US Sailing is revamping its singlehanded championship with two significant changes:

• Splitting the event into two championships: a Women's and a Men's
• Changing the qualification criteria, in particular doing away with "berth by resume"

For 2010 the Men's Championship will be sailed in the Standard Rig, the Women's in the Radial Rig with the finals to be held July 29 - Aug 1 in Pensacola, Fl.
Read the press release on the next page and be sure to read Martine Zurinskas' (Chair of the singlehanded committee) article in the Winter Edition of The Laser Sailor!

 PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (December 17, 2009) – US SAILING and the U.S. Singlehanded Championship Committee have taken a long hard look at this National Championship and are making changes to better suit the needs of singlehanded racers in the U.S.
There are several classes that make up the bulk of the singlehanded sailors (Finn, Lasers, Sunfish, Force 5, MC, to name a few), but the championship has been predominately sailed in boats that were best sailed by men despite a significant  increase of women’s participation in the singlehanded classes over the past 10 years. With the popularity of the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship and the addition of the Radial class to the Olympics, US SAILING recognized that there was an opportunity for a women’s singlehanded championship.
With this in mind, the U.S. Singlehanded committee has made significant improvements to both the event and the selection process to ensure the best singlehanded sailors in the U.S. are participating in the finals. This change signifies a natural progression for the growing segment of the sport and a welcome change to the event.  
The selection procedure for invitations to the event has also been changed. In 2010, 24 invitational men’s and women’s berths will be awarded based on the selection criteria outlined by the committee. These invitations range from Area level qualifications to National level singlehanded events around the country from a variety of classes including the Laser, Radial, Sunfish and Finn. A complete list of the selection procedure for both the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Singlehanded Championship can also be found at: http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/USSinglehandedChampionship.htm.  
In 2010, the Laser will be the boat for the Men’s Championship and the Women’s Championship will be sailed in the Radial Rig. Make your plans now to qualify for the 2010 U.S. Singlehanded Championships, hosted by the Pensacola Yacht Club (Fla.) on July 29 - August 1, and sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and LaserPerformance. .