Team Odyssey Qualifies the United States to Sail in the '04 Paralympics!

A top finish by Team Odyssey at the 2002 World Disabled Sailing Championship have qualified the U.S.A.’s entry for the 2004 Paralympic Games in the three-person Sonar. Organized by the International Foundation of Disabled Sailors and held in The Netherlands, the championship attracted 119 competitors from 19 countries. As the first of two qualifying events (the final qualifier will be held in September 2003), the championship qualified the top-seven placing countries in each event for berths to the 2004 Paralympic Games. Greece, as Paralympic host, receives an automatic entry in both events.

Vying for one of seven Paralympic berths in the Sonar class was skipper Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), and crew Tim Angle (Marblehead, Mass.), Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (Marblehead, Mass.) and Richard Hughes (Philadelphia, Pa.). Team Odyssey, the lone American Sonar Class entry, facing 13 nations all hoping to qualify their country at this event, placed fourth overall in the 23-boat fleet, thus guaranteeing the U.S.A. its place on the starting line in Athens. The countries qualified are: Germany, France, U.S.A., Denmark, Australia, Norway and The Netherlands.

While we have qualified the U.S.A., we may not be the ultimate representatives at the 2004 Paralympics. In sailing, the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials are a winner-takes-all event – with only the first-place finisher earning a coveted spot on the 2004 U.S. Paralympic Sailing Team. The U.S. Paralympic Team Trials for Sailing will be held at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (St. Petersburg, Fla.) in November of 2003. For more information visit: