US Sailing has named 21 sailors to the 2016 US Sailing Team Sperry, the national sailing team. The list includes six hopefuls for Paralympic sailing.

While the US Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams, which will be selected later in 2016, are selected every four years, the US Sailing Team Sperry is selected annually. The team is comprised of US athletes and teams in the 10 Olympic and three Paralympic sailing classes who have performed well at last year’s World Championship. Additional sailors will qualify for the roster after Sailing World Cup Miami, North America’s premier Olympic and Paralympic classes regatta (25-30 January).

“US Sailing Team Sperry athletes have worked hard over the past three years as they have trained for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Josh Adams, Managing Director of US Olympic Sailing. “Earning a spot on the national team roster is a sign of progress and skill in their chosen class, and of their commitment to pursuing high performance while representing their country.”

With the series of US Olympic Sailing Team selection events began in Miami, USA, in January, and with the Paralympic Team selection series already underway, the names on the US Sailing Team Sperry roster offer insight into who is excelling as US sailors enter a pivotal period of the four-year Olympic and Paralympic cycle.

US Sailing Team Sperry 2016 Roster for Paralympic sailing:

(Note: Additional athletes will be named to the US Sailing Team Sperry on 30 January. The US Sailing Team Sperry is separate from the US Olympic and Paralympic Teams, which will be named later in 2016, after approval by the United State Olympic Committee.)

2.4mR (Paralympic one-person keelboat)

Dee Smith

SKUD-18 (Paralympic two-person keelboat)

Ryan Porteous and Maureen McKinnon

Sonar (Paralympic three-person keelboat)

Rick Doerr, Brad Kendell and Hugh Freund