Sarah Gosling OBE to attend RYA Youth National Championships

by Matt Carter on 21 Mar 2014 Double Olympic gold medallist Sarah Gosling OBE, will attend the RYA Youth National Championships and form an integral part of the RYA’s Selection Panel responsible for selecting the 2014 RYA UK Youth Squads as well as a host of international teams for the 2014 season.

Gosling will join Chair of Youth Selectors Peter Saxton and RYA Racing Manager/Performance Director John Derbyshire at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy between 12th - 18th April where they will be assessing sailors skills, attitude and performance across the five days of racing.

Progressing through the RYA Youth Racing programme ranks to represent Great Britain twice at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships in the Laser Radial, Gosling (née Webb) went on to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals in the Yngling keelboat at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 to become Britain’s most successful crew ever at Olympic level. Gosling is also a member of the RYA’s Olympic Steering Group.

Returning to the Youth Selection panel for the third time, and bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge, Gosling will also help determine the British Youth Sailing Team to compete at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships, which this year takes place in Tavira, Portugal in July.

Using their observations as well as results data from this and other identified indicator events, the selection panel will ensure informed decisions are made to give the British Youth Sailing Team the best possible chance of winning medals on the both the World and European stage this summer as well as provide an optimum feed to the Podium and Podium Potential programmes.

The double Olympic gold medallist commented: 'I am thrilled to be a selector at the RYA Youth National Championships in Weymouth and Portland this year. I am looking forward to seeing the current crop of future Olympians racing and helping to ensure we have the best possible teams to go forward and represent the British Youth Sailing Team at all the international regattas this year.'

Throughout the week, sailors will also have the chance to impress a number of the British Sailing Team’s London 2012 Olympic medallists who will be attending the event to inspire the next generation of Olympic hopefuls.

Olympic 470 silver medallist Luke Patience will open the show on the first day of the regatta (Monday 14th April) to give his tops and advice on the Olympic sailing venue, while also bringing their Olympic silverware to the party will be windsurfing world champion Nick Dempsey and 470 sailor Hannah Mills who were both RYA Youth National Champions and ISAF Youth Worlds medallists for Great Britain. Dempsey and Mills will drop in on the action at WPNSA on Tuesday 15th March.

John Derbyshire, RYA Racing Manager/ Performance Director, said: 'I am delighted to welcome Sarah Gosling to the selection committee once again. It is always useful to have the perspective of a sailor, and Sarah is always passionate to ensure that she contributes to the discussions, liaises with sailors and parents around decisions and takes the opportunity to meet and pass on some of her knowledge and experience to the sailors.

'On behalf of the RYA I would like to thank both Sarah and Peter (Saxton) as the recently appointed Chair of Youth Selectors, for giving up their time to fulfil a challenging and at time contentious role. The presence of independent selectors with a range of experience and perspectives really helps with the process, Sarah comes as a recently retired sailor and Olympic medallist and Peter as a parent whose children both went through our programmes helps tremendously not only with the independence and integrity of the process but also with the delivery and conduct of the regatta. I look forward to seeing first-hand the cream of Britain’s young sailors competing and contesting for selection.'

The sailors will also have the chance to showcase their talents in front of a Royal audience after confirmation that HRH The Princess Royal will be attending the event on Thursday 17 April.

Racing will be held for boys in Laser Standards, girls and boys in Laser Radials and Neil Pryde RS:X 8.5 windsurfers, and for all-boy, all-girl or mixed crews in 420s, 29ers and Spitfire catamarans.

The entry deadline for the 2014 RYA Youth National Championships is up until 23:59hrs on Sunday 30th March 2014.

To enter the event and for further information please visit the RYA Youth National Championships event website.