Leading global nautical lifestyle and performance brand, Sperry Top-Sider®, announced today the addition of another Olympic-class sailing athlete to Team Sperry. Laser Radial sailor, Evi Van Acker, 25, from Belgium becomes the 31st sponsored member of the team. Along with her Team Sperry colleagues she will wear Sperry Top-Sider footwear on and off the water, and provide important feedback to the Sperry design team on technology and performance elements of her footwear needs.

Evi has many sailing accolades under her belt and was nominated Belgian Sailing Woman of the Year in 2005. In 2007 ISAF nominated her Rolex World Sailor of the Year and on July 8, 2011 she was crowned, for the first time, as Laser Radial European Champion. She recently earned a silver medal at the 2011 Skandia Sail for Gold, a race sailed on the same waters planned for the 2012 Olympic Games.

On announcing the news, Craig Reingold, President of Sperry Top-Sider, LLC said, "Evi Van Acker has all the attributes of a great athlete and she epitomizes professionalism and outstanding performance on the water. This is clearly reflected in her European achievements to date and she is a great addition to Team Sperry. We are proud that she chose to join Team Sperry and wants to be an ambassador for our brand.”

Craig continued, "We are delighted to invest in Evi’s future as she continues the challenging journey towards Olympic selection and participation. I wish her – and the rest of our 31 Team Sperry athletes -- the very best of luck in fulfilling the dream of winning an Olympic Medal."

On the announcement of joining Team Sperry, Evi Van Acker said, "How can a girl not be happy to become part of a brand that sells shoes? I love shoes. From sailing boots, to flip-flops, ballerinas or high heels, Sperry Top-Sider has all of them!! My favourite is the Sea Ray Thong in tan."

She continued, "I'm really excited to become part of the Sperry sailing team. Everything about it just feels good. I'm sure that we can do great things together, developing the world’s best sailing product and most importantly, share good moments and celebrate medals."

About Team Sperry

Team Sperry is a select group -- now at 31 athletes -- that intends to compete is a variety of sailing events at the 2012 Olympics. These athletes all wear Sperry Top-Sider technical footwear, as well as lifestyle and fashion products, and provide valuable input to Sperry’s product design team that is utilized in enhancing the shoes, particularly the technical performance footwear. Team Sperry was announced in early June with 30 athletes; Sperry expects to make additional announcements in the coming months.

Keep up-to-date with all the Team Sperry News:
Follow Team Sperry on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Sperry/163964980336170
Follow Team Sperry on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/SperrySailing
Visit Team Sperry’s page on the website at www.sperrytopsider.com/sailing
 

Keep up to date with Evi Van Acker:
www.twitter.com/evivanacker
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Evi-Van-Acker/22560992605
www.evivanacker.com