il "signorino" degli Anelli..

barba2, originally uploaded by lzp.

Lo snipe non é una Classe Olimpica, ma sforna ottimi atleti di livello olimpico.

Di seguito un bell'articolo che spiega bene il concetto e che riporta i nomi degli atleti olimpici passati per lo snipe.

PS: ed in fondo all'articolo un quesito impronunciabile..
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article courtesy of www.sciraus.org

Snipe Sailors in the Olympics
 

The Snipe Class is known as the training ground for Olympic dingy sailors.  It is a boat in which boat handling, tactics and strategy are of utmost importance.  The Snipe Class provides a sailor lots of boat time sailing against very skilled sailors.  It's a perfect environment for developing and keeping your sailing skills sharp.
 

SNIPE as an OLYMPIC TRAINING CLASS:

 

The Snipe is a great boat to cross train in for the Olympics.  The Snipe Class has allowed me to compete on an International level that is above all other International classes.  You can find the Snipe Class active in more than 26 countries including Russia, Japan, Brazil and Spain.  The Snipe is built rock solid. The crew weight is very forgiving due to the hull/crew weight ratio (380 lbs/ around 300 lbs. crew). The boat is one of the most modern boats available with all the trims of a Star, except the check stays. A true one design class. Parts and hulls are readily available. Competitive boats can be purchased from $4,000.00 up to a new boat price of $8,500.00 US.  THEY LAST for more than six years at that same competitive level. That's not the case in most other boats that last as few as 6 months to two years. A Snipe could be sailed in two Olympics and win them both, while training hard and regatta sailing in between the two events.

As for the women, ask any of the Snipe World Class women sailors... You can't have a better boat to race for women sailors of all sizes.

 

Here are some facts about the 2004 and 2000 Olympics.

 

2000 Olympics: Sailors that started out in or cross train in the SNIPE.

 

Star: Mark Reynolds, USA Torben Grael, Brazil

Laser: Robert Scheidt, Brazil , (2004) 1st, 8th Mark Mendelblatt USA, 26th Maxim Semerkhanov Russia, 24th Alejandro Foglia Uruguay

470 men: Dmitri Berezkin, Russia, Alexnadre Paradeda & Andre Fonseca, Brazil

Toronado: Santiago Lange, Mariano Parada, Argentina, Mauricio Santa Cruz, Brazil

49er: Diogo Cayolla, Portugal , Jonathan Persson, Denmark

Finn: Luca Devoti, Italy (Snipe builder)

Soling: Andrey Kirilyuk, Russia

 

 

2004 Olympics: Sailors that started out in or cross train in the SNIPE.

 

Yngling (2004)  8th Ekaterina Skudina/Tatiana Lartseva Russia,  9th Karianne Eikeland Norway, 10th Carol Cronin/Liz Filter/Nancy Haberland USA, 12th Marina Sanchez Spain

Tornado (2004) 3rd Santiago Lange Argentina, 9th Andre Kirilyuk/Valey Ushkov Russia, 16th Diogo Cayolla Portugal, 17th Mauricio Santa Cruz Brazil

49er(2004) 6th Andre Fonseca/Rodrigo Duarte Brazil

Star(2004) 1st Torben Grael Brazil, 5th Paul Cayard/Phil Trinter USA

470 men (2004) 1st Robert Scheidt Brazil, 8th Mark Mendelblatt USA, 26th Maxim Semerkhanov Russia, 24th Alejandro Foglia Uruguay 2nd Kenjiro Todoroki Japan, 8th Alexandre Paradeda Brazil, 10th Andrea Trani Italy, 17th Dmitry Berezkin Russia

 

For the Jr. set, the 2-time National HS Champions, Pt Loma HS skippers also sail Snipes to cross-train: Adam Roberts, Parker Shinn, Graham Biehl, Tyler Sinks, Bryan Rigby, Briana Provancha. Other top HS sailors: Zach Brown, Megan Magill, Nick Martin all sail Snipes regularly to improve their big course skills & tactics.

 

All-American college sailors Mikee Anderson-Mitterling, Bryan Lake & Andrew Campell all sail(ed) Snipes.

 

The last 4 Star Gold Medals were won by Snipe guys (Mark and Torben). At the recent Olympics Torben and Robert Scheidt won Gold, Santiago Lange also a Snipe Sailor a Bronze.

  

 

Other classes that Snipe Sailors have won championships in.

 

V-15 National, Champ Mike Funsch 2003, Kevin Funsch & Watt Duffy (1999 & 2001)

Laser Master, Andrew Pimental

Argile Campbell Melges 24 World and National Champ

Jack Franco Thistle National Champ

Craig Leweck Coronado 15 National Champ, Lido National Champion

George Szabo Top Star Sailor, two time Lido National Champion, Champion of Champion Gold Medal

Mark Reynolds Star Olympic Champ, World Champion

Bart Hackworth Santana 20

Chuck Sinks Sabot National Champion

Jim Bowers Interclub National Champion

Craig Leweck Lido National Champ

Chris Snow J-24 National Champion

Johnathan Pickney Leh 12

Chris Rabb Laser Master Champion

Augie Diaz Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Laser Master Champion

Henry Filter Laser US team Member, J-22 4 th in World, Melges 24,

 

A quote from US Sailing:

"Notable skippers include two-time winners of the US Championships of Champions: Tom Linskey, Ed Adams (SNIPE SAILOR), Hobie Alter and Russell Robinson. Three time winners include Paul Foerster and George Szabo (SNIPE SAILOR). Both Foerster and Szabo have represented two different classes in this event (FD/ JY 15 and Lido 14/Star respectively).
2002 Winner Bill Draheim was also on the top podium step as winning crew in 1987 with Paul Foerster. In 1996 George Szabo with crew Stacey Dumain (George's wife and Snipe Crew also a great Womans Snipe Sailor) from San Diego sailing for the Lido 14 Class became the first to win the C of Cs in their own class."

 

Champion of Champions winners:

2003 Allen Terhune - Lightning Champions - Raced in MC Scows
2002 Bill Draheim, Natalie Mauney, Scott Mauney - Flying Scots - Raced in Flying Scots
2001 George Szabo, Brian Janney - Star ( Snipe National Championship Team, and North American Team) (2nd place was Kevin Funsch Snipe Sailor)
2000 Paul Foerster, Carrie Foerster - JY15 (Runner up Kevin Funsch Snipe Sailor)
1999 John Mollicone, Danny Rabin - JY 15
1998 Kelly Gough, Heide Gough, Natalie Mauney - Flying Scots
1997 George Szabo, Stacey Dumain - Lido 14s (Snipe)
1996 George Szabo, Stacey Dumain - Lido 14s (Snipe)
1995 Brian Taboada, Larry Colantuano (Lightning) Brick - Ideal 18s
1994 Russell Robinson, Allan Robinson – 110
1993 Russell Robinson, Mike Considine – 110
1992 Paul Foerster - Flying Dutchman - raced in MC Scows
1991 Jamie McCreary - International One-Design
1990 Craig Leweck, Matt Reynolds - Lido 14 SNIPE SAILOR
1989 Bart Hackworth, Will Baylis - Santana 20 SNIPE SAILOR
1988 Ed Adams, Meredith Adams - 1986 Champions (Snipe Sailor)
1987 Paul Forester, Andrew Goldman, Bill Draheim - Flying Dutchman
1986 Ed Adams, Meredith Adams, Geoff Moore – Snipe
1985 Steve Rosenberg, Brodie Cobb, Jim Brady – Snipe
1984 Riaz Latifullah, Barney Harris, Jud Smith – Albacore

 

In a few of these years the Snipe sailors that cross train in other classes took the top 5 spots out of the top Six at the US Championship of Champions.

For example at the 2001 Champion of Champions, Snipe sailors took all top seven places of the top seven.

Final Results 2001

 

 

 

George Szabo 1st  Kevin Funsch 2nd  Chriss Rabb 3rd  Chuck Sinks 4th  Jim Bowers 5th  Chris Snow 6th  Stacey Szabo 7th

 

There are many reasons for this focus internationally on the Snipe for quality sailing.  The Snipe is found all around the world. It has builders all around the world. The Snipe lasts a long time and can compete at a top level for a long time. Top sailors around the world already sail and cross train in Snipes.  The Snipe Class is a lot of fun for all ages. Augie Diaz Rollex Yachtsman of the year was the Snipe World Champion and the Snipe Master World Champion. His Father "Old Man" Diaz is famous for winning at least one race in just about every National Championship at an age over Seventy Years Old. Women's teams can compete in the Snipe at the same level as men's teams. There are many Woman Crews in the Snipe class at all levels.

 

Most of all the Snipe is Serious Sailing and Serious Fun for all sailors.  It meets all the specs for the Olympic class boat, as if the specs where written about the SNIPE not the other way around...

ma se questa e' la situazione, perche' cercare di fare dello snipe una pseudo-Classe Olimpica??

Non sarebbe logico che chi abbia smanie olimpiche vada a regatare in una Classe Olimpica anziche' cercare di fare a pezzi una Classe che olimpica non e'?