The New York Yacht Club (NYYC), assisted by Sail Newport, hosted the 2006 IFDS Blind Sailing World Championship in Newport, R.I., Sept. 20-27. Eight nations sailed in three divisions with B1 (blind), B2 (visually impaired), and B3 (least visually impaired) classifications.

New Zealand was awarded The Squadron Cup for best overall performance across the three divisions. The team from Norway took first in the B1 division, with New Zealand coming in second, and the USA-Massachusetts team taking third.

New Zealand took first in the B2 division, while Great Britain took second and USA-Massachusetts took third.

In the B3 division, the USA-Florida team took first, Great Britain came in second, and New Zealand took third. J.P. Creignou of the USA-Florida team said, on winning the B3 division world championship, “It is pretty amazing, especially here in Newport, at this venue… Having the right combination of people is very important, and of course everybody worked really hard.”

The division of each four-person team is determined by the vision classification of the skipper. The B1s and the B2s raced the New York Yacht Club’s fleet of 23-foot Sonars, while the B3s raced in Sail Newport’s J/22s. According to Regatta rules, only a blind sailor can steer, and the other blind crewmembers trim the sails. Two sighted guides gave verbal information to the blind skippers and crew to tactically position the boats as they navigated the course.

Pictures and more about the IFDS Blind Sailing World Championship can be found at www.nyyc.org.

This year’s Wheelchair Games, held on The Burke Rehabilitation Hospital campus in White Plains, N.Y., Sept. 30, drew participants from California, West Virginia, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York. Almost 100 athletes ranging in ages from 4 to 75 registered for a variety of track, field, and table tennis events – the largest group in more than ten years.

Talea Ingmire, seven, of Lexington Park, Md., was the winner of the Maureen Ryan-Carr Award, given in memory of the late senior administrator in Burke’s Human Resources Department. Talea was honored as the athlete who best represented Maureen Ryan-Carr’s love of the Games and her spirit.

The John Lombardi Sportsmanship Award, given annually by the Lombardi family in memory of the longtime wheelchair athlete, was presented to Stephanie Marquez, six, of New Britain, Conn.

Wheelchair Games 2006 trophy winners and their categories are:

Best Novice Female, Joy Davis, 10, of New York, N.Y.; Best Novice Male, Patrick Stanford, 19, of Bronx, N.Y.; Best Junior Female, Mariya Redden, 16, of Jersey City, N.J.; Best Junior Male, Brian Siemann, 16, of Clarksburg, N.J.; Best Adult Female, Sherry Dawson of Charleston, W.V.; Best Adult Male, Sam Craven of Walnut Creek, Calif.; Best Master Female, Jennifer Johnson of Port Chester, N.Y.; Best Master Male, Denton Johnson of Port Chester, N.Y.

Stephanie Marquez, 6, of New Britain, Conn., was the winner of the John Lombardi Sportsmanship Award, given annually by the Lombardi family in memory of the longtime wheelchair athlete. With Stephanie is Denise Lombardi, John Lombardi’s daughter, who presented the trophy.	Jennifer Johnson and her husband, Denton Johnson, were awarded trophies as Best Master Female and Best Master Male.