The Lake Beulah Yacht Club hosted the 2009 ILYA Optimist Dinghy Championship on August 4 - 5. On the first day, winds were non-existent in the morning, resulting in an early lunch hour for the competitors and race committee.

There was no wind on Day 2  :-(, thus the Day 1 standings are final!  Congratulations to Griffin Rolander of GLSS and PJ Friend of PLSS, winners of the Championship and Green Fleets, respectively.  Brooke Komas won the covetted Allen Trophy, presented annually to the top girl sailor in the championship fleet.  The only RWB Chip Regatta invitation presented to an LBSS sailor was received by Alec Bischoff.  Beulah's Charlie Kutschenreuter, John Barr, and Brooke Komas received invitations at events sailed earlier in the summer.   RWB Results

Green Results

103 participants from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, covered the waters of Lake Beulah with the eight foot dinghies.  The PRO on the Championship course was Mike Sherin.  The Green Fleet festivities were coordinated by two past ILYA commodores, Candace Porter and Suzi Reese.  Molly and Martin Barr are the regatta chairs with support from Candace Porter and many other Beulah volunteers.  The regatta ends on August 5.

In the 73 boat RWB fleet, Griffin Rolander (GLSS) leads by 2 points over Johnny Ferguson (LMSS) and by 9 points over Joey Feichtmeier (PLSS).  Brothers Trevor and Parker Trepton (LLSS) are 4th and 5th, respectively.  Beulah's Charlie Kutschenreuter is 6th, followed by Alec Bischoff and John Barr in 10th and 14th, respectively.  Top girl skipper at the close of the first day is Brooke Komas in 17th, followed closely by Andrea Sullivan and Leslie Poole in 18th and 20th. Also competing in the RWB fleet from LBSS are Scott Sullivan, Riley Schmidt, Alex Keck, Patrick Schmidt, Morgan Keck, Sarah Kubicek, Mary Berg, Gregory Westin, Eric Komas, Erin Sullivan, Julie Clayton, and Nora Kiernan.

After completion of four Green fleet races, LBSS student John Berg is 3rd, eight points behind leader JP Friend and three behind Stuart Henry.  Brigit Barr, Ryan Komas, and Jacquelyn Komas are 12th, 19th, and 25th, respectively.  This is the first ILYA Championship Green Fleet regatta for each of the four LBSS competitors.  30 sailors are participating in the Green Fleet.

Elsewhere, 2008 ILYA Champion Malcolm Lamphere, Augie Dale, Ben and Tommy Garber skipped the ILYA Champs and competed at the 2009 New England Optimist Dinghy Championship in Rhode Island.  Malcolm finished 4th, Ben 8th, Augie 29th, and Tommy 156rd out of 321 boats entered.  Tommy had two finishes near the top ten.  Regatta Updates