US Women’s Match Race Championship
July 7-11, 2010
The US Sailing Women’s Match Racing Championship for the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy and the Mrs. C.F. Adams Memorial Trophy. The winning skipper will receive an invitation to the ISAF Grade 1 Buddy Melges Challenge.
| Competitors | |
|---|---|
| Sally Barkow | USA |
| Genevieve Tulloch | USA |
| Evan Brown | USA |
| Katy Pilley-Lovell | USA |
| Stephanie Roble | USA |
| Maegan Ruhlman | USA |
| Adrienne Patterson | USA |
| Elizabeth Hjorth | USA |
| Umpires | |
|---|---|
| Don Becker, Chief Umpire | USA |
| Christine Accettella | USA |
| Cliff Black | USA |
| Deb Schoenherr | USA |
| Kathy Lindgren | USA |
| Mike Lindgren | USA |
| Chris Petracco | USA |
| Rob Overton | USA |
| Steve Van Dyck | USA |
| Karen Butler | USA |
Race Results
1st Place Genny Tulloch
2nd Place Sally Barkow
3rd Place Maegan Ruhlman
The winning team
Accepting their First Place Medals and the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy are (L-R) Karina Vogen Shelton, Lindsay Bartel, Genny Tulloch (skipper), and Alice Manard.
Racing in tight conditions
Winning skipper, Genny Tulloch and crew racing (boat #3) in some “tight” conditions!
News:
The US Sailing Center of Sheboygan welcomed eight elite teams for this week’s U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship (USWMRC), a US SAILING National Championship and an ISAF Grade 3 event. Defending champion and US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) member Genny Tulloch returned to compete in her third consecutive USWMRC and went home as the reigning champ after this weekend’s races winning the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy. Racing was to begin on Thursday and run through Sunday (July 8-11). However, due to fog and lack of wind no races were raced on Thursday. Friday’s conditions were a little better and they were able to get in one full round robin. Saturday’s races were postponed due to lack of wind in the morning and then cut short late in the afternoon due to an approaching storm front. Everyone got to shore safely and in the briefing it was determined that the finals would begin on Sunday and no race would be started after 1 p.m.
Sunday was a perfect day for racing. Clear skies and wind brought out the competitiveness and aggressive sailing lending a great show and finish to the spectators and race committee. Eight teams came to vie for the cup but after the qualifying round robins four [teams] were in the finals:
Genny Tulloch and her crew, Alice Manard, Lindsay Bartel, and Karina Vogen Shelton.
Sally Barkow and her crew, Alana O’Reilly, Katie Pettibone, and Libby Christy.
Maegan Ruhlman (Cleveland, OH) and her crew, Nancy Hagood, Katie Werley, and Megan Riddle.
Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wis.) and her crew, Darby Smith, Maggie Shea, and Christine Porter.
In the end Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.), a former College Sailor of the Year, joined by USSTAG teammate and crew, Alice Manard (Charleston, S.C.); Lindsay Bartel (Chagrin Falls, Ohio); and Karina Vogen Shelton (Oakland, Calif.) raced past Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) and her crew to take first place. Maegan Ruhlman and her crew took third and Stephanie Roble and her crew placed fourth. “It was really exciting racing today,” said Kathy Lindgren, Program Chair person for US Sail Sheboygan. “Thanks to both Sally and Genny for such an exciting race; it really did come down to the last race to determine the winner!” In addition, Lindgren and all of the skippers and crew thanked Dave Bronson, Principle Race Officer who in spite of the weather conditions – fog, no wind, and storms – was able to complete the regatta.
“Our crew was on fire! We had good communication and had a great time. We hadn’t sailed together as a crew before and we got better as a team each day,” said Tulloch. Tulloch is currently ninth in the ISAF Women’s Match Racing world rankings.
US SAILING’s 2007 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and former USSTAG member, Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) returned to the USWMRC for the first time since winning the event in 2005. Barkow also won as a crewmate for Corrie Clement in 2000. Barkow has been a busy match racer as of late. She is 11th in the ISAF Women’s Match Racing world rankings. Barkow finished third at the Princess Sofia this year, an ISAF Sailing World Cup event.
Skippers will be pre-ranked using the ISAF Match Race Sailing Rankings. As the highest placing eligible skipper after this weekend’s racing, Tulloch will represent the U.S. at the ISAF Nations Cup Series on Sept. 13-18, 2011. In addition, the winner of the US Championship earns an invitation to the Buddy Melges Challenge in September, 2010. Since both Tulloch and Barkow have already received an invitation it was passed on to third place winner of this weekends Championship, Maegan Ruhlman.
US SAILING’s U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Gill North America. Visit the event website for the full list of competitors, standings, daily recaps, photos and more. Follow the action with live updates from Sheboygan on US SAILING’s Facebook and Twitter sites.
Grandstay Residential Suites
Rich Reichelsdorfer, Nathan Wright and Tom Atkins in front of Grandstay Residential Suites – Event Sponsor.
