RS-X Youth World Championships - First time ever held in the U.S.

by Randi Mott on 14 Oct 2014 The start of the 2014 RS:X Youth 2014 World Windsurfing Championships is October 18. Preparations are in full swing and more than 85 competitors from 20 nations and four continents have already registered!

'Windsurfing has been an Olympic sport for thirty years.' said Jerome Samson, President of United States Windsurfing, 'The worldwide youth pipeline has never been this strong. We’re absolutely delighted to welcome the best young windsurfers in the world to the US. This is the birthplace of our sport, after all. We are all looking forward to a spectacular event!'

These championships are limited to Olympic Class athletes 18 years old and younger. Last year’s competition took place in Civitavecchia, Italy, and the World Champions from last year are back to defend their titles: Marta Maggetti in the girls’ division and Mattia Camboni in the boys’ division. Both are already competing against adults and are coming to Clearwater fresh off high-flying performances at the ISAF World Championships in Santander, Spain – but, that’s no guarantee of victory in Florida! In fact, the full girls’ podium from last year is back with Hadar Heller from Israel and Maelle Guilbaud from France, eager to top their previous performance even with many other high ranking competitors ready to challenge them.

The countries that are on the entry list thus far include: Aruba, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Estonia, Spain, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, and the US, with more expected to sign up in the days to come.

The City of Clearwater with its partners Tampa Bay Charities, Clearwater Community Sailing Center, St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission and the Clearwater Yacht Club are pleased to host such a spectacular event at Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach, which is well-known for its sugar-white sand, sunsets and being the 'Best Beach Town in Florida'. The Gulf of Mexico makes for ideal sailing conditions and great hospitality by the city’s residents and beach community. 'I’m proud to be a part of this international youth sporting event. Hosting it in Clearwater is sure to be a fabulous experience for the participants and spectators,' said race co-organizer Frank Chivas.

The event’s Principal Race Officer will be R. Fairlie Brinkley, Dunedin, FL, US Sailing Association Regional Race Officer. The International RS:X Class will be represented by Executive Secretary Andrus Poksi (Estonia), Course Representative Eva Jodlowska (Poland) and Class Measurer Raul Pasqualin (Brazil). The event will also benefit from the experience of a world-class International Jury, chaired by Chris Watts (Great Britain) and including Ann Newton (US), Henry Moore (US), Walter Mielke (Germany) and Luca Babini RSX website