Local Sailors Invited to Inaugural Youth National Team
Four Chesapeake area youth sailors have earned invitations to the inaugural US Sailing Youth National Team (USYNT). Three of the racers are from the Annapolis area—Alders Kulynych-Irvin, Annie Sitzmann, and Molly Bonham—and Pierpaolo Baldassari hails from Washington, DC. Sitzmann and Bonham qualified in the 29er, while Kulynych-Irvin and Baldassari earned their spots in the ILCA 6 and I420, respectively.
The USYNT concept was announced by US Sailing in December 2024 as part of the larger pathway that bridges Youth to Olympic Development and the US Sailing Team. This year’s USYNT is comprised of 66 sailors aged 19 and under that qualified in the 29er, i420, Nacra 15, ILCA 6, iQFOiL, and Formula Kite.
Class-specific training camps have been held this spring and will continue into early summer for USYNT sailors in preparation for international events to be held in July and August.
“We are thrilled for the opportunity to work with such a talented group of young athletes, as well as their coaches, clubs, and supporters at home,” says Phil Muller, US Sailing youth performance manager and head coach of the US Youth Team. “Our goal is to bring the top youth sailors in the US together as one team to train in collaborative settings and compete for the USA. The training schedule and deliverables for each sailor are bespoke and based on the unique needs of each class, its sailors, and future development of vital skills.”
Up to 16 athletes will go on to qualify for the US Sailing Youth Worlds Team that will represent the US at the Youth Sailing World Championships in Portugal in December.
While the Youth Worlds Team has been around for many years, the Youth National Team was created to encompass a broader pool of nationally recognized talent beyond the 16 that qualify for the Youth World Championship.
USODA Team Trials
The Southern Bay welcomed a group of talented young Opti sailors March 29 through April 6 as Norfolk Yacht and Country Club hosted the US Optimist Dinghy Association Team Trails. This event served as a qualifier for the 2025 Summer International Teams and the US National and US Development Teams. It was a week of classic Hampton Roads spring weather, with a little bit of everything, to challenge the young competitors.
Eleven Chesapeake sailors placed in the top 100 boats out of 250 boats competing. Three Annapolis Yacht Club sailors placed in the top 20: Mason Keane topped the group capturing 13th place; Morgan Rosenthal placed 15th; and Daniel Skutch secured 19th place.
June CBYRA Junior Sailing Events
- Fishing Bay Annual Junior Regatta; Fishing Bay YC, Deltaville, VA, June 21-22;
- Norfolk Yacht and Country Club Junior Annual Regatta; Norfolk, VA, June 24;
- Commonwealth Cup/Virginia State Championship at Hampton YC, Hampton, VA, June 26-27;
- West River Sailing Club Junior Annual Regatta; West River SC, Galesville, MD. June 30.
Turn to the July SpinSheet for more youth news and send your youth regatta recaps and photos to [email protected].
