August 26, 2015 Contact: Dana Haydock Leah Shearer

704/926-1301 704/926-1314 dhaydock@wrayward.com lshearer@wrayward.com

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Sunbrella® ‘Uncharted Waters’ Documentary Offers

Insider View of the Journey to the Olympic Games

Project Follows the Personal Stories of 11 US Sailing Team Sperry Athletes Seeking Olympic Berths

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What makes elite athletes tick? What is it like to live your dream every day in hopes of a

star performance at the Olympics? These are a few of the themes that ‘Uncharted Waters,’ a

documentary following athletes on the US Sailing Team Sperry, will explore in the final year of

their journey toward a spot on the US Olympic and Paralympic Teams that will compete in the

Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Made possible by Sunbrella® Fabrics, the leading supplier of performance fabric to the

marine industry, ‘Uncharted Waters’ shows what it takes to be a top-ranked Olympic- and

Paralympic-class sailor–from grueling travel around the world for competitions to balancing

college and family life with the demands of an unrelenting training schedule.

“As a high-level sailing athlete with Olympic and Paralympic dreams, there are a lot of

peaks and valleys throughout training and the athletes are constantly tested,” said Josh Adams,

managing director of US Olympic Sailing. “You really have to be determined to get there in the

end and to persevere through it all.”

The documentary includes the story of the adaptive sailing team members Sarah

Everhart-Skeels of Tiverton, R.I., and Cindy Walker of Plymouth, Mass., for whom sailing

offered freedom from lower body paralysis resulting from a cycling accident (Sarah) and a rare

inflammatory disease (Cindy). They are the only all-woman adaptive sailing team in their class,

and making the US Paralympic Sailing Team in 2016 is likely their last chance to compete in the

Paralympics since sailing has been removed from the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Viewers can also follow the story of two young guns, Paris Henken and Helena Scutt,

who aim to race a new boat class for women in the 2016 Olympics: the fast, dynamic 49er FX.

Henken suffered serious injuries after being hit by a competitor’s boat at a race in late 2013 and

the duo’s story will follow their comeback and climb through the ranks.

These stories and more will unfold at Sunbrella.com/uncharted. Viewers can watch

athlete profile videos and use an interactive map of competitions, training and travel leading up

to the races, where athletes are selected to represent the United States at the upcoming Olympic

and Paralympic Games. The site also includes insider details about Olympic- and Paralympic-

class sailing, adaptive sailing insights and athlete video diaries that tell the story through their

eyes.

It will culminate in a full-length documentary launching in spring 2016.

“Who hasn’t felt goose bumps watching their compatriots compete with the world’s best

every four years?” said Gina Wicker, creative director for Sunbrella. “‘Uncharted Waters’ takes

the viewer inside the athletes’ journeys, and we hope to create a connection that educates and

inspires visitors, while bolstering excitement for both the athletes and the sport of sailing.”

US Sailing Team Sperry athletes included in ‘Uncharted Waters’ are:

• The Outsider: Caleb Paine, San Diego, Finn Men’s Heavyweight Dinghy

• Woman Power: Sarah Everhart-Skeels, Tiverton, R.I., and Cindy Walker,

Plymouth, Mass., SKUD-18 Paralympic Class

• The Head and the Heart: Paris Henken, Coronado, Calif., and Helena Scutt,

Kirkland, Wash., 49er FX

• Team No Filter: Annie Haeger, East Troy, Wisc., and Briana Provancha, San

Diego, Women’s 470 Two-Person Dinghy

• Last Chance: Ricky Doerr, Clifton, N.J., Brad Kendell, Tampa, Fla., and Hugh

Freund, South Freeport, Maine, Sonar Paralympic Class

• Unfinished Business: Paige Railey, Clearwater, Fla., Laser Radial One-Person

Dinghy

Sunbrella developed ‘Uncharted Waters’ as part of its Gold-level sponsorship of the US

Sailing Team Sperry. To keep up with the latest from the team and their push toward the 2016

Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio, visit sunbrella.com/uncharted and follow the team on

Facebook at facebook.com/USSailingTeam, Twitter @ussailingteam and Instagram

@ussailingteam.

About Sunbrella Fabrics

For nearly 50 years, Sunbrella® fabrics have set the standard for the performance of marine

canvas all around the globe, offering durability, fade resistance and easy care. First introduced in

1961 as an awning fabric, the Sunbrella brand revolutionized the way the world thinks about how

beautiful fabrics look, feel and perform. The Sunbrella brand is the leading premium fabric

choice today not only for marine, but also for awning and upholstery, including boat interiors.

Sunbrella fabrics are manufactured and marketed by Glen Raven, a 134-year-old, family-owned

company based in North Carolina with operations worldwide. For more information on the

Sunbrella brand, including fabric resources, visit sunbrella.com.

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