2009 OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Championship - Issue 2 2009 OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Championship Selection event for the 2009 OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Team 8th January 2009 Weather Today: The first 29er race stated on Charlie Course had to be abandoned due to a wind shift from 110 - 180 degrees. The Laser Radials got underway with a clean start on the second attempt aided by the use of the black flag by Race Officer, Chris Kelly. The first completed races of the day were held in a breeze of 8 - 11 knots from 180 degrees. The sea breeze came in for the following two races with winds in excess of 20 knots. Full Results - (Click Here) Windsurfing Event, BIC Techno 293Class: In the BIC Technos’ second appearance as the Windsurfing Class at this Championship the entries have increased from 5 to 9 with the Girls getting an event this year with 3 female entries. The competitors come from 4 different states showing that windsurfing is spreading. In some states such as NSW there has been a massive push to boost the sport with a team of enthusiasts of the highest calibre with three time Olympian and former World Champion, Jessica Crisp fronting a campaign to share her skills and knowledge with the next generation. Jessica runs training and racing, along with her Beijing Olympics training partner in the RS:X, Janice Stolstrom from Norway and talented Coach, Jenni Bonnitcha. The team use different clubs around Sydney Harbour with training from MHYC on Tuesday and racing at DSC on Wednesdays, WSC on Thursdays and back to MHYC on Fridays followed by a BBQ. Jessica bought 12 One-Design Windsurfers and charters them out for $10, an unbelievable bargain when considering the level of coaching the sailors get! And it’s not just for the kids, many adults have been inspired to dig their old boards out of the garage and join in the fun. To find out more, come along to the lawn between MHYC and MHASC on Friday 9th January.. Yachting Australia has also invested in windsurfing’s development with the purchase of 10 BIC Techno 293 boards that rotate around the states to enable learn to windsurf courses to run. Results: Windsurfing Boys Race One: 1 – Tom England (VIC) 2 – Scott Sharpe (WA) 3 – Eamon Robertshaw (WA) Windsurfing Boys Race Two: 1 – Luke Baillie (QLD) 2 – Tom England (VIC) 3 – Eamon Robertson (WA) Windsurfing Boys Race Three: 1 – Luke Baillie (QLD) 2 – Tom England (VIC) 3 – Eamon Robertson (WA) Windsurfing Boys Leader Board After Day One: 1 – Tom England (VIC) 2 – Luke Baillie (QLD) 3 – Eamon Robertson (WA) * 2008 Champion: Tom England (VIC) Windsurfing Girls Race One: 1 – Rebecca Wyatt (NSW) 2 - Joanna Sterling (QLD) 3 - Emily Peterson (WA) Windsurfing Girls Race Two: 1 – Joanna Sterling (QLD) 2 – Rebecca Wyatt (NSW) 3 – Emily Peterson (WA) Windsurfing Girls Race Three: 1 – Joanna Sterling (QLD) 2 – Rebecca Wyatt (NSW) 3 – Emily Peterson (WA) Windsurfing Girls Leader Board After Day One: 1 – Joanna Sterling (QLD) 2 – Rebecca Wyatt (NSW) 3 – Emily Peterson (WA) * 2008 Champion: NA One-Person Dinghy Event, Laser Radial Class: The fleet of 30 sailors come from two different Countries and six different states and is being lead by the two sailors from Singapore with the 2008 Beijing Olympic representative, Elizabeth Yin having a 2 point lead over Scott Sydney. Scott does actually live in Sydney and trains out of Woollahra Sailing Club at Rose Bay. The top Aussie sitting in third place is Mark Whittington from WA. Last year's Laser Radial champion, Gabrielle King and Laser Champion, Tom Burton are both at the regatta venue catching up with friends and offering advice to sailors as they are no longer youths. They are on a break between the Laser / Laser Radial National Championship and the Asia Pacific Regatta. Gabrielle added another gold medal to her collection with winning the Women’s title at the National Championship. The current leaders of the trials after the Laser Radial Class Championship in Freemantle last week are Ashley Stoddart in the girls and Curtis Skinner in the boys. After scoring 15, 3, 9 today in the combined boys and girls Laser Radial fleet, Ashley Stoddart (QLD) is just 2 points ahead of her rival, Alex South (NSW). Ashley talked through her races with the same relaxed manor in which she attacked the day with confidence, “I got a good start in the first race and rounded well at the top mark but the land and sea breeze began to fight making it really tricky and I lost places by the finish but in race two the sea breeze had set in and so after a bad start I was able to tack away quickly to clear my air and use my boat speed advantage to pull back up to 3rd by the end. The same was the case in the final race, again a bad start and a very deep first mark rounding but I pulled back up to 9th so I’m very happy with today. The wind and waves by the end were awesome!” Results: Laser Radial Girls Race One: 1 – Elizabeth Yin (SIN) 2 – Alex South (NSW) 3 – Ashley Stoddart (QLD) Laser Radial Girls Race Two: 1 – Ashley Stoddart (QLD) 2 – Alex South (NSW) 3 – Elizabeth Yin (SIN) Laser Radial Girls Race Three: 1 – Elizabeth Yin (SIN) 2 – Ashley Stoddart (QLD) 3 – Alex South (NSW) Laser Radial Girls Leader Board After Day One: 1 – Elizabeth Yin (SIN) 2 – Ashley Stoddart (QLD) 3 – Alex South (NSW) 2008 Champion: Gabrielle King (NSW) Laser Radial Boys Race One: 1 – Michael Vincent (NSW) 2 – Martin Wright (WA) 3 – Mitchell Kennedy (QLD) Laser Radial Boys Race Two: 1 – Curtis Skinner (QLD) 2 – Scott Sydney (NSW) 3 – Christopher Jones (TAS) Laser Radial Boys Race Two: 1 – Curtis Skinner (QLD) 2 – Elliott Noye (QLD) 3 – Mark Whittington (WA) Laser Radial Boys Leader Board After Day One: 1 – Scott Sydney (NSW) 2 – Mark Whittington (WA) 3 – Mitchell Kennedy (QLD) 2008 Champion: Elliott Noye (TAS) Two-Person Dinghy Event, 420 Class: The Singapore Team has 11 boats competing in the 420 fleet of 45 entries, an impressive turn out. The 2006 Optimist World Championship Silver Medallist and Women’s World Champion, Griselda Khng wasn’t really happy with her days performance but was still enthusiastic about how much she enjoyed the days racing and explained, “We don’t have conditions like this in Singapore, it is always the same at home with flat water and light winds so it is really helpful to race in these different conditions. I like the wind and waves, its good fun!” With just 8 months experience sailing in the 420, Griselda is showing huge potential for the future and is clear about her goals she explained, “This event together with the Australian 420 National Championship is the trials for the Singapore Team to compete at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, it’s my goal to win the trials and then to finish top three at the Worlds. My dream goal is to race at the Olympics”. Before sailing the 420, Griselda spent 7 months sailing a 29er. When asked which she prefers she answered, “I prefer the 420 because I like the technical side of the boat and I like that the helm holds the main sheet as it gives me better feel for the boat. In the 29er the crew does most of the work to sail the boat, the helm just holds the tiller and the jib. Having said that I do like the speed of the 29er and I would be happy to race either the 29erXX or 470 at the Olympic Games one day”. The Singaporean Team looks to be doing something right after cleaning up at the Australian 420 Class Championship last week with Griselda Khng & Cecilia Low winning the girls and Justin Lin & Sherman Cheng winning the overall title. Talking to Griselda it was clear that the difference is in the level of training. Griselda goes to a ‘special sports school’ where she studies from 7am to 11am and then sails between 2 – 3 hours before returning to school to continue her studies from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. After a difficult opening race, Byron White and Jay Griffin (NSW) won the following two races. “Once the sea breeze kicked in at the end of the first race the conditions became rough out there, big winds of 20+ knots and big seas but that’s what we do best in so we were enjoying it”, Byron commented. Jay continued to explain the reasons for their success, “We got good starts, winning the bias pin end of the line in race two and just down from the pin in race three. The left paid once the sea breeze kicked in and we were fast”. The pair teamed up only six months ago but has been friends for years after meeting through the CYCA Youth Match Race program they share common goals, to win the Olympics, the World Match Race Tour and the America’s Cup. When asked what class they would ideally like to compete in at the Olympics they were torn between the 49er for it’s exciting speed and the 470 for it’s technical challenge and required ‘smarts’. David Gilmour & James Omay from WA lead after scoring 2, 3, 5. After winning the opening race, Angus Galloway & Alexander Gough from QLD are just 2 points behind the leaders and one point in front of Byron White & Jay Griffin from NSW.