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Coutts tells Kiwis to skip America’s Cup meeting

By WTOP Staff

BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO (AP) — If America’s Cup challengers are to get on the same tack as defending champion Oracle Team USA heading into the next regatta, they’ll do so without Emirates Team New Zealand — at least for the time being.

America’s Cup boss Russell Coutts told The Associated Press on Sunday that he told the Kiwis not to come to a meeting in London on Tuesday at which competitors will try to hash out differences following a week of bruising publicity.

Coutts is CEO of Oracle Team USA and head of the America’s Cup Event Authority.

He said the event authority is working with the teams “to further define an event based on the published protocol.” Coutts said that after he heard from another team the Kiwis didn’t want to want to proceed on that basis, “I rang them up and said, ‘It’s best that you not come.’ We have four other challenging teams and the defender that want to work together to have a great event this time and in the future.”

Scheduled to attend the meeting are Britain’s Ben Ainslie Racing, Sweden’s Artemis Racing, Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge and Team France.

Those four syndicates issued a statement Friday expressing support for the America’s Cup following the withdrawal of an Australian syndicate that was serving as Challenger of Record. Team New Zealand was not included in the statement.

The withdrawal of Hamilton Island Yacht Club on July 18 was the first public sign of dissatisfaction among challengers regarding the cost, rules and location of the 2017 regatta. Hamilton Island negotiated the protocol with Coutts.

“It’s quite obvious the whole reason we’re having a meeting is we don’t agree on everything, especially everything that we as defender are proposing,” Coutts said by phone during a layover in Los Angeles on his trip from his native New Zealand to London. “Hopefully they’ll listen to our rationale and debate it in a constructive way.”

Emirates Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton said in an email to the AP that it was “not worth getting into this from our side. It will all play out in due course.”

Coutts and Dalton sparred verbally before the America’s Cup last year. After Team New Zealand took an 8-1 lead against Oracle Team USA on San Francisco Bay, the American syndicate won eight straight races in one of the biggest comebacks in sports to retain the Auld Mug.

Coutts sailed undefeated through three straight America’s Cup matches from 1995-2003. The first two were with Team New Zealand before he jumped ship to Alinghi of Switzerland and skippered it to victory over the Kiwis.

New Zealand is still expected to enter by the Aug. 8 deadline.

Coutts said he doesn’t think the meeting will be contentious.

He called it “a major positive step. I’m not suggesting we’ll all agree on everything, just that we want to work positively and intelligently to make a future for the America’s Cup. That in itself is a massive step forward for the America’s Cup, rather than the approach of conflict all the time where we’re firing bullets through the media at each other.”

Competitors are unhappy with certain rules in the protocol for the next event and disagree with Coutts’ decision to pull the regatta from San Francisco. Coutts has narrowed the venue competition to San Diego and Bermuda, with a decision expected by fall.

The challengers met in Los Angeles six days before Hamilton Island dropped out. According to minutes of that meeting obtained by the AP, it was a “universal concern” that Bermuda “is not a great venue,” and “all challengers feel that San Francisco is the right location for the finals and match.”

It’s unlikely the challengers will change Coutts’ mind on the venue.

Coutts said among the items to be discussed will be commercial aspects and television.

Luna Rossa is expected to become the new Challenger of Record, which represents all foreign syndicates in dealing with the defending champion.

___

Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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