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Will Barkow make history at the Ficker Cup?
8:12 AM Sun 14 Jun 2009 GMT

'The Owner of St. Nicks Holiday and Event Lighting and Sponsor of the Ficker Cup, Nic Adams, congratulates the All-Women’s Sailing Team. (Sally Barkow on far left) - Jodi Unruh

With just one day to go, a seven-member crew that is lead by skipper, Sally Barkow of Miami, Florida is on the brink of becoming the first ever all-women team to win the prestigious Ficker Cup at the Long Beach Yacht Club, www.lbyc.org

A victory that would mean they sailed their way into the highest graded matched racing event in the US, The Congressional Cup. The Event’s Chief International Umpire, Kirk Brown sums it up, 'If you want to play in the Masters, here’s the qualifying match you’ve got to win.'

Barkow said this is the first time that this group of seven women from around the world have raced together on a Catalina 37. She says they are working on a name for their all-women international team that wants to earn the right to compete against men in the open circuit competitions because most female sailors just compete in the women circuits. 'No one else is committed to this goal like this. We enjoy the opportunity to race against men because the open circuit has great competition. They’re the best in the world,' she said.

When asked what its been like going head to head with the men crews this weekend, she declared, 'We’ve got a lot of experience—years and years of match racing. Really strength and size have something to do with it, but a lot of it is a mental game.'

Former Congressional Cup Winner, Dave Perry, who is now in second place at this weekend’s Ficker Cup believes Barkow and her all-women crew is going to make history tomorrow. 'They’d have to lose all three races tomorrow. That’s not going to happen. She’s got it,' he said.

As the current US Coach for the Women’s Sailing Team for Match Racing in the Olympics, Perry added, 'It’s great to see more women involved in competitive sailing. They’re true athletes.'

St. Nicks Holiday and Event Lighting Salutes the 'Best and the Brightest' at the 2009 Ficker Cup - Jodi Unruh

The Ficker Cup was founded in 1980 by the Long Beach Yacht Club to honor of former Congressional winner, Bill Ficker.

St. Nicks Holiday and Event Lighting was honored to sponsor this year’s Ficker Cup. The owner, Nic Adams, who is featured in the picture with Barkow (at the end on the left) and the other women, says he is already considering the idea of sponsoring Barkow and her all-women team.

With the three-day event wrapping up Sunday, June 14 at 2:00 pm, Barkow admits she is excited. But win or lose, she says they will compete in another event in Sweden at the end of the month before heading to New York for some more training. She says they do about 15 competitions a year.

Bill Ficker, a former winner of the American Cup and the Congressional Cup will also present the winners of this year’s Ficker Cup on Sunday at the Long Beach Yacht Club at 2:00 pm. The winner of the Ficker Cup will advance to the Congressional Cup to compete against professional sailors next March at the Long Beach Yacht Club.

About St. Nicks: Owned and operated by Nic Adams in Long Beach, St. Nicks Holiday and Event Light is recognized as one of the premier lighting companies in Southern California As a true entrepreneur, Adams started St. Nicks at www.st-nicks.com at the young age of 14 by putting holiday lights up for people in the neighborhood. Now more than a decade later, he has expanded his services to include overall design work and elaborate event lighting and décor for weddings, upscale hotels, local cities, trade shows and other special events. St. Nicks is involved in many charity events in the Los Angeles and Orange County, which has included donating to the Trevor Project and the Stewart House