Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 15, 1995 TAG: 9505160040
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SAN DIEGO LENGTH: Medium
Even Dennis Conner, vanquished in five consecutive races, can't argue with the shift in sailing superiority from America to a tiny island nation deep in the South Pacific.
``I'm guardedly optimistic that we're entering a new dawn of the America's Cup,'' Conner said after losing the oldest trophy in international sports for the second time in 12 years. ``And with the enthusiasm of the people of New Zealand, I think that they'll breathe some new, fresh air into the America's Cup.
``Hopefully, in the year 2000, if that's when it has to be, then we'll all continue to enjoy what, for me, is the finest moment of our sailing hobby.''
Conner, a four-time America's Cup winner, is the only U.S. skipper in 144 years to lose the trophy.
The America's Cup generally has been greeted with apathy by Americans, even in Conner's hometown. And while San Diego is a mecca for weekend sailors, it was panned as an America's Cup venue because of the light, shifty winds on the Pacific Ocean off Point Loma.
It was contested here three times after Conner won it back from Australia in 1987, including Conner's rout of New Zealand in the bizarre finals in 1988.
Considered an elitist, confusing sport by many, this America's Cup was marred further when the U.S. defenders continually changed the rules. They expanded their finals from the usual two boats to three, thus saving Conner, then allowed mid-round changes to the boats, which usually are not permitted.
And once Conner won the defender finals with his slow Stars & Stripes, he was allowed to make a deal with a rival syndicate to use the faster Young America.
But Young America was nowhere near as fast as Team New Zealand's Black Magic 1, which completed the sweep Saturday with the closest margin of the series, winning by 1 minute, 50 seconds.
``The America's Cup, I guess, is pretty dear to all the people of New Zealand, and they've followed it and they understand it,'' said Black Magic 1 skipper Russell Coutts, joking that farmers from the South Island would send faxes whenever tactician Brad Butterworth made mistakes.
``Seriously, they really do follow the sport with passion, and now that the America's Cup is back in New Zealand, I think it'll be a fantastic, real sporting event that people will really get behind, and they'll welcome the other teams that come to participate in it.''
The Kiwis have promised to clean up the event and make it fair to both sides.
``Now, that may be to our detriment, you know, but we're happy about that,'' said Team New Zealand's boss, Peter Blake, through a champagne haze Saturday night. ``I think it'll make life quite easy.''
by CNB