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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to celebrate the Louis Vuitton America's
4Cup World Series Chicago, June 10-12, 2016, with Lake Michigan
5serving as the first freshwater venue to host America's Cup
6racing in the event's 165-year history; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series
8Chicago is a qualifying event for the 2017 America's Cup Finals
9in Bermuda; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Navy Pier, celebrating its centennial this year,
11will serve as event headquarters as the high-performance
1245-foot foiling catamarans sail by at over 40 miles per hour
13close to the shore; and
 
14    WHEREAS, This historic event also includes the Endeavour
15Program, which introduces children to sailing through
16education and getting out on the water, which, for many of the
17participating children, will be their first experience with
18Lake Michigan; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The history of the America's Cup is rich in
20tradition and excellence, distinguishing it from among the
21great competitions of sport throughout the world; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 1851, a radical looking schooner ghosted out of
2the afternoon mist and swiftly sailed past the Royal Yacht
3stationed in the Solent, between the Isle of Wight and the
4south coast of England, on an afternoon when Queen Victoria was
5watching a sailing race; and
 
6    WHEREAS, As the schooner, named "America", passed the Royal
7Yacht in first position, and saluted by dipping its ensign
8three times, Queen Victoria asked one of her attendants who was
9in second place; "Your Majesty, there is no second", came the
10reply; and
 
11    WHEREAS, That phrase, just four words, is still the best
12description of the America's Cup and how it represents the
13singular pursuit of excellence; and
 
14    WHEREAS, That day in August of 1851, the yacht "America",
15representing the young New York Yacht Club, would go on to beat
16the best that the British could offer and win the Royal Yacht
17Squadron's 100 Pound Cup; this was more than a simple boat
18race, as it symbolized a great victory for the New World over
19the Old, a triumph that unseated Great Britain as the world's
20undisputed maritime power; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The trophy would go to the young republic of the

 

 

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1United States and it would be well over 100 years before it was
2taken away from New York; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Shortly after "America" won the 100 Guinea Cup in
41851, New York Yacht Club Commodore John Cox Stevens and the
5rest of his ownership syndicate sold the celebrated schooner
6and returned home to New York as heroes; they donated the
7trophy to the New York Yacht Club under a Deed of Gift, which
8stated that the trophy was to be "A perpetual challenge cup for
9friendly competition between nations"; thus was born the
10America's Cup, named after the winning schooner; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The America's Cup is without a doubt the most
12difficult trophy in sport to win; in the more than 150 years
13since that first race off the English shore, only four nations
14have won what is often called the "Oldest trophy in
15international sport"; and
 
16    WHEREAS, We wish to thank Louis Vuitton America's Cup World
17Series Chicago event chairman, Don Wilson, and director, Tod
18Reynolds, for bringing this event to Chicago for the first time
19in its history; therefore, be it
 
20    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
21NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
22congratulate the participants and organizers of the Louis

 

 

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1Vuitton America's Cup World Series Chicago and celebrate the
2historic nature of this event for the City of Chicago and the
3State of Illinois; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
5presented to Don Wilson and Tod Reynolds as a symbol of our
6esteem and appreciation.