27 March 2008
Wot Chicks head to the worlds
Fresh off the back of a podium place in last weeks lead up regatta, Australias highest ranked woman match racer Katie
Spithill and her crew are heading to New Zealand this weekend to contest the BSPORT ISAF Womens Match Racing World
Championship 2008 sporting brand new team colours.
As they enter their third year of campaigning on the international stage, Spithill and her crew have announced a new
team name - Wot Chicks - which recognisesnew title sponsor Graeme Wood, founder of Australasia's number one
accommodation website Wotif.com, who is looking to expand awareness of Wotif.com and associated brands.
"Katie and her team have already demonstrated their commitment and talent. The next few years are going to be very
exciting and I'm delighted to be able to support them," said Mr Wood.
The new sponsorship announcement provides an enormous boost to our efforts. We can now focus all energy on performance
in the knowledge we can prepare the best sailors and attend the best events, says coach Traks Gordon.
Spithill, the younger sister of famous Americas Cup helmsman James Spithill, and her squad of Wot Chicks sailors are
heavily focused on the world championship to be hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland from 1-6
April 2008.
Like many of the teams challenging for the grade one regatta, Spithill and her crew of Nina Curtis, Jessica Eastwell and
Kristen Short used last weeks Harken Womens International Match Racing Regatta on Sydney Harbour to clock up valuable
time aboard the Elliott 6s, the class selected for the worlds. This week they were back training on their own on the
Harbour, honing their crew work before the team flies to Auckland this Sunday.
World number one Claire Leroy (FRA) toppled Spithill in last years world championships, the Australian finishing runner
up to the current ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year. Next week the world number threes quest for Leroys result in 2007
and world ranking switches to top gear.
For 2008 Wot Chicks has scheduled 14 events in 10 countries including New Zealand, USA, France, Spain, Portugal,
Germany, Brazil, Sweden, Italy and Australia. Each event will be sailed in a different class of boat requiring teams
between three and seven sailors.
Wot Chicks current squad includes Katie Spithill, Nina Curtis, Jessica Eastwell, Kristen Short, Sarah Willmot, Nicole
Douglas and Heidi Gordon. Most of the current squad are Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club Youth Academy sailors and all are
representatives of RPAYC.
In November 2007 ISAF announced womens match racing as a discipline for the 2012 Olympic Games which has provided Wot
Chicks with a long term goal.
BSPORT ISAF Womens Match Racing World Championship website
www.rnzys.org.nz/Sailing/Regattas/ISAFWomensWorlds/tabid/251/Default.aspx
Wotifcom www.wotif.com
ENDS