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Local sailors top North American Championships
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| Five area competitive sailors recently performed very well at the Laser North American championship in Canada. (Front) Kayla Gibson, Brad Shaw; (back) Greg Martinez, Reed Baldridge, Chase Shaw, coach Ryan Minth and Carson Crain. |
Five local sailors recently took top honors at the Laser North American championship in Ontario, Canada.
More than 200 competitors from eight different countries at the Buffalo Canoe Club came to compete for the title. And after three days of racing in a variety of weather conditions, two Houston-area sailors took the top two places in the Laser 4.7 class.
In addition, three local sailors finished in the top 10 places in the Laser Radial Class.
Brad Shaw won the North American Laser .47 and Kayla Gibson was second overall.
Head coach Ryan Minth congratulated his team.
“I know they were all capable of great races,” he said. “To have this many Texas sailor finish at the top of the heap has a lot of people taking notice. I’m very proud of them. This group has been training together since March and their efforts are paying off.”
Greg Martinez, Carson Crain, and Chase Shaw were fourth, sixth, and 10th, respectively, of 128 boats in the Radial class.
For Martinez, a Kinkaid School sophomore and the top finisher in the group, the North American Championships were his first international regatta.
“I felt good about my preparation and training,” he said. “I just tried to focus on each race and not allow nerves to be a factor.”
Both Gibson, a Memorial High School junior, and Carson Crain, a St. John’s School sophomore, have some international regatta experience and felt the competitors were top notch.
“Competing against the Canadian sailors brings everyone’s level of sailing up,” said Crain. “Lining up with the Canadian Olympians and Olympic hopefuls is challenging and exciting.”
For brothers Chase and Brad Shaw this regatta was a family affair.
“In between races, I kept an eye out for my dad and my brother,” said Brad Shaw. “It was nice that we could all be there to support each other.”
The Laser is a single-handed boat about 13 feet, 8 inches in length.
There are three different types of sail used in the event. Those are full rig, radial rig and 4.7, depending on the sailor’s size and strength.
The Laser North American Championships is an open even, meaning both youth and adults participate.
The next major for these sailors will be the Laser National Championships in August in Brant Beach, New Jersey.
More than 200 competitors from eight different countries at the Buffalo Canoe Club came to compete for the title. And after three days of racing in a variety of weather conditions, two Houston-area sailors took the top two places in the Laser 4.7 class.
In addition, three local sailors finished in the top 10 places in the Laser Radial Class.
Brad Shaw won the North American Laser .47 and Kayla Gibson was second overall.
Head coach Ryan Minth congratulated his team.
“I know they were all capable of great races,” he said. “To have this many Texas sailor finish at the top of the heap has a lot of people taking notice. I’m very proud of them. This group has been training together since March and their efforts are paying off.”
Greg Martinez, Carson Crain, and Chase Shaw were fourth, sixth, and 10th, respectively, of 128 boats in the Radial class.
For Martinez, a Kinkaid School sophomore and the top finisher in the group, the North American Championships were his first international regatta.
“I felt good about my preparation and training,” he said. “I just tried to focus on each race and not allow nerves to be a factor.”
Both Gibson, a Memorial High School junior, and Carson Crain, a St. John’s School sophomore, have some international regatta experience and felt the competitors were top notch.
“Competing against the Canadian sailors brings everyone’s level of sailing up,” said Crain. “Lining up with the Canadian Olympians and Olympic hopefuls is challenging and exciting.”
For brothers Chase and Brad Shaw this regatta was a family affair.
“In between races, I kept an eye out for my dad and my brother,” said Brad Shaw. “It was nice that we could all be there to support each other.”
The Laser is a single-handed boat about 13 feet, 8 inches in length.
There are three different types of sail used in the event. Those are full rig, radial rig and 4.7, depending on the sailor’s size and strength.
The Laser North American Championships is an open even, meaning both youth and adults participate.
The next major for these sailors will be the Laser National Championships in August in Brant Beach, New Jersey.
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