Junior Olympics sail in Newport

Rick Devereux

Henry David Thoreau wrote, “He is the best sailor who can steer

within the fewest points of the wind, and extract a motive power out

of the greatest obstacles.”

Approximately 125 junior sailors will discover if the 19th century

naturalist and philosopher’s advice is accurate when they compete in

the 2004 U.S. Sailing Junior Olympic Festival-Southern California

today through Sunday at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club.

Participants from 8 to 18 will compete in six various racing

classes over the four-day event, including Laser, Laser Radial, Byte,

Club 420, Club Flying Junior and 29er. The winners in each class step

up to an Olympic-like podium, and the Laser and 29er victors will

race in a national championship later in the year on the east coast.

The main goal of the regatta races is to encourage young sailors

to enjoy sailing and to develop their skills.

“Most of the kids are coming here to sail and compete,” race

committee chairman Scott Mason said. “Most will sail at the high

school level, which is a good theater for going into college sailing,

and then maybe the Olympics.”

Entering its eighth year, the Southern California Junior Olympics

will open with 2000 Olympic silver medalist J.J. Isler (Women’s 470

Class) addressing the competitors on Friday.

“The highlights for these kids is seeing their heroes, and having

Isler will be a treat for them,” Mason said. “There will also be a

beach luau for the kids on Saturday.”

Aside from the guest speaker, 15 races over three days and the

luau, the sailors will participate in practice sessions in the ocean

geared toward honing their strategy, team work and development. Mason

said the instructor will include former-All-Americans from Boston

College and Dartmouth as well as current college students.

Mason said that the number of participants in junior sailing is

reaching new highs for the Newport-Mesa area.

“The number of kids involved is up a tick from years past,” he

said. “I was talking with coach from Long Beach, and it’s just the

opposite from them. I think it’s just the cycle of how things go.

There are more kids participating in other sports in the area as

well.”

Mason said that the Newport-Mesa area is known for producing

high-quality sailors that started competing at a young age and have

risen to the highest levels of the sport.

“Look at 2004 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team, most came out of

California,” he said. “Clearly sailing is a life-long sport for

people. Because sailing is a year-round activity in Southern

California we have twice the number of entrants as the Northern

California Junior Olympics.”

The there are four sailors on the 23-person 2004 U.S. Olympic

Sailing Team with ties to the Newport-Mesa area.

Peter Wells graduated from UC Irvine in 1996 and resides in

Newport Beach and will compete in men’s mistral (windsurfing) in

Athens. Lanee Butler Beashel graduated from UCI in 1993 and will

compete in the women’s mistral. Charlie Ogletree will be part of the

two-man Tornado catamaran events in Athens and is a member of the

Newport Harbor Yacht Club. Competing in the Sonar class for the U.S.

Paralympic Team, John Ross-Dugan was paralyzed from the chest down at

the age of 23 after an auto accident. Ross-Dugan graduated from

Newport Harbor High in 1972 and UCI in 1979 and was named the U.S.

Sailing Male Athlete of the Year in 1996 following a bronze finish at

the Atlanta Games.