Do-Si-Do! WRTC 2002 US, UK Teams Choose their Partners

NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 24, 2001--World Radiosport Team Championship 2002 team captains from the US and the UK have chosen their partners. The WRTC 2002 Organizing Committee has announced US and UK pairings for the event, to be held next summer in Finland.

"The WRTC 2002 organizing committee is pleased with the enthusiasm of the US contesting community and wants to thank the leading US contest clubs for their support in the selection process," said WRTC spokesman Ari Korhonen, OH1EH.

The 10 teams representing the US are (in alphabetical order by team captain) Ralph Bowen, N5RZ, and Rus Healy, K2UA; Doug Brandon, N6RT, and Andy Blank, N2NT; Daniel Craig, N6MJ, and Dave Mueller, N2NL; John Dorr, K1AR, and Doug Grant, K1DG; Bill Fisher, W4AN, and John Laney, K4BAI; Trey Garlough, N5KO, and James Brooks, N1YC; Steve London, N2IC, and Dave Hachadorian, K6LL; Dave Patton, NT1N, and Mark Obermann, AG9A; Bob Shohet, KQ2M, and Dan Handa, W7WA; and Randy Thompson, K5ZD, and Tom Frenaye, K1KI.

Team UK will consist of Andy Cook, G4PIQ, and Fred Handscombe, G4BWP.

Jointly organized by Contest Club Finland and the Finnish Amateur Radio League--SRAL, WRTC 2002 will run from July 9 through July 16. The on-the-air portion of the event will be July 13 and 14, in conjunction with next year's International Amateur Radio Union HF World Championship. In all, 50 teams of world-class contesters will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in WRTC 2002 on and off-the-air events.

The team of John Dorr, K1AR, and Doug Grant, K1DG, has remained together since winning top honors at the first WRTC in 1990. Dorr is contest editor for CQ magazine.

The 10 US team captains were elected by major contesting clubs. Captains then selected operating partners of their choice. Slots for two US "wild card" teams at WRTC 2002 remain open for participants not proposed through the mainstream US club nomination process.

WRTC 2000 winners Dan Street, K1TO, and Jeff Steinman, N5TJ, are expected to defend their title at WRTC 2002. The K1TO-N5TJ duo also topped the field at WRTC 96.

WRTC 2000 video available from ARRL: A half-hour video--"The Ham Radio Olympics"--produced by The Yasme Foundation and The Northern California DX Foundation is available from ARRL. The video, produced and narrated by Dave Bell, W6AQ, recounts the events of World Radiosport Team Championship 2000 held in Bled, Slovenia. "The Ham Radio Olympics" is available from ARRL in VHS videocassette format or as a Video CD for $19.95. Visit the ARRL on-line catalog for details.

A few of the US WRTC 2002 team members have ARRL connections that go beyond membership. Patton is an ARRL Headquarters staff member. This will be his second WRTC. "At 37, I feel I'm at the peak of my game," he said. Patton competed in WRTC 96 with K5ZD; their team finished sixth. Frenaye is ARRL New England Division Director as well as a past ARRL vice president and Headquarters staff member. Well-known in the contesting world for his K1KI multi-op contest station in northern Connecticut, Frenaye also participated in WRTC 96 with teammate Phil Koch, K3UA. Healy (ex-NJ2L) also is a former ARRL staff member. This will mark his first WRTC appearance.

The WRTC 2002 Organizing Committee recently announced that ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ, and Pekka Länsman of Finland will co-chair the judging committee for the event. Sumner was the chief judge for WRTC 2000 in Slovenia.

For more information, visit the WRTC 2002 Web site.

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