For Immediate Release Contact: Jan Harley, Media Pro Int'l for Rolex Watch U.S.A., 401-849-0220 Pat Seidenspinner, Event Chair, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, 727-244-7877
Racing Underway at Rolex Osprey Cup Tulloch, Manard Leonard, Chamberlin and O'Reilly Lead Standings ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA (October 21, 2010) - In 1996, the visionaries at St. Petersburg Yacht Club created and organized the first Osprey Cup to expand the opportunities for women sailors to compete in match racing. Sponsored since 2000 by Rolex Watch U.S.A., the event has weathered the on-again, off-again, and, since 2007, on-again commitment to a women's match race medal in the Olympics. Now, less than two years until the debut of women's match racing at the 2012 Olympic Games, 10 teams are fighting for the Rolex Osprey Cup title on Tampa Bay. The 2010 Rolex Osprey Cup, one of 17 International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade 1 women's match racing events (out of 70 women's match racing events held this calendar year), has a common thread binding the competitors this year - most are veterans of college sailing, with one third of the racers attaining All-American status from the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA). Genny Tulloch (San Francisco, Calif.), ICSA's 2004 Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year, has jumped to the top of the results after the first two days of racing. With crew Alice Manard Leonard (New Orleans, La.), Jenn Chamberlin (Annapolis, Md.), and 2006 Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year Alana O'Reilly (Charleston, S.C.), Tulloch has been unbeaten in the matches thus far. Close on Tulloch's heels are teams helmed by Maegan Ruhlman (Cleveland, Ohio/USA) and Giulia Conti (Toscolano Maderno/ITA). Ruhlman, winner of the 2010 Sundance Cup, is sailing with Sara Morgan Watters (Oxford, Md.), Megan Riddle (Vermillion, Ohio) and Abby Rowlands (Cleveland, Ohio). Conti is a three-time winner of the Rolex Osprey Cup (2005, 2008, and 2009) and is sailing with the same crew with whom she won the 2009 event: Alessandra Angelini, Lisa Lardani and Giovanna Micol. Conti and Micol are Olympians - having represented Italy at the 2008 Games in the 470 Women's event. "I don't have many expectations this year," said Conti prior to the start of the 2010 Rolex Osprey Cup. "Since match racing became an Olympic Event, for most of the women teams it became a full-time job. My full-time job is my 470 Olympic campaign. For me and my crew it remained just fun. And it actually always has been like this! Maybe this is the key to why we have been so successful in the past few years in this regatta." Racing for the 2010 Rolex Osprey Cup continues through Saturday, October 23. The format consists of a double round robin, followed by a knockout (first to win 3 points) semi-final and final rounds. A full list of competitors, including current standings, follows. For more information, including photos, please visit www.spyc.org. About Rolex Watch U.S.A. Since Rolex Watch U.S.A. first presented timepieces to America's Cup defenders in 1958, the company has consistently recognized and encouraged excellence in every important arena of competitive sailing, including elite athlete preparation, US SAILING championships, disabled sailing, and offshore, one-design and women's events. The Rolex Osprey Cup is part of the Rolex Yachting Portfolio that includes over 20 world-class sailing events taking place around the world such as the Rolex Miami OCR, New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Rolex Fastnet Race, Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, Rolex Big Boat Series, Rolex US-IRC National Championship, Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. (end) After Two Days of Racing: Wins Skipper (Hometown/Country), ISAF World Ranking as of 9/15/2010. Crew names (hometown) and notable information. 7 Genevieve Tulloch USA (San Francisco, Calif./USA), #11, she is the 2004 Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year and a two-time (2009, 2010) U.S. Women's Match Racing Champion. Crew: Alice Manard Leonard (New Orleans, La.), Jenn Chamberlin (Annapolis, Md.) and 2006 Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year Alana O'Reilly (Charleston, S.C.) 5 Maegan Ruhlman (Cleveland, Ohio/USA), #38, she is the winner of the 2010 Sundance Cup. Crew: Sara Morgan Watters (Oxford, Md.), Megan Riddle (Vermillion, Ohio) and Abby Rowlands (Cleveland, Ohio) 5 Giulia Conti (Toscolano Maderno/ITA), #34, she won the Rolex Osprey Cup in 2009, 2008 and 2005. Her crew is the same with whom she won the 2009 event: Alessandra Angelini, Lisa Lardani and Giovanna Micol. Conti and Micol represented Italy at the 2008 Olympics in the 470 Women's event. 4 Katy Lovell (New Orleans, La./USA), #28. Crew: 2008 Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year Kaity Storck (Huntington, N.Y.), Lyndsey Gibbons-Neff (Rosemont, Penn.) and Becky DaMore. 4 Rebecca Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn./USA). Crew: Keisha Pearson (Bellport, N.Y.), Kendall Reiley (Aspen, Colo.) and Janel Zarkowsky (Annapolis, Md.) 4 Adrienne Patterson (Newport Beach, Calif./USA), ranked #77 in the world, she is the 2007 Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year. Crew: Evan Brown (Tampa, Fla.), Emily Babbitt (Dartmouth, Mass.) and Hilary Wiech (Newport, R.I.) 3 Katie Abbott (Sarnia, Ontario/CAN), #145, she is a 2008 Olympian. Crew: Joanne Prokop, Caroline Kaars Sijpesteijn and Joanne Abbott. 2 Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wisc./USA), #116. Crew: Katrina Williams (Pembroke, Bermuda), Darby Smith (Marblehead, Mass.) and Shannon Wilkins (Annapolis, Md.) 1 Rachael Silverstein (St. Petersburg, Fla./USA), #191. Crew: Stephanie Reynolds, Abby Featherstone (Sarasota, Fla.) and Alex Martinez. All four are students at the University of South Florida. 0 Arabella Denvir (Kinsale, IRL), #118. Crew: Jessamine Lewis (Ft. Worth, Texas), Sarah Stanton and Stephanie Chaufournier (Arlington, Va.)
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