Gillian Wright – Team15 champs cup 2011

“It’s goodbye from me…
As a result of Sport England funding cuts, it is with sadness that I leave the RYA tomorrow due to redundancy after 22 years as National Windsurfing Development Officer, but happiness in that the projects which I created and have developed over the years – the Team15 programme and Project Windsurf-UK – will still continue to be supported by the RYA.

From the days of only one level of junior windsurfing scheme, to children using cut down windsurfing kit because no child-friendly options existed, to the national junior windsurfing rallies, the junior road shows, the mega weekends, Team15 and Project Windsurf-UK… it has been great to see so many people – and particularly young people – introduced to windsurfing over the years and staying within the sport because of that windsurfing passion that enthuses us all.

Whilst I may no longer be working within the windsurfing industry after 25 fantastic years, I will certainly still be windsurfing and posting as a sailor (rather than Admin) on Project Windsurf-UK, which has helped build my local group – the North Devon Windsurfers – along with 92 others groups and counting.
See you on the water sometime…Gillian

Kieran Martin

Now 10 years later, despite being rated as one of the world’s most promising young talents and having multiple junior and youth level World medals to his name, Kieran can still recall the excitement and adventure he felt that very first time he got off and running alone.

It’s a feeling that is replicated across the country by hundreds of rookie youngsters every year and it’s the reason windsurfing is more popular and accessible than ever for kids.

“I was a bit wobbly to start with!” the 2010 Youth Olympics bronze medallist admits, “But the feeling of going alone for the first time was really good. There are so many gains you can then make really quickly; it just made me want to keep learning right from the start.”

There were almost 750 entrants nationwide in last year’s Team15 (T15) Inter-Club Championship and these are just the youngsters who wanted to take part in the racing. There were many more young windsurfers, either new to the sport or more interested in exploring freestyle and wave routes who also enjoy weekly sessions at one of over 80 T15 clubs in Britain.

Team 15 racing

There is little doubt that T15, set up by the RYA in 2001 to help make windsurfing more accessible and appealing to youngsters at a grassroots level, continues to play a massive part in opening up more doors for kids to discover a windsurfing lifestyle.

But fundamentally kids have got to want to do the sport in the first place.

So what is it about windsurfing which captures the imagination of youngsters like Kieran Martin, Izzy Hamilton, the Sills family and George Shillito, Team15 graduates who are all now doing amazing things internationally in racing, freestyle and wave.

Sam Ross is one of the country’s top windsurf instructors and a T15 coach. He says over the past two years the biggest demand he’s had has been from kids. He’s in no doubt as to why.

“For sporty kids windsurfing’s a great sport, but for non-sporty kids it’s just as great. You may think you have a nervous group to start with but within an hour they’re throwing themselves about and the confidence, fearlessness and banter just comes out of them.

“Windsurfing is one of the few sports they can be fully independent really quickly. In other sports, like rowing, dinghy sailing or team sports, you always have an instructor with you or teammates around you. But very quickly on a windsurfing board they can be up and running completely on their own. The sense of achievement is massive. You can see how happy they are, and how much they are absolutely loving it the first time they get going on their own.

“The best thing is by the end of a one hour session, they are all doing it. There is no end game when you first start; it’s not about how fast or far you can go, the achievement just comes from standing up and moving, wherever they end up on the water.”

Team 15 fun and games!

Sam backs up Kieran’s experience, that once you get going that first time there are then loads of little steps to improve really early – things like introducing a turn, changing feet position to balance better and adjusting the rig position to go upwind or downwind. Tiny steps in the great scheme of things but each one a massive motivating achievement.

Sam believes the most important thing when first introducing youngsters to the sport is not getting hung up on the right terminology but allowing them to familiarise themselves with the kit and get a feel for it all first and foremost. This includes carrying the board and sails, standing on the board and trying to balance it, then gradually drip-feeding in the names of the different parts. It’s learning through the experience rather than making it feel like school.

He believes that the developments in kit has also made a massive difference in attracting kids to, and keeping them involved in, the sport in recent years.

Sam adds: “When I first learned to windsurf 15 years ago I learned on small adult kit. I remember it being the hardest sport I’d ever tried! The only thing that kept me involved was the enthusiasm of my instructor.

“Now the kit is so much lighter and there are specific boards and sails depending on the size and experience of a child. All centres and schools have realised the value of having this kit and invested accordingly. All kids are now learning on kids’ kit. I’m blown away by the number of kids windsurfing at such an advanced level at such a young age now.”

That ‘advanced level’ can be in racing, freestyle or wave; once a youngster’s grasped the basics and developed a passion for the sport, the world’s their oyster. Windsurfing also becomes a viable career option as you can be become an Assistant Instructor at 14 and an instructor at 16, meaning you can earn pocket money doing the thing you love!

Team 15, a great place for all windsurfing youngsters

Gillian Wright is the RYA’s National Windsurfing Development Officer and a driving force behind T15 since its inception.

She says: “Team15 has always looked to ensure windsurfing skills of all descriptions are nurtured, providing children with a good foundation in the sport, allowing them to take their windsurfing in whichever direction they wanted. It’s fantastic to see the youngsters progressing from Team15 to succeed in a variety of windsurfing disciplines. Whatever they go on to do, we hope that they will continue to windsurf long after their Team15 days.”

Look at the face of any youngster stepping on to a windsurfing board for the first time this summer and you would think that here is a pretty good chance…….

For more information about Team15 and to locate your nearest local club visit www.team15.org.uk or contact the RYA 0845 345 0400.

First up Boards caught up with one of the Team15 teams to watch out for, The Kielder Kestrels as well as BWA youth competitor looking to mix it up with the amateurs this year,Liam Ellis.

Of course the big news this week is that you can now pre-order the Boards Spring Summer 2013 edition – which will hit shelves, or your doorstep, on the 28th March.

We also had the latest edition of the Freestyle Secrets: part three – remember you can also check out parts one and two in the technique section of the website here.

Victor Fernandez in Shoreham - in the news this week one of the World’s top wave sailors, some say the one man that could take the title from Koester, was on British shores hanging out with Nik Baker.

Hayling Island slalom is starting very soon, a little further afield Fanatic have announced further coaching dates in Lanzarote. Another option if you’re looking to head away is to take the ferry, with routes to Ireland and more Stena Line are a great travel option, particularly as at the moment they are running a kids travel for free package!

Boards also has a new video only section on the homepage – currently located just below the news, all videos will appear in this separate section, so if you’re looking for the latest videos to hit the windsurfing world make sure you continue down past the news! Top videos this week are: Ant Baker showing his slalom style and up and coming racer Tom Wells going full speed ahead.

Until next week….

Team 15 race action at the Champions Cup

The Coates family, together with other keen windsurfers at Kielder Water Sailing Club, were keen to develop their own T15 club at Kielder having previously been involved with rival local club the Pugneys Pirates.

“Windsurfing at Kielder Water Sailing Club was set up by two of the oldest members of the club (both in their 80s) who were part of the huge windsurfing fraternity back in the eighties” Brian explains.

“The Kestrels only started last September and we had 20 T15 members. We are hoping to get even more youngsters signed up this season as for the very first time we are taking part in the T15 Inter-Club Championship.

“Kielder Water is a large lake, a great place to windsurf with plenty of space to learn, develop and to have fun, whether you have been windsurfing for years or just a few weeks. A small bay which is semi-enclosed by KWSC’s jetty is ideal for beginners, after which the headland point is the target and then into the wide open space of Kielder Water for a blast across the lake” he continues.

Christina Coates

Windsurfing certainly runs in the Coates family as Brian’s daughter Christina (15) who is a freestyle expert, also instructs the newly formed Kielder Kestrels (when she’s not competing with the team). Christina was awarded the RYA North East Young Sailor of the Year Award at the London Boat Show for her work volunteering with the club.

 “I am looking forward to using my skills to help the Kielder Kestrels in their first year in the Inter-Club Championship. Everyone is really looking forward to a full season of windsurfing, racing and freestyle at Kielder” said Christina.

The Kestrels will be competing in the North Zone alongside current T15 Zone Champions the Pugneys Pirates from Wakefield, the team which Christina previously competed with and gained her valuable windsurfing experience.

“I do think there will be some friendly rivalry with the kids from Pugneys, we have as we will have some of their members competing including me!” explains Christina.

But for the Kestels it’s not just the winning that counts.

“For us it’s about the fun! This will be the first year that we will take part in the Inter-Club and we see it as a fantastic opportunity for the youngsters to advance their windsurfing skills and have fun out on the water. The great thing about racing is that competitors have to learn to use the wind in the correct way to get an advantage” said Brian.

Not only will it be the first time the Kestels compete but they will also be welcoming junior windsurfing teams from across the North when they host the North Zone Event 3 for the first time in July.

Christina coaching

“We are a little nervous about hosting a T15 event for the very first time” Brian Admits. “However it will be great to be able to showcase our venue and I’m sure the kids will be pretty excited about it! Hopefully we will have a bit of an advantage too on home waters”.

With the new season just around the corner the club were delighted to find out that they has been awarded a grant of over £2,250 from the Eric Twiname Trust to purchase the final pieces of windsurfing equipment needed for the Team15 sessions.

“We are hugely grateful for the funding provided by the Eric Twiname Trust and our thanks go to the trustees not only for their support but for the straightforward way in which you apply for the funding. Having decided to take part in the Inter-Club it came to the rescue just at the right time and will provide us with six new Dino rigs.”

Pugneys

The Kielder Kestrels will be busy preparing for the season with Team15 sessions taking place on the fourth of Saturday of every month followed by a race day on the Sunday.

“Although the Kestrels are only open to junior windsurfers of fifteen years and under, everyone from beginner to expert is welcome at Kielder. We are open to windsurfers of all abilities from complete beginner upwards” Brian concludes.

Supported by industry leaders Tushingham/Starboard and Neil Pryde, T15 was set up by the RYA to help make windsurfing more accessible and appealing to youngsters at a grass roots level. Fun and informal training sessions take place at T15 clubs all over the country for kids up to the age of 15, which are run weekly by specialist RYA coaches.

For more information about Team15 and locate your nearest local club visit www.team15.org.uk or contact the RYA 0845 345 0400.

To get involved in windsurfing at Kielder Water Sailing Club visit www.kielderwatersc.org

These weekends will provide the training needed to take you to the top in RS:X, so whether you’re just moving up from Techno or are already racing on RS:X get involved! For more details of the coaching on offer head to the UKWA website here. 

Entries are also open for the 2013 RYA National Youth Championships:

RS:X racing at the world's in Cadiz

The 2013 Championships are being staged at Largs Sailing Club (Scotland) from Saturday 30 March to Friday 5 April and are guaranteed to attract the best youth sailors from around the country vying for top level competition, including competitors looking to earn selection to the RYA National Youth Squads.

Racing will be highly charged as always, with past winners defending their titles against the cream of the RYA National Youth Squads and Transition Squads, as well as a whole new generation of sailors making the step up from junior level into the championships this year.

In addition to the British sailors at the event, which will include 2012 ISAF Youth Worlds RS:X Gold medallist Saskia Sills, RYA event organisers have once more invited foreign teams to participate and are hopeful that last year’s representation from seven nations, including as far afield as New Zealand, can be topped by this year’s edition. Selection for RYA Team GBR – the team which will represent Great Britain at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in Limassol, Cyprus in July 2013 – will also be up for grabs along with the opportunity to stake their claim as Britain’s top young sailors and win a host of International travel grants.

The 2012 Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships, which was staged in Dublin Bay last year, saw Britain’s young talents bring home two gold medals and one bronze and the prestigious Nations Trophy for the top nation overall. With this in mind, selectors will be eager to pick the best of the best from the action at Largs Sailing Club in an attempt to secure the Nations Trophy in Limassol, Cyprus for a second consecutive year.

Racing will be held for boys in Laser Standards, girls and boys in Laser Radials and Neil Pryde RS:X 8.5 windsurfers, and for all-boy, all-girl or mixed crews in 420s, 29ers and Spitfire catamarans.

Duncan Truswell, RYA Youth Racing Manager, commented: “We are very much looking forward to hosting the 2013 event up in Largs – it is an excellent venue with great local support and very experienced volunteers from Largs Sailing Club and the Scottish Sailing Institute, and we always receive a great welcome.”

“I am sure once again with this valuable support we can lay on not only a well organised and successful event but also a great spectacle to promote our fantastic sport in Scotland and to the rest of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The sailors have been training hard all winter and the selectors look forward witnessing some extremely competitive racing.”

The entry deadline for the RYA Youth National Championships 2013 is up until 2359hrs on Sunday 17th March – late entries will not be accepted.

The RYA Youth Racing programme receives generous support from official clothing supplier Henri Lloyd.

For more information on the 2013 RYA Youth National Championships and to enter online please visit www.ryaracingevents.org.uk

On water action

We windsurfers can come across as a bit of a solitary bunch, so perhaps a club doesn’t immediately seem like our natural habitat. Hooked in, feet in the straps and skimming across the water, you are completely at one with the waves and the water. Having people around can be little more than an irritation.

Yet for all that, there is also a very social aspect to windsurfing. Rigging up prior to going out and chatting about the conditions and comparing kit is an essential part of the whole ritual. An extension of that is planning your next session with your mates over a beer or two, checking tides and winds (and enjoying a drink), is all part of the pleasure.

So why join a club?

There are plenty of good reasons to join a club. Of course, one massive benefit is having somewhere decent to store your kit instead of shoved under the stairs. Clubhouses also have the massive benefit of showers and changing rooms. How many times have you dreamt of a hot shower as you struggle back into your clothes in the cramped confines of the car?

Aside from this, clubs can also provide you with a bit of structure for your windsurfing and that can often give you the push you need to get out on the water as opposed to simply thinking it might be a good idea. It’s also great to be out on the water with other windsurfers in order to pick up tips; while a bit of extra training never did anyone any harm.

More coaches, better training

Behind the scenes, RYA Regional Development Officers (RDO’s) are busy helping clubs with planning and organisation, volunteers, new training courses and even organising windsurfing club workshops. All of which, will entice new members and encourage existing ones to windsurf more regularly.

T15 Champions Cup 2012

The number of instructors in training centres has risen significantly in the last few years which is great news as it means more opportunities for you to sharpen up your skills.

The success of the RYA’s Team15 Programme, which provides young windsurfers with a fun structured way of windsurfing as part of a club, means that club windsurfing is already on the up and the more like-minded windsurfers there are around, the better the post session chat will be.

Inter-club challenges are a fantastic way to raise the standard of windsurfing for the youngsters and it provides a great way for the younger generation of windsurfers to pick up some tips whilst having a laugh with their mates on the water.

Team15 also underpins the RYA’s youth and junior pathway, which is the very first step on the Olympic pathway, giving young windsurfers a real focus and goal. It also means that if they have talent that needs to be developed, they are not going to be overlooked.

How to get hold of a club

Ok, so you’ve decided that being a member of a club is a good idea and one that should help you go windsurfing more regularly, the next step is finding one near you.  The RYA has a directory of all RYA affiliated clubs within the UK and abroad. You’ll be able to find your nearest one by going to the RYA’s Where’s my nearest

You can also find your nearest club on Project Windsurf-UK, which aims to promote windsurfing clubs and groups in the UK, and link individual windsurfers with these local groups.

By offering an added social aspect to windsurfing, these groups hope to encourage more people to go windsurfing together, more often; visit www.projectwindsurfuk.org.uk and discover where your local windsurfing group’s located, or sign up your own group and invite others to join you. 

Loads going on at Northampton

Bringing it to life: Northampton Sailing Club

We asked Neil Patrick, Windsurfing Club Officer at Northampton Sailing Club how it works at his club….

Windsurfers at NSC range from six to 75 and often ‘compete’ with each other for the speed record, come together for charity events and keep in contact with each other to arrange to meet and sail when the weather conditions are promising.

10-15 year old windsurfers enjoy weekly Team15 sessions which provide the opportunity for beginners to be introduced to the techniques required for social windsurfing and racing including practice starts, advice on kit preparation and advice on progression to squads.

Pitsford Pirates

Our team the Pitsford Pirates are part of the T15 Inter-Club Championship and we were delighted this year to see them finishing 1^st place in the Midlands Zone and 6^th overall in the national final, the Team15 Champions Cup.

Experienced young windsurfers at the club are also available as volunteer coaches, and they offer an insight into the RYA racing programme, encouraging others to enter the racing events. This is particularly important as it creates an enthusiasm in the club and the new youngsters can learn first-hand from their peers. It creates a very special social bond providing the right atmosphere for the new members to gain confidence in their abilities.

Planning is already under way at NSC to offer freestyle opportunities and training to young people and adults looking for tuition or an introduction to freestyle events. All our windsurfing members are encouraged to join in with all social activities hosted by the club. Many of our young people attend both windsurfing and sailing tuition groups. There are also social activities for Windsurfers only such as the Windsurf for Cancer day or the ‘offsite’ trips to other waters.

Windsurfers at Northampton

The club arranges ‘open days’ throughout the year, offering new and prospective members the opportunity to try windsurfing with a coach on hand to give tips. Through the Northampton Watersports Centre, it is possible to then book courses to continue to learn to windsurf.

The adults and young people involved in both sailing and windsurfing create cross sport social groups reducing the ‘them and us’ situation! In the present economic climate it is a cost effective way for families to participate in a sporting activity and includes the advantage of a thriving social club. We have identified that many young people who participate in Team15 then move onto other sailing disciplines both as sailors and windsurfers, providing the club membership of the future.”

If you want to help to develop your windsurfing club, contact your local RDO. Find out who your local RDO is by contacting the RYA on 02380 604 251 or by emailing ben.reid@rya.org.uk 

Team 15 racing

The search has begun for Scotland’s top coach, instructor, club, volunteer, young volunteer and outstanding female contribution to the sport, with the winners being honoured at a prestigious dinner in February.

Judging this year’s awards is a distinguished panel:  twice Olympic gold-medal winning sailor Shirley Robertson OBE who nominated Borders 17 year Callum Airlie as one of the seven young athletes to light the London 2012 Games cauldron;  Mike Hay MBE, British Olympic Association’s Head of Winter Sport Engagement and sportscotland board member;  and Chris Tiso, CEO at Tiso Group Ltd, and sponsor of British Team member Charlotte Dobson in her 2012 Olympic campaign.

The 2012 RYA Scotland Awards winners will be announced and celebrated at a special dinner in Largs on Saturday 23rd February 2013 during RYA Scotland’s Big Weekend, the annual boat show that looks to bring sailors from all over Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England.

Nine months after being crowned RYA Scotland’s Club of the Year, Chanonry Sailing Club is still benefitting from being recognised as the country’s top club.

“Winning the award gives you such a sense of pride in your club,” said Helen Jenner, Commodore at the Fortrose-based club.  “It recognises people, particularly our volunteer coaches, for all the great work that they do. It’s a huge pat on the back.”

“And winning the award has helped a general feel good feeling, a yes we can attitude, right around the club.”

RYA Scotland Chief Operating Officer, James Stuart, said:  “Recognising and celebrating the dedication and commitment of our volunteers, coaches, instructors, sailors and clubs is hugely important to our sport and we urge you to nominate those who have gone that extra mile for their sport, achieved great successes and have helped to encourage others.

“In this Olympic year many people in Scotland sailing have capitalised by leading and promoting sailing at their clubs.  Our awards are a fantastic opportunity to recognise the achievements of these people, many of them unsung heroes.”

To help recognise the commitment of the people and volunteers who are so dedicated to our sport, please complete your nomination at:

www.ryascotland.org.uk

Closing date for nominations is Monday 7th January 2013

The 2012 RYAS Awards categories:

RYA Scotland Coach of the Year

RYA Scotland Instructor of the Year

RYA Scotland Club of the Year

RYA Scotland Volunteer of the Year

RYA Scotland Young Volunteer of the Year

RYA Scotland’s Elizabeth Mackay award – for outstanding female contribution to the sport

Club racing

As the autumn approaches we know that clubs are planning their 2013 summer programme and looking further ahead. At the RYA and within the RYA Regional Teams, we are also looking at how we can support you with best practice and advice, to help you prosper in difficult economic times and flourish over the next 5, 10 and 15 years.

We are here to help. During the winter period we will be delivering a series of sequential Club Workshops across England. These workshops will last for two and a half hours each and will offer you the opportunity to hear about best practice, allow you to share ideas and give you ideas on how to move ahead with positive actions.

How can you get involved?  Please look through the workshop and assign two of your relevant committee members within the club to attend each of the workshops. Numbers are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.

The bulk of the workshops will be delivered as evening workshops except for the first weekend in December where they will be delivered as an RYA Club Conference. Arrival is from 9:30am, the Conference will start at 10:00am and finish at 4:00pm. The day will include a guest speaker - there are various titles for these talks – check with your region.

Any questions please speak to your Regional Development Officer or High Performance Manager – contact details available here.

Supported by Gallagher Heath.

Click here to book your place on a free RYA Club Workshop

Victoria Patrick - Pitsford Pirates

Victoria Patrick, 11 years old, competitor Pitsford Pirates:

What class did you race in?

I raced in the 3.5m class.  This is the class with the smallest sails in the Cup event and it’s the class everyone starts in.

How did you get on?

I did okay but if the wind had been stronger and less shifty I think I would have done a lot better.

How did your team, the Pitsford Pirates do?

We came 6th overall but the team did great.  The competition was really fierce.  Like me I think a lot of the team would have liked the wind to have been stronger though.

What did you enjoy about going to the Champions Cup?

The Champions Cup was great fun.  We meet up with friends we’ve made through windsurfing from all over the country, and even though our team didn’t win we were really pleased for our friends on the winning team.

What is it about windsurfing that you love?

Well, all my family do it to so I love that we can do it together and I think that if I do well then I am making them all very proud of me.

Tadhg Al-Hassan, with the Oxford Zoomers,Techno 3.5

Andy Kerr, East Zone Inter-Club Championship volunteer:

How long have you been involved with Team15?

I’ve been involved for quite a few years now, and have been lucky enough to be involved with clubs in both Scotland and England.

What do you enjoy about being involved in Team15?

The thing that stands out in all the clubs is that it’s always fun! The coaches are fantastic and it’s great to see the sailors progressing and loving being involved in a team. It is hugely satisfying to see the sailors progressing from the smaller sail fleets into the Techno 6.8 fleet then onto bigger and better things as their skills improve.

What’s it like volunteering at the Champions Cup event?

Helping at T15 and the Champions Cup is always great, the atmosphere and the camaraderie, both within teams and as a whole always makes for a fun day and I feel privileged to have an input however small.

How important do you think Team15 is in the windsurfing community?

T15 is without doubt the best thing that has happened in windsurfing in the UK.

Sarah Cartwright, Team15 project support officer:

Sarah Cartwright - T15 Programme Support Officer

How has Team15 changed over the last 11 years?

The level of delivery has improved massively since the beginning of the competition and each year the competition gets stronger. The standard is amazing and the competitors take it really seriously.  Obviously after all these years Team15 means a lot more to the windsurfing community than it did at the start and it has certainly become increasingly competitive!

How has the 2012 Team15 season has gone?

This season has been great. Participation has been good with some of the zones experiencing their highest turnouts yet.

The Olympics certainly created a fantastic buzz and with Nick winning his Silver medal on home waters, it certainly brought people together. Everyone was very inspired to get out on the water and have fun!

We’ve experienced fantastic support from the volunteers this year; people were really keen to help out and made huge commitments to the event.  We’ve also seen many new faces with new clubs attending including the Mumbles Mutineers and the Lakeside Loafers.

What are the benefits of windsurfing for young people / what do the kids get out of it?

The kids gain key skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives, including communication and decision making skills, vital for racing, working as part of a team and developing processing skills – working out why and where they went wrong in a race and how to get back out on the water and try to improve.

The youngsters gain independence and learn a lot about themselves and each year many of the kids come back having learnt even more. The sport gives freedom as well as being a lot of fun!

Do you think the competition of the Champions Cup is good for youngsters and for Team15 programme?

The Champions Cup is brilliant for everyone involved and for T15. It’s a great way to end the season and to celebrate the skills you have learnt and bring everybody together from competitors and coaches to volunteers and parents.

We see teams developing and the exciting thing is we always have a different team winning each year; the title is always up for grabs!

It’s a great opportunity for not only the older youngsters to develop their skills and decide if they are ready to take the next step on the RYA pathway, but for the beginners and younger sailors to experience their first taste of competitive racing.

They all learn a lot from each other while they are there and it is a great opportunity for the teams to all meet each other. For some teams it will be the first time they have sailed on a bigger course!

Want to know more about Team15?

Supported by industry leaders Tushingham/Starboard and Neil Pryde, T15 was set up by the RYA to help make windsurfing more accessible and appealing to youngsters at a grass roots level.

There are currently 70 Team15 clubs offering fun and informal training sessions all over the country for kids up to the age of 15, which are run weekly by specialist RYA coaches.

The T15 inter-club championship takes place regionally over the summer adding a competitive edge and race training for those keen to hone their skills.

Kit can be borrowed from the clubs and the cost of sessions is kept low.

To get involved with Team15 and locate your nearest local club visit www.team15.org.uk or contact the RYA 0845 345 0400.

RS:X Squad with coach Ollie Woodcock

There were dual celebrations for Britain’s young windsurfers this weekend, with Kieran Martin and Saskia Sills both claiming podium honours at the RS:X Youth World Windsurfing Championships in Penghu, Chinese Taipei (21-27 October).

The pair earned two hard-fought silver medals for RYA Volvo Team GBR after six days of tough competition at Shili Beach, with the 16-year-old Sills also taking the Under 17 world title in addition to overall silver at the Under 19 event.

Launceston’s Sills sailed a solid series, posting either first or second places in seven of the 13 opening series races to head in the final 10-board medal race with a slender four point lead over Israel’s Neomi Cohen.

But with the Israeli sailor winning the final double-points medal race and the British sailor coming in fourth, the second step on the podium went to Sills, who’s made a rapid impact in her first season in the Youth RS:X class.

She finished third overall in the RS:X Youth European Windsurfing Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, winning the Under 17 category, and quickly followed that up with victory at her first ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland and another gold at the EUROSAF Youth Europeans to earn her nomination alongside Olympic and Paralympic medallists for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards, the winners of which will be announced next Tuesday (6th November).

RS:X Action in Taiwan

Saskia’s twin sister Imogen, also competing at the Youth Worlds event, finished seventh overall and picked up bronze in the Under 17 Championship.

Meanwhile in the boy’s event, Cheadle’s Kieran Martin sealed his silver with the help of a race win in the final medal race.

In bronze medal position going in to the final day and with a six point gap to make the leap onto the next step of the podium, the 17-year-old 2012 European silver medallist Martin did precisely what was required of him, pulling off medal race victory and seeing his French rival, Martin Olmeta finish in ninth to elevate the RYA Volvo Team GBR sailor into the silver medal spot.

The event victory went to Poland’s Pawel Tarnowski, who finished ahead of Martin by just one point.

Joe Bennett also featured in the top ten spots for GBR, finishing eighth overall.

RYA Volvo Team GBR RS:X coach Oli Woodcock was pleased with his charges’ efforts.

“We’re really happy with how the event went – the guys all performed brilliantly, not only making the podium but also learning a huge amount from the week.

“It was building up to be a really high wind regatta, sort of 20-25 knots and gusting up to 50 at times in the days beforehand, which is apparently normal for this time of year!  By the time the event came around it had settled down a bit and was much more of an all-round regatta in terms of the conditions.

“Saskia’s had an awesome first season in the RS:X,” Woodcock explained. “She sailed really well this week, but just made a few too many mistakes this time to clinch the overall win.  She’s a little bit gutted to have missed out on another gold here, but she’s really mature for her age and will learn from those mistakes and come back stronger next year.  It’s a great result for Imi [Imogen] as well, who was sailing her first event as a full member of the RYA Volvo Team GBR RS:X Youth squad.

“Kieran’s had a bit of an up and down year so I’m really pleased for him that he’s been able to get a good result at these Worlds as well,” Woodcock continued.

“We did a lot of work after the ISAF Youth Worlds and the EUROSAF event, and he’d been racing really well in our pre-event training so we knew it was possible.  All credit to Kieran, he was mature and relaxed and made sure he was in the top three on the days when we had light winds, and top 10 in the planing races to put himself in the best possible position.”

For more information and for full results from the RS:X Youth World Windsurfing Championships visit the event website.

For details regarding the RYA Volvo Youth Racing programme or for further details on future regattas, click here.

Below is  a quick selection of images, head here for the full gallery. We will have a full report from the weekend’s racing very soon too.

Meg on the podium!

Name: Megan Kraft

DOB:  3rd Jan 2000

Windsurfing history: O started properly when I was 9, using a 1.6m rig, but used to play on a skateboard that my dad rigged up with footstraps and mast foot for a 0.8m rig, which we just held onto as he span us around as if we were windsurfing when I was 3 or 4 years old.

Who has inspired/influenced you in windsurfing?  

Have to say my Dad, because he has! And we’ve got loads of cool kit thanks to him.

Why did you enter NWF? 

Dad was asked to cover for Chris Lewis running the Turbo 15, so he offered me chance to have his ticket instead …. Thanks Chris, I’m so glad you couldn’t make it haha

What fleet did you enter, where did you finish and what was the experience like?

Turbo 15 Sub 5m fleet …. It wasn’t very windy at all so pretty difficult on a 3.5m to get moving at times, but all the kids were such good fun that it didn’t really matter who finished where. I would have preferred to win all the races of course, but I was just saving myself for the night race!

Megan Kraft and Nik Baker in the night race

What was your favourite part of the event this year? 

The night race, which was awesome. Choosing Nik Baker to be on my team was really cool, as he calls me his little team rider because I have an ION wetsuit. He was really worried that he might be the slow one on our team which was really funny. It was so cool to win the race … Running up to finish with Nik with all of the crowd cheering was just awesome. Getting a really cool trophy that Dad’s mate from Surfmirror had made and standing on podium with it in front of everyone was so cool too

Have you entered any other windsurfing events this year?

I am in the Spray Sprites Team 15 squad and raced at the South East inter club events, but this was my first time ever at NWF. I’ve been to loads of big windsurfing events with my dad before but NWF was the coolest

Megan Kraft in the Live lounge

What’s next for you? 

Sleep, I’m knackered lol!

What do you want to progress next with your windsurfing? 

I want to be planing using harness and footstraps so I can go faster than my Dad. I’m going to carry on with Team 15 as it’s such good fun and I’ve made so many new friends windsurfing. Who knows where windsurfing will take me? Wherever it does, I think it will be fun