News

Youth Team Receives Peer Support At Pre-Worlds Camp

Published Fri 06 Jul 2018

The Australian Team bound for the Youth World Championships has been joined at a Sydney camp by several athletes who nearly qualified for the squad, emphasising the team-first mentality that officials hope will add to the national representatives’ chances of success in Texas later this month.

The decision was designed to give the Team opportunities for race simulation but also offer those who narrowly missed the squad priceless experience in regatta preparation.

Tristan Brown briefs his group before heading out on the water.

The group will remain in camp over the weekend before the 14-member Team departs on Monday for Corpus Christi in the US. Racing at the Youth Worlds starts on July 16.

“The whole idea of it is to bring other athletes in so they can hopefully push those who are going to the Youth Worlds,” Team leader Tristan Brown said.

“It helps having them simulate more racing scenarios that they’re about to encounter over the next couple of weeks.

“Also it’s a chance to raise the level of the next group coming through. It gives them a bit of a jump in this middle part of the year, which can be a bit slow with no regattas in Australia.”

Brown said the sailors who were invited would likely be hungry to keep improving after seeing the way those going to the World Championships are being prepared for the travel and competition.

“They see the kids wearing the uniforms, they’re involved in the sailing and the de-briefs and so on, which gives them an idea about the preparation for a major event like this.”

Nacra crews head back to shore.

Australian Sailing skiffs/multi hull lead coach Emmett Lazich said he appreciated the chance to get a first-hand look at some of the sailors who he could end up coaching more closely in the future.

Three top young Nacra15 crews have joined Youth Team pair Will Cooley and Evie Haseldine for the Youth Worlds camp.

“A big part of it is the cultural exposure and just getting them used to certain values and standards and methods,” Lazich said.

“Hopefully they can take away something valuable from working together like this. I think it helps them to move into the system more seamlessly if and when they get that chance.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to impart on them the whole squad mentality. And it’s a good opportunity for me, too, to have a look at some of the young sailors coming through. We’ve got to be clever with succession planning.”