May 10, 2007
Becker Chosen as Head Coach of U.S. Team
to Compete at 2007 Pan American Games

PORTSMOUTH, RI -- Washington College head sailing coach Geoff Becker will serve as the head coach of the 16-person sailing team selected by US Sailing's Olympic Sailing Committee to represent the United States at the 2007 Pan American Games to be held July 13-29 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Becker is in his second stint as the head sailing coach at Washington College. He served as head coach in 2002-03 before spending one year as an assistant coach at Navy. He then returned to Washington, where he has served as head coach since the summer of 2004. Becker has guided the WC sailing team to several best-ever finishes at conference championship regattas and began the offshore sailing program at the school. Becker's coaching experience also includes stops at St. Mary's College of Maryland, where he coached three national championship dinghy teams, and UC-Santa Barbara. He has served as the Chairman of the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association's Procedural Rules Committee since 1999, and as a member of the US Sailing Racing Rule Committee since 2002.

The sailing competition of the 2007 Pan American Games will feature nine events, including three Olympic classes - Laser (Men), Laser Radial (Women) and RS:X (Men and Women) - and five non-Olympic, open classes - Hobie 16, J/24, Lightning, Snipe and Sunfish. Sixteen American sailors qualified for the 2007 Pan American Games Sailing Team after winning a select regatta previously determined as a qualifying event for each class.

Among the other staff members working with the team is Bill Ward, who will serve as assistant coach. Ward served as the head sailing coach at Washington College for four years prior to Becker's arrival at the school.

An estimated 5,500 athletes from 42 countries are expected to compete in 28 sports at the 2007 Pan American Games, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from July 13-29, 2007. The sailing competition will be held at the Glória Marina in the Guanabara Bay. The Pan American Games are held every four years, historically one year before the Olympic Games. The first Pan American Games were held in 1951 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.