** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE **

OCTOBER 15, 1998

Texas Sailor Clinches First Place on United States Sail Team

Paul Foerster, skipper of Team CompuCom/Kitty Hawk, an Olympic-bound 470 sailing team, achieved first place on the United States Sailing Team last weekend in St. Petersburg, Florida, with yet one qualifying event to go. In order to determine U.S. ranking, 470 teams are allowed to take the best two of three scores from three designated regattas: 1998 470 Worlds, 1998 National Championships, and the United States Olympic Pre-Trials Regatta.

Foerster and teammate, Bob Merrick, placed ninth out of 88 boats at the 1998 Worlds in Mallorca, Spain, last month and swept first place out of 14 boats in the 470 Nationals last weekend. Combined scores from these events are enough to secure first place ranking on the U.S. team without competing in the next qualifying event; however, Team CompuCom/Kitty Hawk will attend the U.S. Olympic Pre-Trials which start Thursday, October 15, to continue to hone their skills on the racecourse and work toward being the best 470 team in the world.

Foerster is an Olympic silver medallist from the 1992 Olympic Games where he sailed a Flying Dutchman. He and Merrick are working toward a gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

For more information:
www.rcyc.org
Contact: Carrie Foerster @ 972-203-9190, or Team_2000@rcyc.org