Sportsmanship Winner Announced

[Dan Dickison]

Bill Ross who sails out of the Lake Norman Yacht Club in North Carolina became the winner of US SAILING's W. Van Clark, Jr. National Sportsmanship Award today. A 12-year veteran of the Flying Scot class, Ross was lauded by the South Atlantic Yacht Racing Association as not just a competitor but "an avid teacher...and a tireless volunteer." Lake Norman Yacht Club Commodore Ken Gorni said of Ross: "At the same time that he is promoting the sport, introducing it to new participants, or spending a weekend crewing on someone's new boat, Bill is looking for new ideas to improve sailboat racing and race management."

Ross is a US SAILING certified Senior Race Officer and a Senior Judge who served on the race committee in the 1996 Olympic Yachting Games in Savannah, GA. His contributions as the Primary Race Officer for the Thistle Nationals last year, helped his home club win the prestigious St. Petersburg Trophy, and he and his committee members received a rare standing ovation from the competitors at the culmination of that event. The W. Van Clark, Jr. Award was established to honor those individuals who are outstanding examples of dedication and graciousness in the sport of sailing.