeing where everyone is in their training," said Olympic Gold Medalist Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.), who was just named US SAILING's 2008 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and US SAILING's 2008 SportsWoman of the Year for her outstanding achievement and performance in 2008. "I'll pick out some good goals to work on throughout the year. I'm also looking forward to getting back in the water for the experience of the regatta."
"It's the start of a new chapter in my sailing career," said fellow US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics member Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla)., who won a silver medal in the Finn class at the 2008 Olympic Games in China and was named US SAILING's 2008 SportsMan of the Year. "I'm looking forward to getting going again and putting my sights to the 2012 Olympic Games in London."
In addition, many sailors plan to compete at all seven of the ISAF Sailing World Cup events and are looking to score cumulative Sailing World Cup points. After winning a gold medal in the Laser Radial class at the 2008 Olympic Regatta, Tunnicliffe added more gold to her collection by winning the first Sailing World Cup event, Sail Melbourne, in December. Her gold medal earned her 20 points for her Sailing World Cup series score. Her US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics teammates Stu McNay (Lincoln, Mass.) and Graham Biehl (San Diego, Calif.) also won a silver medal in the Men's 470 class, earning 19 series points. Other Sail Melbourne medalists who have already registered for US SAILING's 2009 Rolex Miami OCR include Blanca Manchon (ESP) in the Women's RS:X class, Andrea Brewster (GBR) in the Laser Radial, Matias del Solar (CHI) in the Laser, and Paul Campbell-James (GBR) in the 49er.
US SAILING's 2009 Rolex Miami OCR is also a crucial event for American sailors who wish to make the 2009 US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, which will select the top three sailors/boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class.
"My first and foremost goal is to qualify for the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics," said Railey. "Secondly, I want to put myself in contention going into the medal race, so I can finish on the podium. That's all I can ask for. If I can do that, I'll be happy with my performance."
Railey, who has spent the last week training with American and international Finn sailors, including Olympians Chris Cook (CAN) and Rafael Trujillo (ESP), is looking forward to the intense competition of the regatta. "I have a competitive nature, so it's exciting to get back on the race course," he said. "Racing is a lot of fun. My competitors are also my friends. It's good to see them -- and see who I can beat at OCR."
"We're a pretty tight group, so it's about having fun and getting some good results," agreed Cook. He added that Rolex Miami OCR is his first event after competing at the 2008 Olympic Games, so he sees it as "an opportunity to reevaluate my sailing skills and see what I need to do for the next four years."
Sailors and their coaches must register online before January, 19, 2009 at the event web site www.rolexmiamiocr.org. There will be no on-site registration this year.
