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Since the Olympic Test event in Athens in August, there has not been too much Yngling sailing for Team Challenge US. Betsy, Suzy and Lee have all been working, sailing and training before what will prove to be a busy winter season in Florida. While our primary focus is on Fleet Racing the Yngling as much as possible, we believe that it is important to "cross train" in other sailing disciplines – particularly Match Racing. That, in fact, is what we are doing as I write this missive. We are currently in St. Petersburg, Florida at the Osprey Cup – a Grade 1 Women’s Match Racing Championship. 10 teams from 5 nations are vying for top honors, but at the end of the round robin portion of the event, Team Challenge US (Betsy Alison, Lee Icyda, and Suzy Leech) together with Dini Hall stand alone in #1 position. The Semi-Final and Final Series will be sailed tomorrow, although in an abbreviated format due to very light winds following a passing frontal system. In the Semi-Finals, the Team will face a young Italian contingent led by Guila Conti – another Yngling rival in the Olympic arena. The Semi-Finals will be a sudden death, one race series, to be followed by the best of 3 Finals. In the other Semi-Final match, Klaartje Zuiderbann of the Netherlands takes on Marie Faure’ of France. Having bested the Italians in both their matches in the Round Robin, Team Challenge US is looking forward to a third test. Why Match Racing as a "cross training" activity? Match Racing is fast paced, puts a premium on first rate boat handling, requires split-second decision making, and demands excellence in execution. When you are taking on a single opponent in a confined area, the focus of the game puts a premium on being proactive rather than reactive. The team must take charge of its
own destiny, controlling the opponent, rather than waiting to see what will happen as the race unfolds. Whereas in Fleet Racing the rules are used as guidelines and parameters for "play", in Match Racing the rules are used as weapons – tools with which to take advantage of the situation and your opponent. We have found that Match Racing helps us to bond as a single unit, continually improving our communication skills and our decision making ability. We have been able to effectively use these skills and "match racing moves" in our Yngling Fleet Racing events, and have found that by doing so, we attack the race course and control our opponents in a very positive and convincing way. The Match Race course typically consists of a double windward-leeward course with the entire race taking only 20 minutes! On the water umpires administer instant justice if rules are infringed by assessing penalties at the time of the infraction. Competitors must complete any and all penalty turns before finishing the race. The racing doesn’t stop when you make a mistake or judgment error, so the team is forced to accept the penalty, not let the error affect their next decision or maneuver, and move on. It is an exercise in mental and emotional discipline – and we all know how emotional sailing can be! Stay tuned for the results of the Osprey Cup on Sunday, November 3, 2002. For all the latest information on Team Challenge US [Betsy Alison, Lee Icyda and Suzy Leech], please visit our website at http://www.challengeUS.org 11/04/2002 .....Girls Kicked Ass In what proved to be the second "sudden death" of the day, Team Challenge US took the deciding match from the Dutch and claimed victory at the 2002 Osprey Cup in St. Petersburg, Florida. The final day of racing in this Grade 1 match racing event was filled with close matches and exciting sailing. With forecasts not exactly favorable to the sailors with winds predicted to diminish as the day went on, the Race Committee wisely chose to move the starting time forward to 8:30 AM. Knowing that it would be difficult to complete the Semi and Final as scheduled, the organizers opted for an abbreviated Semi-Final series making it a "sudden death" match. Team Challenge US led by Betsy Alison met the young Italian team in the first match of the day. Though Gulia Conti and her team had the starboard advantage on the entry, Alison and company took control in the prestart and never looked back to take a decisive win over the young Italians. In the other Semi-Final match, Klaartje Zuiderbann of the Netherlands bested Marie Faure’ and her French compatriots. The Finals took place in diminishing breeze which was characterized by big shifts. The only loss suffered in the round robin by Team Challenge US was to the Dutch, so we knew it would be an interesting best of three series. In match one, the Americans attacked from the outset, controlled the maneuvering before the start, and were able to control the race course from start to finish. In match two, the Dutch evened the score with us – though a most unfortunate wind shift just after the start gave the advantage to Zuiderbann’s team. A flurry of down speed tacking allowed us to close the gap up the second beat, but the gain was not quite good enough to allow us to effectively attack on the final leg. The game was now 1-1, and the situation "sudden death", winner takes all. In the last match of the day in a dying breeze, the prestart was made slightly more interesting for Team Challenge US when Suzy decided she was a bit too hot and took a swim by missing a hand hold while we were aggressively circling. Fortunately for us, the Dutch did not see her fall over and the boat slow to a near stop. After recovering (from the maneuver and our laughter), we led our opponent back to the starting line, and drove her to the short side of the race course. Though our lead around the course was not big, it was enough to enable us to cross the line ahead by several boat lengths and claim victory! In the Petit Finals, Gulia Conti of Italy took third place by beating Faure’ of France in two straight. Our team (Betsy Alison, Lee Icyda, Suzy Leech and Dini Hall) proved that we are a team to be reckoned with. It was good to be back on the match racing scene, and play the game in an intense format. Stay tuned for more reports as we head to New Orleans, LA after Thanksgiving for the US Nationals for Women’s Match Racing. We are proud of our efforts on our quest to represent the US at the Olympics in the Athens Games, and are really happy to have your support and encouragement as you follow our progress. Thanks for being part of Team Challenge US! 11/06/2002 |
