RYA Scotland Annual Awards - RYA calls sailors to nominate

by RYA on 18 Oct 2014 RYA Scotland Annual Awards - As the end of the year gets closer it is time to review the season and time spent on the water. People taking up the sport for the very first time and the new skills they have learned, the young performance sailors who have brought home national and world titles, the 250 boats and thousands of spectators who witnessed the Commonwealth Flotilla and all the people who have sailed to somewhere different and seen many amazing sights.

It is also the time of year where RYA Scotland asks people to nominate volunteers, coaches, instructors, officials and clubs for the RYA Scotland Annual Awards.

'The annual awards are our way of saying a huge thank you to all the people in Scotland who are at the heart of the sport. 2014 has been a successful year. We have seen young Scottish sailors achieve outstanding results both at National and World levels and the Commonwealth Flotilla in the summer saw thousands of people enjoying the sight of boats sailing up the Clyde into Glasgow.

'None of this is possible without people. The skills and commitment of the volunteers running sailing events and activity all over Scotland are simply outstanding and, through the Annual Awards, we would like to give some recognition for the incredible work they do', commented Claire Caffrey, RYA Scotland Communication and Marketing Manager.

Nominations for the awards are open during the month of October on the RYA Scotland website. It only takes a few minutes to complete but without those nominations RYA Scotland wouldn’t be able to recognise the efforts of people from all over Scotland and across all types of boating. The award categories have been reviewed so there will be a few new awards announced and presented on the night.

Official of the Year has been added to the list of categories to help us recognise the level of expertise we have in Scotland in our officials. They help attract a number of major sailing events to Scotland as well as supported a hectic calendar of events all season long.

Also awarded on the night will be the new performance awards instead of the Scottish National Rankings. Performance of the Year, Youth Sailor of the Year and Class Academy Sailor of the Year will be shortlisted by the performance committee and then the winners chosen by the awards judging panel. We also have two awards, Lifetime Achievement Award and Special Achievement, which will only be awarded when worthy nominations are received. If you would like to nominate for either of these awards please email details to claire.caffrey@ryascotland.org.uk.

The full list of award categories with nominations open is:

• Club of the Year sponsored by Thames Water Commercial Services
• Volunteer of the Year sponsored by Clyde Challenger
• Young Volunteer of the Year
• Instructor of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Official of the Year
• Elizabeth MacKay Award – for female endeavours in sailing

RYA Scotland would like to welcome everyone to come along to the Annual Awards Dinner to help celebrate all those shortlisted and winners of the awards on Saturday 31 January 2015 at the Glasgow Science Centre. It will be our last year at the Glasgow Science Centre before we move on to a different venue so make sure you don’t miss out!

For more information or to place your nominations click here.