U.S. Junior Women’s

Double-handed Championship

for the

Ida Lewis Trophy

History of US Sailing Junior Women’s Championships

Tom and Nancy Clagett’s devotion to junior women’s sailing flowered into the sponsorship and support by Tom during his lifetime, and now by his Trust, of the two Junior Women’s Championships as well as the Junior Women’s Advanced Clinic.

Since 2001, Tom and Nancy’s daughter Judy McLennan and their granddaughter Stephanie McLennan have been carrying on the family’s sailing tradition and dedication to these junior women’s events by working with Tom’s trustees and US Sailing.

The US Sailing Junior Women’s Championships consists of two events. The Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy, known as the Leiter Trophy, was started by Tom Clagett in 1980 at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Newport, Rhode Island, in memory of his late wife Nancy. Since 1985 it has been awarded for the US Sailing Junior Women’s National Single-handed Championship, which is sailed in Laser Radials. The second is the Ida Lewis Trophy, sailed for the US Sailing Junior Women’s National Double-handed Trophy. This event was started in 1995, became a US Sailing sanctioned event in 1996, and is sailed in Club 420s.

The format for these two Championships combines two days of clinics, both on and off the water, as well as three days of racing. This format has proved exceedingly successful: participants have gone to the top levels of collegiate, national and international sailing.

Tom’s interest in and dedication to junior women’s sailing is a fitting permanent tribute to Nancy, who was a world-class sailor when they married in 1941. Tom felt that junior women sailors should have the opportunity to compete in a national level competition. He felt the girls could learn not only from the coaching provided at the Championships, but also from each other. He appreciated that learning sportsmanship and cooperation was critical. Tom felt that all the girls should be treated equally. Thus there should be no private coaching allowed at these Championships in order to make it equal for all girls attending. Tom felt so strongly about these principles that he wrote them into the Trust he created to provide financial support for the Championships well into the distant future. Both of these Championships are open events with no pre-qualifications except for age (13-18) and membership in US Sailing.

The Junior Women’s Championships gave Tom Clagett great satisfaction and delight. He referred to the participants as “His Girls” and he wanted them to always exert their best efforts in order to learn to “Beat the Boys” as his Nancy did.

After Tom died in June 2001, The Sportsmanship Awards for both the Leiter Trophy and the Ida Lewis Trophy were named the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Sportsmanship Award to honor Tom’s dedication to junior women’s sailing and his Corinthian spirit.

In 2001, a logo for these two Championships was designed using Tom and Nancy’s private yacht signals. Nancy’s private signal was a green ladder on a yellow rectangle (Leiter is German for Ladder). Tom and Nancy’s first boat together was named “The Barefoot Girl” and Tom’s private signal became two white bare feet on a blue triangle. Both their boat and Tom’s private signal reflected Nancy’s reluctance to wear any shoes. Combining these two private signals into this logo serves as an ongoing reminder of Tom and Nancy’s commitment to junior women’s sailing and to each other.

Ida Lewis Logo

The U.S. Sailing Junior Women’s Championships are comprised of two events. One is for the Nancy Leiter Clagett Trophy known as the Leiter Trophy and the other is for the Ida Lewis Trophy. The Leiter Trophy was started in 1980 by Tom Clagett as a club event in memory of Nancy Leiter Clagett who died in April 1977. The Leiter Trophy is now awarded for the Junior Women’s Single-handed Championship. The Ida Lewis Trophy is awarded for the Junior Women’s Double-handed Championship. This event was started in 1996, by Tom Clagett, when it became apparent that a Double-handed Championship was needed to complement the already existing Single-handed Championship race. After Tom died in June 2001, the Sportsmanship Award for both the Leiter Trophy and the Ida Lewis Trophy was named the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Sportsmanship Award to honor Tom’s dedication to Junior Women’s Sailing.

Nancy, a world-class sailor when she married Tom Clagett, already had her own private signal, a green ladder on a Yellow Rectangle. (Leiter is German for ladder.) Tom and Nancy's first boat was named “The Barefoot Girl” due to Nancy’s preference of not wearing shoes. Thus emerged the design for Tom’s private signal of two white bare feet on a blue triangle. The two Junior Women’s Championship logos were designed using Tom and Nancy’s private signals, serving as a constant reminder of the commitments they made to Junior Women’s Sailing, sailing in general, and to each other.