School's out for the summer

A new Youth Development Team has been introduced in the US for 2007

For the six members of US Sailing’s US Elite Youth Development Sailing Team (EYDT), college final exams are finished, and the summer sailing season is heating up! The athletes chosen for the new EYDT are all under 21 years old and have been identified as future Olympic prospects in the Laser and Laser Radial classes.

Luke Lawrence, Kyle Rogachenko and Fred Strammer are on their way to Hyères, France for the Laser Youth European Championship, which will be raced from 2-9 June. Strammer, who just graduated from Pine View High School, details his racing goals and how he plans to reach a high performance level in the Laser this summer:

"Now that school is done, I have been fervently working to prepare for a string of Laser regattas in June. My first stop will be in Hyères, France, for the Laser Youth European Championship. My bags are packed, and I am eager to sail in Europe for the first time.

"This past weekend, I sailed the Laser Atlantic Coast Championship in Jensen Beach, at the US Sailing Center of Martin County. I was very pleased with my regatta performance. With a moderate breeze at 10-17 mph from the East both days, the race course was full of local puffs and shifts. The regatta affirmed that my tactics and strategy are strong and that my speed off the wind was very competitive. One area of my sailing that I am still struggling with is my upwind heavy air boat speed. I hope Hyères proves to be light and tactically challenging because those are the conditions in which I excel. For the next two days, I will continue my workout routine and packing on the carbs and protein. France will be a huge learning opportunity and a chance to show my hard work and training from this past year.

"On my return from France, I leave immediately for the Laser North American Championship in Hyannis, Mass. My goal at this event is to qualify for the Olympic Trials - Sailing in Newport, this October. The North Americans will be a challenging event not only because of the number of sailors vying for a berth at the Trials, but because of the notorious windy conditions at this venue. Sailing the full rig at 160 pounds in a breeze over 15 mph is difficult against the taller and heavier competitors -- especially when the breeze is onshore creating a heavy chop. Despite the challenging conditions, I am eager to meet with the US Sailing medical, nutritional and fitness experts. Their guidance will be invaluable and accelerate my knowledge and expertise to reach higher levels of achievement.

"After Hyannis, I am off for a couple of days until I drive to New Orleans, for my last US Sailing Youth Championship. This venue should complement my sailing strengths, which is why I have high expectations. This event will also mark my last Laser regatta for the summer. After Youth Champs, I will be training for five weeks in Miami and my home in Nokomis in the Laser and Lightning to prepare for the Olympic Trials and the Lightning Youth North American Championship and the Lightning North American Championship in August.

"This summer should prove to be successful in raising the level of my performance, maturity and experience before heading off to college in the fall - and it will be loads of fun."

Newly launched in 2007, the EYDT will travel to major international regattas with the guidance of US Sailing's elite-level coaches in order to gain more competitive sailing experience against the best in the world. "I am excited to watch the first generation of our Elite Youth Development Team compete this summer," said Dean Brenner, the chairman of US Sailing's Olympic Sailing Program. "This is a huge step forward for Olympic Sailing in the U.S.”