ABYC KIDS
The 29er World Championship regatta at ABYC provided a great opportunity for local sailors to mix it up with leading racers from around the globe.
While Long Beach’s Jacob Rosenberg – sailing with Alie Toppa – followed up a first place in the Nationals, with a top 10 finish in the highly competitive Worlds’ Gold Fleet; other area sailors learned there’s more to a World Championship than trophies and titles. Here’s what they said about their experiences:
MORGAN PINCKNEY
scored a fourth place finish in Silver Fleet with Michael Sabourin, but also gave credit to training partner Andrew Person.
FAVORITE THING?
The whole experience broadened my view on sailing, and opened my eyes to a whole new world of skiff sailing. It was so cool to see people from all over the world come to one of our local Southern California clubs where I've grown up, and sail at such a high performance level.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
The experience of being on the starting line with 60 boats, the impact of fitness on your performance, and how to train.
DID YOU MAKE ANY FRIENDS?
Yes! The nice 29er is a very welcoming class of sailors. I think, because the boats are difficult to learn; when they see new sailors they remember how challenging it was, and are very helpful and encouraging.
JACK TAUGHER
and
DYLAN STYRON
trained several times a week in the months prior to the Worlds: including time with Jacob Rosenberg as a coach. They specifically practiced on Bravo Course, “to get all the waves and harder conditions, which helped us in Worlds,” said Dylan.
JACK
:
FAVORITE THING?
Competing against racers from different countries all around the world, and getting to know each other
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
I learned many tips about how to keep the boat flat and just sail fast, in general!
DID YOU MAKE ANY FRIENDS?
Yes, from Hawaii to Great Britain.
DYLAN:
FAVORITE THING?
Hands down: sailing with people from 16 other countries, along with the world’s best youth sailors. The staff was amazing too. Everyone worked so hard to make the regatta happen, it was a truly wonderful thing.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
Jack and I really learned how to get the boat going on a plane upwind, bow-down mode, and pointing. We got good at knowing when to trap or not downwind, in certain conditions.
DID YOU MAKE ANY FRIENDS?
I made plenty of friends. One day I met a couple of kids from Great Britain that were really cool. I also met people from my town that I wouldn't have known otherwise. It was overall just an amazing experience and cool to get to know people that I probably will be sailing against in the future.
ROXANNE SNYDER
and
CHARLEY SNYDER
trained for seven months, racing in regattas in different locations, doing clinics, and practicing with teammates.
ROXANNE
spoke for the duo:
FAVORITE THING?
My favorite thing was being able to race against people from all around the world.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
I learned that giving 100-percent effort every day, even through the hardest days, will pay off in the end.
DID YOU MAKE ANY FRIENDS?
Yes, I made lots of friends; from Maryland, Texas, Uruguay and Great Britain.
CHRISTINA VAN DYKE
spent roughly a year on the water, training for this world-class event.
FAVORITE THING?
Meeting all of the competitors from around the world, and getting to sail against the best in our fleet.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
How to sail the boat faster and more efficiently, but also how sportsmanlike everyone is in the 29er fleet
DID YOU MAKE ANY FRIENDS?
Yes, including Rafaela Salles and Fernanda Blyth from Brazil
Other area sailors who honed their skills in the World Championship at ABYC, and made news friends from around the world, were NATHAN SIH, HAILEY THOMPSON, and MASON KAPLAN. All the participants agreed on the value of competing with the world’s top sailors on the race course – and then enjoying the great camaraderie of this global fleet, at the end of the day.
– Betsy Crowfoot, 29er Worlds co-Press Officer
