Sailing: Cooper Finishes 10th In Mexico
Chase Cooper recorded Bermuda’s best showing at the IODA North American Championships since 2009 on Saturday, finishing 10th out of 149 competitors in Ville de Bravo, Mexico. Cooper’s consistency in the the shifty light to moderate lake breezes saw him improve through the week, scoring a total of 5 top ten finishes in eleven races.
The 14 year old was the Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association’s (BODA’s) sole representative at the regatta. The Championship was won by Odile Van Aanholt from the Netherland Antilles with a one point margin over Singapore’s Samuel Neo Jiun Jie. The USA’s Sean Brennan finished in a distant third place. Bermuda will host next year’s 2013 North American Championships in July and Cooper received the traditional “hand-over” of the IODA flag from Team Mexico at the final prize ceremony.
BODA sailors will be looking to perform well in their home waters next year. Bermuda last hosted the North American Championships in 2002. Bermuda’s own Jesse Kirkland won that event and his victory was the start of Bermuda’s five plus year dominance in North America and beyond.
Listed below are BODA sailor’s top 10 finishes at the NA Championships since 2002:
- 2002 Jesse Kirkland 1st
- 2003 Sean Bouchard 1st, Jesse Kirkland 2nd, Elijah Simmons 4th
- 2004 Elijah Simmons 1st, Sean Bouchard 4th, Josh Greenslade 5th , Oliver Riihiluoma 7th, Jordan Saints 10th
- 2005 Elijah Simmons 7th
- 2007 James Anfossi 2nd
- 2009 Owen Siese 5th
- 2012 Chase Cooper 10th
