MAY 16, 2012, 4:22 PM ET  (courtesy teamusa.org)

Bantamweight Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.), featherweight Tiara Brown (Lehigh Acres, Fla.), light welterweight Mikaela Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.), welterweight Raquel Miller (San Francisco, Calif.), and light heavyweight Franchon Crews (Baltimore, Md.) will all compete in the semifinals on Friday.

One day after becoming the first U.S. female boxer in history to qualify for the Olympic Games, Esparza faced off with Ren in quarterfinal action. Esparza fell behind early in the bout and was never able to make up her deficit. She trailed by an 8-3 margin after two rounds of action and faced an 11-6 deficit with one round remaining. Can went on to win a 16-8 final decision to eliminate Esparza from the 2012 Women’s World Championships. She will now focus on preparation for the historic debut of women’s boxing in London.

Mayer had to wait until Tuesday to compete in her first bout but she opened the tournament in dominating fashion, winning a 34-13 decision over New Zealand’s Laura Matthews in preliminary round action. She quickly returned to the ring on Wednesday, facing India’s Meena Rani in her second bout of the tournament. Mayer once again poured on the points, taking an 11-4 lead after the first two rounds. She nearly doubled her point total in the third round, claiming a 20-8 advantage with one round remaining. Mayer held Rani to only two points over the last two minutes to win a 27-10 final decision and advance to a semifinal match-up with North Korea’s Kyong Pak.

Bantamweight Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) continued her run through the tournament with a late comeback win over Thailand’s Spikda Satumrum in her quarterfinal bout. The two boxers battled in a close match-up through all four rounds with Satumrum taking a slim one-point lead following a tied first round. Cruz fell behind by two after the third round, but refused to get discouraged, outscoring Satumrum by three in the fourth stanza to win a 20-19 decision. Cruz moves on to a semifinal contest with Italy’s Terry Gordini.

Brown mounted a comeback in her quarterfinal bout as well, defeating China’s Jian Qin on Wednesday. Qin held a 13-9 lead at the halfway mark of the bout, but Brown began chipping away at her lead in the third round. She trailed by only one point as the fourth round began and outscored Qin over the final two minutes to win a 23-22 final decision. Brown will take on Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva on Friday.

Crews faced Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova in her light heavyweight quarterfinal contest. Crews took a small 6-4 lead after the first round, but she took control of the bout in the second. She enjoyed a 10-point advantage over Shakimova after three rounds and pushed it a 30-12 final victory over the last two minutes of action. Crews will challenge Hungary’s Timea Nagy in Friday’s semifinals.

International newcomer Miller has enjoyed a strong showing at her first World Championships tournament and it continued in Wednesday’s action as she battled Turkey’s Bilgehan Karabulut. Miller grabbed a strong early lead and extended it throughout the bout. She enjoyed a strong 8-3 advantage as the final round began and won an 11-5 final decision to clinch a spot in the medal rounds. She will face Russia’s Irina Poteyeva in Friday’s semifinal action.

Light flyweight Alex Love (Monroe, Wash.) dropped her event opener by a slim margin in a preliminary contest with Kazakhstan’s Nazym Kyzaybay on Tuesday. The bout entered the final round tied at 14 but Kyzaybay won a 20-19 final decision to eliminate Love from the tournament.

Although middleweight Olympic hopeful Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) lost on Monday, her opponent in the bout, Savannah Marshall, remains in action, keeping her potential Olympic hopes alive.

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AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, May 11-20, Qinhuangdao, China

A record number of 343 women’s boxers from 77 nations will be participating in the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in China, and the main reason for the huge numbers is because women’s boxing will be a part of the Olympic Games for the first time this summer in London.

The Women’s World Championships official event draw was held Friday in Qinhuangdao, China and the three potential Olympians from the United States and six fellow World Championship team members know the road that lies ahead for each of them in the key international tournament.

An altered Olympic qualification process focused on continental quotas was announced at the event’s technical meeting on Thursday, and the United States’ three Olympic hopefuls now will have a slightly different road than initially thought to advance to London. While eight boxers from each Olympic weight class still will earn berths in China, the selections will be based on how they finish in comparison with the other boxers from their continent. Flyweight Marlen Esparza and middleweight Claressa Shields will need to place in the top two from the Americas while lightweight Queen Underwood requires a first-place finish in the continent. The qualification rule change could mean that it won’t be until the end of the tournament before the full list of 2012 Olympic Games competitors is announced.

Underwood and Shields opened action with Esparza taking the ring for the first time on Sunday due to a first round bye. Underwood will take on Dayana Sanchez of Argentina while Shields battles India’s Pooja Raniin first round action on Saturday. Esparza will face the winner of a first round contest between Argentina’s Pamela Benavidez and Zohra El Zahraoui of Mauritius in her first bout on Sunday.

courtesy of teamusa.org

May 11, 2012

(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO) – The Women’s World Championships official event draw was held today in Qinhuangdao, China and the three potential Olympians from the United States and six fellow World Championship team members know the road that lies ahead for each of them in the key international tournament

An altered Olympic qualification process focused on continental quotas was announced at the event’s technical meeting on Thursday, and the United States’ three Olympic hopefuls will now have a slightly different road than initially thought to advance to London. While eight boxers from each Olympic weight class will still earn berths in China, the selections will be based on how they finish in comparison with the other boxers from their continent. Flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) and middleweight Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) will need to place in the top two from the Americas while lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.) requires a first place finish in the continent. Due to this wrinkle in the qualification process, it could be the end of the tournament before the full list of 2012 Olympic Games competitors is announced

Underwood and Shields will open action tomorrow with Esparza taking the ring for the first time on Sunday due to a first round bye. Underwood will take on Dayana Sanchez of Argentina while Shields battles India’s Pooja Rani in first round action on Saturday. Esparza will face the winner of a first round contest between Argentina’s Pamela Benavidez and Zohra El Zahraoui of Mauritius in her first bout on Sunday.

In non-Olympic weight class action, welterweight Raquel Miller (San Francisco, Calif.) will kick off the competition for Team USA in a bout with New Zealand’s Daena Stephenson today. Bantamweight Christina Cruz (New York, N.Y.) will join the Olympic trio in competition on Sunday as she battles Nicole Michel of Switzerland. Featherweight Tiara Brown (Lehigh Acres, Fla.) and light heavyweight Franchon Crews (Baltimore, Md.) will open competition on Monday. Brown will await the winner of a bout between Serbia’s Ranic Bojana and India’s Mandakini Kangabam while Crews will take on France’s Sabrina Delarue. Light welterweight Mikaela Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.) will be the final U.S. boxer to take the ring as she takes on the winner of the bout between New Zealand’s Laura Matthews and Spain’s Judit Barbosa Sotelo on May 15.

Preliminary action will be contested in two sessions daily at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time from today through Tuesday. Quarterfinal competition will take place on Wednesday prior to Thursday’s off day. Friday will feature semifinal rounds action with the event concluding on Saturday, May 19 with final round competition.

A full list of brackets for the event are attached, and live results can be viewed via the AIBA website at www.aiba.org.

FIVB Heroes Feature – Juliana

In the first FIVB Heroes feature Juliana Felisberta da Silva from Brazil shows not only her soccer skills. Watch this video and find out more about Juliana.

Juliana (fivb.org)

Watch Saturday’s semifinal highlights from the Mutua Madrid Open, featuring Victoria Azarenka defeating Agnieszka Radwanska 62 64 and Serena Williams defeating Lucie Hradecka 76(5) 60.

2012 Mutua Madrid Open Day 5 WTA Highlights

Watch highlights of Wednesday’s second and third round matches at the Mutua Madrid Open, featuring Agnieszka Radwanska defeating Sara Errani 60 61 and Li Na defeating Angelique Kerber 75 64.

2012 Mutua Madrid Open Day 4 WTA Highlights

Watch Tuesday’s highlights from second round action at the Mutua Madrid Open, featuring Maria Sharapova defeating Klara Zakopalova 64 63 and Victoria Azarenka defeating Andrea Hlavackova 63 76(2).

2012 Mutua Madrid Open Day 3 WTA Highlights

Watch highlights of Monday’s first round matches at the Mutua Madrid Open, featuring Serena Williams defeating Elena Vesnina 63 61 and Petra Kvitova defeating Marina Erakovic 62 63.

2012-05-14

First Lady Michelle Obama joined athletes from Team USA at the 2012 Media Summit in Dallas,Texas. Mrs. Obama was at the Summit to announce a collaboration with the U.S. Olympic Committee to get 1.7 million American children active. It’s part of her Let’s Move! initiative that she launched two year ago to solve the problem of childhood obesity.

First Lady Michelle Obama joined athletes from Team USA at the 2012 Media Summit in Dallas,Texas. Mrs. Obama was at the Summit to announce a collaboration with the U.S. Olympic Committee to get 1.7 million American children active. It’s part of her Let’s Move! initiative that she launched two year ago to solve the problem of childhood obesity.
Through the Partnership for a Healthier America, the USOC, U.S. Paralympics, and 10 national governing bodies for sport, including USA Cycling/USA BMX, USA Swimming, and USA Track & Field, will provide beginner athletic programs to more than 1.7 million kids in the U.S. in 2012.

First Lady Michelle Obama at the Olympic Media Summit from Women’s Sports & Ent. Network on Vimeo.

Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 21, has taken out the Billabong Women’s Rio Pro over Coco Ho (HAW), 21, by a score of 14.10 to 14.03 in peaky one-to-three foot (.5 metre) waves at the primary venue of Barra da Tijuca.

BARRA DA TIJUCA, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Sunday, May 13, 2012) – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 21, has taken out the Billabong Women’s Rio Pro over Coco Ho (HAW), 21, by a score of 14.10 to 14.03 in peaky one-to-three foot (.5 metre) waves at the primary venue of Barra da Tijuca.

Sally Fitzgibbons (HAW) charged into the final. © ASP/ Dunbar

Event No. 5 of 7 on the 2012 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, the Billabong Pro Rio culminated in a thrilling fashion this afternoon with both Fitzgibbons and Ho exchanging the Final’s lead multiple times before the hooter sounded..

Coco Ho (HAW) advanced into the final. © ASP/ Dunbar

Carissa Moore (HAW), 19, last year’s Billabong Rio Pro winner and reigning ASP Women’s World Champion, was edged out of a hard-fought battle against Fitzgibbons in their high-scoring Semifinal affair. Both competitors posted big-scores in the dying seconds of the heat, but it was Fitzgibbons who earned the best of the exchange, handing Moore and equal 3rd place result.

Carissa Moore (HAW) tearing apart the waves at Barra Da Tijuca. © ASP/ Dunbar

The Billabong Rio Pro is proudly supported by Monster Energy Drink and Xperia Sony Smartphone.

BARRA DA TIJUCA, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Sunday, May 13, 2012) – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 21, has taken out the Billabong Women’s Rio Pro over Coco Ho (HAW), 21, by a score of 14.10 to 14.03 in peaky one-to-three foot (.5 metre) waves at the primary venue of Barra da Tijuca.
Event No. 5 of 7 on the 2012 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, the Billabong Pro Rio culminated in a thrilling fashion this afternoon with both Fitzgibbons and Ho exchanging the Final’s lead multiple times before the hooter sounded..
In need of a high 7-point ride with just minutes remaining in the heat, Fitzgibbons bashed a blowing lefthander on her backside, notching a 7.93 out of 10 to take the elite win, her second of the year.
“That was so crazy and Coco (Ho) had me on the ropes for sure,” Fitzgibbons said. “I just had my fingers crossed and knew there would be one towards the end. I made a few mistakes and it happens in Finals but I was able to recover there at the end. I’m so excited.”
Fitzgibbons, current No. 2 on the ASP Women’s WCT, has significantly narrowed the gap between her and current ASP frontrunner Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 24, but remained humble in regards to her chase for the 2012 ASP World Title.
“This makes the World Title race more interesting, but thinking ahead, it’s still pretty far to go,” Fitzgibbons said. “There are still a couple of events, but to get a win, it’s an amazing result. To win at Bells too, it’s been an awesome year so far.”
Ho, who was ranked 12th on the ASP Women’s WCT ratings before the Billabong Rio Pro, had yet to advance beyond the Quarterfinals this year, but her Runner-Up finish to Fitzgibbons vaults the young Hawaiian to 9th in the world and restores her confidence to appropriate levels.
“This result really opens things up for me,” Ho said. “I’ve been having a really tough year and I’m stoked to get into this Final. This is my best result of the year and this has been an important event for me. Congrats to Sally on her win.”
Carissa Moore (HAW), 19, last year’s Billabong Rio Pro winner and reigning ASP Women’s World Champion, was edged out of a hard-fought battle against Fitzgibbons in their high-scoring Semifinal affair. Both competitors posted big-scores in the dying seconds of the heat, but it was Fitzgibbons who earned the best of the exchange, handing Moore and equal 3rd place result.
“I think we all want to make the Final and it’s disappointing,” Moore said. “I’ve lost to Sally (Fitzgibbons)twice this year and I’ve just got to keep trying in the next couple of events and that’s it.”
Moore, who was dominant over the course of 2011, has yet to find a win this year, but remains focused on attaining a strong performance to end out the season..
“I think it’s been a bunch of things this year,” Moore said. “I think finding the right waves is one thing overall and I need to switch it up and bring something different out.”
Alessa Quizon (HAW), 18, Billabong Rio Pro wildcard, put in an incredible performance at this year’s event, tearing through the world’s best female surfers and finding her way into the Semifinals. Quizon put up a good fight against fellow Hawaiian Coco Ho, but ultimately fell during last minute exchange, finishing with a respectable equal 3rd place finish overall.
“This has been an amazing event for me,” Quizon said. “I had nothing to lose and it’s been a great learning experience for me and I’m happy that I made it to the Semifinals. I could tell that Coco (Ho) was getting the scores that she needed and I was looking for one big score and I just didn’t find it. Sometimes it happens that way.”
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am local time for a possible recommencement to men’s Billabong Rio Pro competition. For all of the LIVE action log on to http://wctbrasil.com
The Billabong Rio Pro is proudly supported by Monster Energy Drink and Xperia Sony Smartphone.
The next stop on the 2012 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour is the Roxy Pro Biarritz from July 10 – 14, 2012
BILLABONG WOMEN’S RIO PRO FINAL RESULT:1 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.102 – Coco Ho (HAW) 14.03
BILLABONG WOMEN’S RIO PRO SEMIFINAL RESULTS:SF 1: Coco Ho (HAW) 14.16 def. Alessa Quizon (HAW) 10.94SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.47 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.36
CURRENT ASP WOMEN’S WCT TOP 5 (After Billabong Rio Pro):1. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 38,400 pts2. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 36,900 pts3. Carissa Moore (HAW) 30,200 pts4. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 29,600 pts5. Tyler Wright (AUS) 28,700 pts

Billabong Rio Pro Begins

BARRA DA TIJUCA, Rio de Janeiro/Brasil – Running in conjunction with the men’s event is the fifth stop on the 2012 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, the Billabong Women’s Rio Pro. This year has bore witness to return of four-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 24, to the top of the ratings after posting two big wins.

Carissa Moore (HAW)

Sofia Mulanovich (PER), 28, and Silvana Lima (BRA), 27, have both withdrawn from the event due to illness and injury. They have been replaced by Melanie Bartels (HAW), 30, and Sarah Mason (NZL), 17, respectively.

When women’s competition commences, up first will be Courtney Conlogue (USA), 19, Lakey Peterson (USA), 18, and Sage Erickson (USA), 21.

BILLABONG WOMEN’S RIO PRO ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Courtney Conlogue (USA), Lakey Peterson (USA), Sage Erickson (USA)
Heat 2: Tyler Wright (AUS), Paige Hareb (NZL), Justine Dupont (FRA)
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Sarah Mason (NZL), TBA
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Rebecca Woods (AUS), Melanie Bartels (HAW)
Heat 5: Carissa Moore (HAW), Coco Ho (HAW), Jacqueline Silva (BRA)
Heat 6: Laura Enever (AUS), Malia Manuel (HAW), Pauline Ado (FRA)

The Billabong Women’s Rio Pro will run from May 9 – 13, 2012 and will be webcast LIVE via www.billabongpro.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

At the mere age of 17, Claressa Shields aims to be the best women boxer in the world. Shields has already qualified for the 2012 Olympic Team. Brawling her way into history, Shields uses the element of surprise to her advantage. Often, her competitors underestimate Shields’ ability and experience based on age alone. Physically and mentally prepared, Shields is ready to fight for a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.

DALLAS, Texas – Fans of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic sport have let their voices be heard. The United States Olympic Committee and Allstate Insurance Company today announced the members of the Class of 2012 who will be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate during a press conference at the Team USA Media Summit in Dallas. The Class of 2012, partially determined by fan voting, is comprised of six Olympians, one Paralympian, one team, as well as three additional individuals: a coach, veteran and a special contributor.

The list of inductees includes Gail Devers (track & field), Jean Driscoll (Paralympic track & field), Gary Hall, Jr. (swimming), Lisa Fernandez (softball), Kristine Lilly (soccer), Dan O’Brien (track & field), Jenny Thompson (swimming), the 2004 U.S. Olympic Women’s Softball Team,  Ed Temple (coach – track & field), James Connolly (veteran – track & field) and Ted Stevens (special contributor).

“Over the years, these men and women captured our hearts and inspired us as Americans to strive for greatness, paving the way for today’s Olympians and Paralympians who will soon compete in this summer’s London Games,” said Lisa Cochrane, senior vice president of marketing for Allstate.  “Allstate is proud to support such a prestigious, lifetime achievement and extends its gratitude to the fans for their role in determining the very deserving U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2012.”

The Class of 2012 was determined by a voting process that includes Olympians, Paralympians, members of the Olympic Family and a public voting element. The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate is one of the only national sports halls of fame that includes fan voting as part of its selection process. This year more than 100,000 votes were cast at TeamUSA.org.

“The Class of 2012 inductees have provided fans of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams with countless inspiring moments, and it’s an honor to welcome them to the U.S Olympic Hall of Fame, where both their achievements and impact will be celebrated,” said Scott Blackmun, USOC chief executive officer. “Together with Allstate and fans of Team USA, we congratulate them on their accomplishments and thank them for their commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Movements.”

The Class of 2012 is the 15th class to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate and will bring the total membership to 96 Olympians, five Paralympians, 10 teams, four coaches, 10 veterans, 16 contributors and two Olive Branch award inductees.

“I am completely overwhelmed by this honor,”  said Lisa Fernandez, a three-time Olympic gold medalist. “I never thought that playing the game of softball that I love so much would allow me to reach this level of accomplishment. This is bigger than anything I have dreamed of. What we have been able to achieve as a sport is incredible, and there is no greater honor than being inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.”

In addition to the introduction of the aforementioned athletes, coaches and contributors, the Olive Branch Achievement Award – created to honor an individual who best represents the international ideals of the Olympic Movement by working to build a peaceful and better world through sport – will be introduced and presented at the induction ceremony.

The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2012 will be formally introduced and honored on July 12 during an awards ceremony at the Harris Theater in Chicago. The ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Roberts and Alex Flanagan, will air in a nationally-televised broadcast on NBC Sports Network on August 24 at 7 p.m. ET.

courtesy of team usa.org

USA Will Face China on May 27 in Chester, Pa. in Second-to-Last Domestic Match Before the 2012 Olympics

CHICAGO (May 9, 2012) – U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage has named 28 players for a training camp being held in Princeton, N.J., from May 10-25. The U.S. team will then travel to Philadelphia to make final preparations for its match against China on May 27 at PPL Park in Chester, Pa., in what will be the second-to-last domestic match for the U.S. team before it departs for the 2012 London Olympics.

On April 24, the USA found out its first-round opponents at the Olympics. The U.S. will open Group G play with two matches at the famed Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. The U.S. first faces France (5 p.m. local / 12 p.m. ET) on July 25 – two days before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies – and then takes on Colombia on July 28 (5 p.m. local / 12 p.m. ET). The USA will finish group play against Korea DPR on July 31 (5:15 p.m. local / 12:15 p.m. ET) at the legendary Old Trafford in Manchester, home to Manchester United.

Sundhage will choose 18 players to suit up against China. More than 12,500 tickets have already been sold for the match, which kicks off at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets starting at $22 are on sale through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-298-4200 and at the PPL Park ticket office (open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290.

The roster includes 26 of the 27 players who trained during the camp in Bradenton, Fla., in April. Sundhage has added former Western New York Flash defender Gina Lewandowski, who plays for FFC Frankfurt in the German Women’s Bundesliga, and Oklahoma State goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, who was the USA’s backup ‘keeper on the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Team. Franch is a rising senior for the Cowgirls. Lewandowski will join the camp a week late due to her club commitments.

U.S. Women’s National Team Training Camp Roster by Position - Detailed Roster
GOALKEEPERS (5): Nicole Barnhart, Adrianna Franch, Ashlyn Harris, Jill Loyden, Hope Solo
DEFENDERS (10): Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Whitney Engen, Meghan Klingenberg, Amy LePeilbet, Gina Lewandowski, Heather Mitts, Kelley O’Hara, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn
MIDFIELDERS (9): Shannon Boxx, Tobin Heath, Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Kristie Mewis, Heather O’Reilly, Megan Rapinoe, Amy Rodriguez, Keelin Winters
FORWARDS (4): Lauren Cheney, Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach

“We had a very productive camp in Florida, but now we get to look forward to a game,” said Sundhage. “The practices and scrimmages in Florida were physical and mentally taxing, and that was the plan. Now we can train hard in New Jersey but also prepare for a match against a very good team as we continue the roster selection process for the Olympics.”

This USA will be facing China at PPL Park for the second time as the two teams also met at the home of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union in October of 2010 in what was the U.S. team’s first match at the soccer-specific venue. The match ended in a 1-1 draw as Alex Morgan equalized late in the game with her first full international goal.

U.S. Soccer also recently announced the final match for the U.S. Women before the Olympics as the Americans will face Canada on June 30 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. MT and the match will be broadcast live on NBC. Fans will also be able to follow the match on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and via Twitter @ussoccer_wnt.

Tickets starting at $22 are on sale to the public through ussoccer.com, by phone at 801-727-2700 (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT) and at the Rio Tinto Stadium ticket office (open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets (special VIP packages that include a premium ticket, a customized official U.S. National Team jersey with name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits) are also available now exclusively through ussoccer.com.

U.S. Women’s National Team Roster Notes:

• Five players on the U.S. roster will be training in their home state: Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge), Carli Lloyd (Delran), Jill Loyden (Vineland), Heather O’Reilly (East Brunswick) and team captain Christie Rampone (Point Pleasant).
• Just 13 players on the U.S. training camp roster have Olympic Games experience.
• The U.S. WNT is 10-1-1 in 2012, having scored 55 goals and allowed five.
• Kristie Mewis and Adrianna Franch are the only players on the roster still in college. Mewis will be a senior at Boston College next fall and Franch is a senior at Oklahoma State.
• Rampone is by far the most capped player on the roster with 256 and she is firmly in fourth place on the all-time U.S. WNT caps list.
• With 22 career goals, Alex Morgan is inching her way up the all-time U.S. goal scoring chart. She will need to reach 30 to get into the top-15 all-time.

- ussoccer.com -

Final Members of US Olympic Team Selected

In a thrilling conclusion to four days of women’s match racing, Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) and her Team Maclaren crew Molly Vandemoer (Stanford, Calif.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) won the 2012 US Olympic Team Qualifying Regatta by defeating Sally Barkow (Nashotah, WI) and her Team 7 Match Race crew Elizabeth Kratzig Burnham (Miami, Fla.) and Alana O’Reilly (Charleston, S.C.). Tunnicliffe defeated Barkow in the “first-to-six-wins” final match-up, which was held in Weymouth and Portland, site of the 2012 Olympic Sailing Regatta. With the win, Tunnicliffe, Vandemoer and Capozzi were selected for the 2012 US Olympic Team – Sailing, pending confirmation from the U.S. Olympic Committee.

(l-r) Tunnicliffe, Capozzi and Vandemoer

“We knew it was going to be a good day going into it,” said Tunnicliffe moments after reaching the dock. “The weather wasn’t spectacular, but we were glad to be out there.”

Going into the final day, Tunnicliffe was up four wins to Barkow’s one. Off the bat, Barkow won the first two wins to bring the score near even. “Sally’s team started the day really strong and came out with two wins,” said Tunnicliffe.

The second race of the day saw Barkow get a penalty off the start. Tunnicliffe lead around the two-lap course, until the last third of the downwind run. Barkow rolled over top of Tunnicliffe and incurred a second penalty. Quickly, they forced an offsetting penalty on Tunnicliffe and almost instantly cleared their remaining penalty. They crossed the line ahead to win and bring the finals to a 4-2 scoreline.

“To be honest, it all happened so fast,” said Tunnicliffe of the maneuvers. “I made a massive mistake and it cost us. We had that race in the bag. I got a little excited and tried to go for the finish, rather than just waiting. She did a really good job teeing us up, and sailing circles around us and getting rid of two penalties. I tried to jump her too soon on the line. I should have waited for her to get into a bad position for us to make our move. We had to dig deep and overcome her momentum.”

They went on to win race three convincingly, getting a strong start and worked hard to keep a lead throughout. “We had a really solid race in race three,” she continued. “Which got us back on track for the last race.  At times we had a two-length lead, and she (Barkow) closed it up to a quarter-length lead.  Coming into the last run it was all about keeping our breeze clear on the one jibe, coming into the mark. Unfortunately, I jibed into bad air and collapsed the kite. We were able to drift across the line ahead to take the victory.”

Vandemoer will be a first-time Olympian. “It’s awesome,” she said. “It’s reassuring to know that if you work hard and you keep focused it’s going to pay off in the end. We still have a lot to do.”

Capozzi is a 2008 Olympian who sailed in the Women’s Keelboat (Yngling) with Barkow. The experience she brought from that campaign was an advantage for this team. “I think from the beginning I had some ideas, but we have to all accept them and choose if we want to use them or not,” she said. “We took a couple of those ideas and then just molded it to what we like. We changed it here and there, but it’s valuable to have all that experience on a three-person team.”

Her wisdom from Qingdao will be an advantage as they make their way to the 2012 Games. “We are going to keep doing the same thing we’re doing every day,” she said. “Outwork our competitors, train hard, have good conversation with our coach Dave Dellenbaugh, and have fun really. We’re not going to change much; we’re going to keep going.”

Giving full credit to their coach Dave Dellenbaugh, Tunnicliffe said: “He’s our rock. He kept the information going regardless of what the score was, regardless of what race we were in. Same info, same critiques. He never overanalyzed anything. We’re super psyched he’s here and that we get to take him to the Games.”

Four teams advanced to the 2012 US Olympic Qualifying Regatta from the 2011 event. In addition to Tunnicliffe’s and Barkow’s teams, the additional two teams are: Stephanie Roble (East Troy, WI) with Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill.) and Darby Smith (Chicago, Ill.); and Genny Tulloch (Sausalito, CA) with Alice Manard Leonard (East Haven, Conn.) and Jenn Chamberlin (Washington, D.C.).

“The US Olympic Trials is the hardest regatta to do in the world,” said Tunnicliffe. “Our teaml, Team Tulloch and Team Barkow are three of the top 10 world teams. Coming into the Games, we’re knew that whichever team won here is going to the Olympics and is going to win gold. The other teams are training

You have to put that extra bit of training it. It pushed us to the level we’re at and to keep training.”

The teams headed by Tunnicliffe, Barkow and Tulloch are members of the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider.

For Barkow, the day was bittersweet. She had come so far from a disappointing 2008 Games to the finals to represent USA in 2012. “It was a tough battle,” said Barkow moments after arriving at the dock. “We knew we had the talent and the ability to do it. It didn’t go our way a few times. You feel pretty down after a situation like this. You work really hard for a long time and have a really great team. When you don’t win the last one it’s a bummer.

“It was a year and a half ago that we committed to sailing full time. Last October, it was committing again to more full time and leaving other things in our lives off the table. We’ve learned the game to a really high level. We worked on our strengths and weaknesses.”

“I’m really proud of the effort that all of our women’s match racing teams and coaches put in over the past several years,” said Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.), Chairman of the Olympic Sailing Committee. “Every one of them has a great deal to be proud of; even the teams that didn’t win have lots to be proud of. Our program worked together to build the best national match racing program in the world. We all congratulate Anna, Molly, Debbie and Dave Dellenbaugh. We also congratulate Team Barkow, Team Tulloch and Teamm Roble for a world-class performance.”

The Olympic Sailing Regatta will be held July 27 – August 12, 2012, in Weymouth and Portland, located on the southern coast of England, approximately 120 miles southwest of London.

Daily racing recaps, results and photos will be on the event site: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Events/2012/WMRTrials.htm

courtesy US Sailing.org