WYA Squad Newsletter Spring 2014

Transcription

1 WYA Squad Newsletter Spring 2014 The Windy Winter RESULTS THIS WIN- TER Optimist The 2013/2014 winter season kicked of with a few International events. Four Welsh sailors ventured over to Palamos where they reported huge waves and tough conditions. All worked hard and highlights include::- Will Hall (43rd) Rhys Lewis (99th) Hannah Robert Straw (143) Mila Monaghan (167). Kai Wolgram also travelled over to Malta finishing 59th. Three sailors were selected to represent GBR at Naples Rhys Lewis (18th) Ciaron Jones (41) Chris Jones (53) Then the bginning of the IOCA series with the Spring Champs in Torbay Rhys Lewis (2nd) Haty Morsley (3rd) Chris Jones (7th) Jamie Cook (13th) Will Hall (17th) Iago Davies (18th) The Easter Regattas Magic Marine Easter Regatta: Will Hall 4th, Rhys Lewis 5th, Chris Jones 32nd, Ciaron Jones 50th, Hatty Morsley 1st Silver Fleet (carrying a BFG in qualifying.) Out of 214 sailors. Lake Garda Optimist Meeting : Gethin Owen 68th, Iago Davies 95th out of 623 sailors. Kai Wolgram 24th, Tyler Green 104th out of 205 sailors. Laser The lasers have had a tough start to the beginning of their race season. Three qualifiers were held in succession on the south coast with strong tides and breeze. Qualifier 4 at Stokes Bay Results Matt Whitfield (16) Will Thomas (20) Merrick Stanley (2nd Silver fleet) Standard Micky Beckett ( 5) Eifion Mon (9) Jack Preece (12) Qualifier 4 at Pevensey Bay Results- Matt Whitfield (11) Rhiannon Massey (17) Standard Micky Beckett (7) Jack Preece (10) Qualifier 6 at Highcliffe Results - Rhiannon Massey (6th) Matt Whitfield (11th) Standard Micky Beckett 6) Jack Preece (13) 420 Winter Championships Mari Davies and Sarah Norbury (2) Dan Whitley and James Clemetson (11) Dan Atherton and Matt Viney(18) Jemma Viney and Matilda Matthews(26) Spring Championships Mari Davies and Sarah Norbury (3rd) Dan Whitley and James Clemetson(5th) Jemma Vineyand Matilda Matthews (20) Dan Atherton and Matt Viney (23) 29er A glorious weekend of racing for the 29ers in Rutland for their first Grand Prix. They were met with sunshine, warm weather but a slight lack of wind on Sunday: Grand Prix 1 Rowan and Dan (10th) Alex and Tom (19th) Topper Winter Regatta Callum Elwin (11th) Chloe Butterworth (17th) Alex Whitfield (23rd) Topper Nationwide Queen Mary Alex Whitfield 21st, Tom Renny 26th, Harry Pulford 35th Eric Twiname Team This winter we have seen endless Low pressure systems, howling gales, floods and high tides but we have made it through in one piece. Many weekends were postponed and rescheduled. There were a record breaking number of capsizes and land days which tested both the coaches and sailors to their limits with regards to theory sessions! Optimist Callum Davidson-Guild, Emily Hall, Felicity Allen, Guy Farmer, Alice Reynolds, Lorelei Bates, Tyler Green, Luc Sharrock, Alex Lewis, Maddie Leary Topper Rhys Chandler, Zac Orehawa, Harry Pulford, Ben Roberts, Abigail Roberts, Jess Sillitoe-Price, Nina Tilley, Ffion Thomas Feva s Thomas & Amy Bale, Ewan Luke & Daisy Lee-Browne, Iwan Roberts Ellie Meopham Welsh Sailors of the Year Once again Ellie was crowned Welsh sailor of the year after a spectacular summer in Not only did Ellie secure her spot in the ISAF Youth Worlds Team for the second year running but Ellie also finished 5th at the Radial Youth European Championships. Ellie is now taking some time out coaching and about to start training as a Paramedic.

2 RYA Youth Nationals Results: 29er Gold: Rowan Edwards & Dan Blight 10th, Tilly James & Robbie Robinson 13th, Huw Edwards & Josh Dawson 24th, Silver: Alex & Tom Joesbury 2nd, Tommi Coode & James Guinan17th, Chelsea Jackson & Ryan Jones 26th 420 Mari Davies & Sarah Norbury 4th, Daniel Whitely & James Clemetson 7th, Matt Viney & Dan Atherton 16th, Jemma Viney & Tilley Mathews 21st Laser Micky Beckett 3rd, Alex Jardine 14th Radial Gold: Matt Whitfield 7th, Rhiannon Massey 19th, Merrick Stanley 27th, Frankie Dickens 28th, Aled Goddard 35th, Archie Dodwell 53rd Silver: Dan Jones 2nd, Sam Thomas 6th, Jack shepherd 29th, Emily Roberts 36th, Ben Johnson-Rolfe 37th, Francesca Murphy 40th Stevie Beckett s thoughts for the week Starts: The fleet seemed to lack line awareness on occasions, in particular, where the line was, what the bias was, and how to put this together with a strategy. There tended to be a lack of response to changing conditions in the later races of the day as people got more tired, which though understandable, is not ideal. If you bear in mind that conditions change continuously, then by the final race in the day, you stand to make gains while everyone else is asleep. Awareness of changing conditions: Whilst some sailors were good at responding to different days, there was also a tendency to assume that because something was important yesterday, it would be important today too. It is much better to perform your own analysis before each race to ensure you don t make assumptions and miss things. This was particularly relevant with the changing effects of the thermals and the tides from day to day and even race to race. Laylines and rhumb lines: I saw some very bad laylines last week, and I also saw many reaches with the entire fleet above the rhumb line, and runs with the fleet all one side or the other. Transits to ensure you don t sail further than you need are really important in these cases, and planning for how the tide might effect the different legs will also help (particularly important on Friday). You stand to gain many places by getting these things right.

3 WYA Events Dates for the diary Bala OnBoard Festival and Acorn OnBoard Regatta 6-7th September Welsh Zone Championships 27-28th September Pembrokeshire Yacht Club CYRC s North West South 1st June South Caernarvonshire YC 31st May Dale YC 7th June Llangorse SC 22nd June Port Dinorwic SC 21st June Tenby SC TBC TaTa 28th June Llyn Brenig SC 28th June Pembrokeshire YC 21st June Cardiff Bay YC 20-21st September - Clywedog SC 19th July - Neyland YC 5th July Mumbles YC 4th October Dovey YC 13th September Fighguard YC 20th July Penarth YC Welsh Champs Optimist CBYC Laser Cardiff Yacht Club July Topper 26-27th April combined with Welsh Youth and Junior Championships Open Training CBYC running some summer camps please check the CBYC website for more info IOCA training May Clywedog / 7 June Llyn Brenig / 21 June PDSC (TBC) / July Abersoch/ Sep Holyhead Sailors who are Graduating from their class this year are: Optimist Gethin Owen Iago Davies Hatty Morsley Topper Callum Elwin Cori MacFarlene Chloe Butterworth Charlotte Watson Nina Tlley Jess Slitoe Price Ffion Thomas 29er Chelsea Jackson SPEED & SMARTS These are amazing newsletters written by Dave Dellenbaugh, winning America s Cup Tactician. The newsletters are packed with tips to improve your racing performance and have some great diagrams. You will need your login to view the newsletters but well worth the read. Useful Laser Videos COURSES RYA First Aid Course dates: CBYC 7th June 50 members 55 non-members Contact Coaches Top Tips Paul Simes Relax & Smile, you will sail faster and better Chris Gowers Put the bung in before you launch Dave Jones Hike harder Sarah Williams Poor Preparation leads to Poor Performance Plas Menai 31st May, 23rd Aug, 1st Nov, 22nd Nov Contact Dinghy Instructor Course Dates: Plas Menai July, 4-8 Aug, Aug, Oct Contact

4 The Transition from Optimist to How are you finding the 420? 420s are going great and a lot faster than Optimist s! It s been great fun learning to sail in a new boat with 2 other sails and another person! 2. Was there a big jump between optimist and 420 sailing? It felt like quite a big jump going from an Optimist to a 420 especially because it s so much more technical and physical than an Optimist. But whilst I was in my Optimist I also sailed Feva s for a couple of years to learn how to sail a double handed boat and did some events 3. Who do you sail with and what class did they sail previously? I sail with Tilly Matthews who previously sailed Toppers and also comes from Cardiff Bay Club. It s really convenient we sail nearby as in the summer we can train after school. 4. What squads are you currently part of? We are currently in the GBR Transitional Squad which is going great as there are both people who have previously been in Optimists and other boats like Cadets. We are also in the Welsh 420 Squad with a record number of 5 other boats! 5. Any advice for sailors looking to transition this year? If I had to give any advice for anyone who was looking to go from their Junior boat to a Youth boat, try out lots of different boats to find what you like and get lots of time on the water being a helm and crew to find what you prefer! And have fun!

5 So You Thought You Were Busy. The Viney Family s Story It almost seems easy now! With just Matt and Jemma in 420 Squads (different boats of course!), Gareth now coaching and doing A levels, and Sam sailing a Feva locally, we even have the occasional weekend when we are both at home at the same time. The sailing Calendar is still very busy and most weekends have been taken up by Class training, Welsh Squad, GBR Transitional Squad or simply time on the water getting to grips with a new boat. But with a double trailer, and sharing travel commitments with two other families, time away is becoming less frequent. It hasn t always been so. We have been involved in Junior and Youth sailing for the last 8-9 years. Gareth was a relatively late starter at 10, but was quickly followed by Matt, Jemma and Sam and for a while we had 4 children in the Optimist class (is this a record?). Logistics inevitably became a big challenge. We purchased an old triple stacker trailer and would arrive at events with the car jammed full and another Optimist on the roof. Obviously a decent boat is important-but one thing we have learnt is don t skimp on the means of getting it there. Investment in a bigger trailer for most families will mean that you can share the travel demands with friends. We initially bought an old, home made job with small road wheels; which meant we could get the fully laden trailer in the garage; but the small tyres resulted in a lot of blow outs. On one cold, dark, Friday winters night we left for the long trek to North Wales for Squad training. We had only just got on the A470 when we heard the familiar sound of a trailer tyre bursting. We pulled over and changed it-only for the same thing to happen a couple more miles up the road. On closer inspection it was apparent that the trailer had collapsed and part of the frame was rubbing on the wheel. Thankfully we had breakdown recovery and the trailer was hauled home together with a group of extremely glum children thinking that their weekend was over. A series of phone calls and the Pain family came to our rescue. They were away, but had an Optimist trailer in their garden that we could borrow. A late run to Penarth and under cover of darkness we collected their trailer-without being challenged by the neighbours, loaded it up and left the next morning bright and early at 5am arriving in time for the Squad. Shortly afterwards we persuaded Chris to sell, and bought his much better light aluminium trailer-which was in great demand when we eventually sold it on. Forward planning became an essential task. Janet s administration skills took over and her colour coded spreadsheets-packed with information on times, dates, locations, accommodation, entry details, who was taking etc. became essential reading, not just for us but for many other interested parents. Left to right = Gareth always took a laid back approach, Matt and Sam at their first Regatta Fleet, Team Viney and Friends Eric Twiname 2012

6 With four children in Squads, travel and accommodation costs really added up. Camping would have been the cheapest accommodation option but we were never happy campers other than at the annual end of season jaunt at Llangorse, and relied instead on well known cheap hotel chains. We were great advocates of advance booking. If you know six months in advance where you will need to stay, book ahead and bag a room for as little as per night. In a further bid to save costs we used to cram six of us in a room designed for no more than four. The children became concerned that we would be found out and on one occasion Sam was smuggled into the room in a wheelie bag! We were often faced with what to do in an evening once the children has been packed off to bed, and since none of these places have decent communal areas, we took to meeting like-minded parents outside the front door of the hotel, in all weathers, armed with a bottle of wine and some plastic tumblers. You can meet some nice people outside a travel lodge! Things got even more challenging when Gareth moved on to Fevas, Lasers and then 29ers. We are very grateful to the Whitfields and then the Jacksons who were prepared to take Gareth with them, leaving us to concentrate on the Oppie sailing. For a couple of seasons we had three children in three different GBR Optimist Squads. Inevitably these would be on the same weekend but at different venues at opposite ends of the country. A typical weekend might involve one of us heading to the South coast with Sam and the other dropping Matt off at Farmoor on route to Grafham with Jemma. We couldn t have done it without the help of friends-too many to mention here. Looking after four lots of sailing gear has also been quite a challenge. From an early age we have made our children responsible for getting their own gear ready. We have tried to ensure that they have different kit to avoid the inevitable arguments over that s my glove, no it s my glove and we have avoided changing rooms where ever possible to try and cut down on losses. The threat of you lose it, you pay for it has also helped to ensure that they look after and respect the value of their kit. Dealing with the ups and downs, success and failure has also been a big factor. The inevitable sibling rivalry meant that at least one of the family would often be disappointed after a Championship event. We have tried to keep things light hearted and Bobby McFerrin s Don t Worry, be Happy became the favourite chill out track to be played on route to an event. We have also learnt the hard way to let our kids talk about their successes and failures in their own time-and never to ask that loaded question on the way home Well, how did it go? It has been a fantastic journey-we have made new friends, been to parts of the country we had never seen before, stayed in some truly awful places and dealt with many highs and lows. Our children have developed in so many ways and we are immensely proud of what they have achieved, but sometimes now it s rather nice to have that weekend at home.. Ian and Janet Viney

7 Chris Malherbe aka the UNIT Tell us about how you got to where you are today. I was born and brought up in South Africa and I had a huge passion for sport and tried my hand at anything I could get hold of, rugby was my number one sport. My high level of rugby at a young age enabled me to get a rugby scholarship at the University of Stellenbosch in Cape Town studying Human Movement Science my passion for rugby grew. I coached at a Rugby Academy as well as playing rugby for the University team. I was scouted by a UK rugby scout to play professional rugby in England for Otley Rugby Team based in Yorkshire. I then played for Warfdale and the Barbarians. I met my partner Sara in 2001 who lives in North Wales and so commuted between Yorkshire and Felinheli so I could continue with my rugby. In 2011/2012 I stopped playing rugby professionally and moved to live full time in Felinheli, I was still passionate about rugby and so coached the Caernarfon Rugby Team for a season as an assistant and Head Coach. I have been a fitness fanatic for 15 years and in 2011 the UNIT was born. Tell us how and why you opened up your gym I started the gym mainly due to a passion for fitness, strength and conditioning and seeing people develop through fitness. The UNIT is based in Felinheli and it used to be an old slaughter house and so we debated calling it the Slaughter Gym but decided on the UNIT. A lot people think it s because the UNIT sounds like something big and strong but it was actually due to the building not having a name or number so we called it the UNIT and it stuck. What sort of people do you train? Obviously the Welsh Sailors at Squad weekends but it s a lot of general public who visit the UNIT that are looking to get fit and keep healthy. I also work with a number of other sports: Pro mountain bikers Rock climbers Rugby Cricket Basketball Football Olympic Weight Lifters What do you believe are the benefits of being strong and fit when competing in sport at National and International Level? Allows athlete to maintain form when Allows the body to cope with heavy Energy systems recover quicker and last Makes decision making easier Injury prevention

8 Any secrets or advice to someone starting a training programme? Get the basics right, learn how to do the movements correctly before advancing in the exercise or your training programme. Any specific advice for sailors from what you have seen? Train more and train smart. Get to know what the physical demands of sailing your class of boat are then use the gym to achieve those demands. Have you had a go at sailing? Yes I sailed last summer at Port Dinorwic Sailing Club with my children as part of PD Pirates. It was very intense and I was wearing the wrong clothing; boardshorts and a tshirt so it was cold. I think it was a Mirror I sailed in, a bit like a bath tub. How have you found sailing with the Welsh Squad Sailors this winter? I really enjoyed it, sailing is completely out of my comfort zone and so it was a new challenge and something fresh. The physical demands are still the same as other sports e.g. strength, endurance etc but they needed to be adapted to be more specific to the movements performed in a boat. Tell us about the improvements to the UNIT this spring/summer We are currently based on the second floor above a boat shed. The boat shed is now moving across the road and so we will have space both up and downstairs. The downstairs spaces is 22meters x 15 meters and were hoping to put some Astroturf down for running workouts, have an Olympic weight lifting area, a cross fit rig and free space for functional training. We will then convert the upstairs to more of a wellbeing area with new flooring for Yoga and Pilates and there are plans to either have a Physiotherapist working in the UNIT or a retro café. Do you have a message to encourage the sailors to work hard over the summer? The UNIT always knows if you haven t been training. The stairs of death will sort you out, 87 stairs x5 There will also be fitness testing next winter and so this will show how fit you are. The Stairs of Death Any advice for those who have busy revision/exam timetables? Don t see fitness training as a chore, see it as a break from revision. Fitness stimulates the brain for more effective learning.

9 Alistair Dickson trains regularly at your gym; he is the RS100 World Champion. What s your opinion on his fitness levels? Alistair is one of the fittest guys who comes to my gym. He s pretty fit for an old timer and he pushes the younger ones. Proof that if you put the hard work in you get the results! What is your advice for an athlete looking to gain / lose weight? Gaining weight This needs to be done through lean muscles mass. Sugar = fat, lean meat and low complex carps = Muscle. Combine a good diet with regular exercise and this will help you gain weight. Protein shake is a last resort. Weight loss Minimise complex carbohydrates like pasta and bread, avoid the obvious sugar food and portion control. If you can kill it or pick it you can eat it, if not don t touch it.