Please select your home edition
Edition
Armstrong 728x90 - Performance Mast Range - TOP

Tom Slingsby helps launch SailGP Inspire Racing

by SailGP 8 Nov 2019 00:03 PST 28-29 February 2020
om Slingsby helps launch SailGP Inspire Racing in partnership with WASZP © SailGP

Olympic gold medalist and SailGP Season 1 champion Tom Slingsby returned to his home sailing club in New South Wales to help launch an innovative new program that aims to create a pathway into high-performance sail racing. The new initiative is part of SailGP Inspire - the global racing league's youth and community outreach arm. The newly launched Inspire Racing x WASZP program will use flying dinghies at SailGP events in Season 2 to help bridge the gap between youth sailing programs and professional pathways.

Coinciding with the Australia SailGP Team's national trophy tour, Slingsby hosted an on-water coaching session at Gosford Sailing Club with aspiring young local sailors on WASZP boats, providing a unique opportunity to experience the sensation of foiling for themselves - similar to the revolutionary F50 catamarans in which SailGP is contested.

"I loved getting out on the water with the young sailors and seeing them enjoy sailing the WAZSP," said Slingsby. "This is a fantastic opportunity for young sailors to get experience on foiling boats and learn about the technology - something that is inaccessible for many young people and what we want to change with this program. I hope many of them will sign up and we will see them in Sydney."

The program, which will take place at a number of SailGP events in Season 2, is geared towards young competitive sailors with an interest in learning to foil. Applications for the first two SailGP Inspire Racing events in Sydney and San Francisco are now open for sailors aged 20 or under at the time of the event.

Successful candidates will be invited to a high-performance camp with access to expertise from coaches and SailGP team members before getting the chance to race on the same waters as the SailGP F50s in front of cheering crowds - inspiring them to become the SailGP athletes of the future. To accelerate the young sailors' development, the winner from each event will be awarded a WASZP, and each season a boy and a girl will also be selected to compete in the WASZP Games to offer further racing experience.

"We found there is a need to improve retention in sailing and transition sailors from youth level to senior sailing," said WASZP Global Sales Manager Marc Ablett. "In partnership with SailGP Inspire, we are working toward creating a sustainable lifestyle that reflects fun on and off the water as well as engaging competition."

A selection panel will decide the final 16 sailors, comprising of a 50/50 gender split, that will join the program in Sydney and San Francisco. Candidates can apply here for the first two Inspire Racing x WASZP events. Applications for Sydney will close on January 5, 2020, and successful candidates will be notified at the end of January. Further events will be announced over the coming months.

In Season 2, SailGP Inspire will further its relationship with RS Sailing to deliver a junior racing program - Inspire Racing x RS Cat14. Also taking place at Sydney SailGP, and all subsequent SailGP events during Season 2, SailGP Inspire will work with local partners to select 16 sailors, aged 15 or under, to take part in the program and race alongside the WASZPs and F50s on the SailGP racecourse.

Inspire Racing is one of three pathways that provide various ways for students, sailors and young professionals of all ages to be involved with SailGP. Designed to engage students with little to no knowledge of sailing, Inspire Learning uses innovative STEAM-based modules to introduce students to the science behind sailing and get them on the water onboard SailGP's fleet of RS Cat14s. Meanwhile, Inspire Careers provides students the opportunity to gain essential work experience at the events and see first-hand the wide range of career opportunities within SailGP.

For details on how to apply for any of the SailGP Inspire programs, visit www.SailGP.com/Inspire.

Related Articles

SailGP: Roger Federer inspires Swiss SailGP team.
Roger Federer joins forces with Switzerland SailGP Team to inspire success One of Switzerland's greatest sporting icons, Roger Federer, features in the newest episode of Racing on the Edge, SailGP's official behind-the-scenes docuseries, produced in partnership with Rolex. Posted on 27 Jun
Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 dates confirmed
Including a return to fan-favorite destination, Auckland SailGP has released further details of forthcoming 2026 Season, including the return of fan-favorite locations, multi-year hosting agreements secured across all regions, and an evolved regional structure to raise the stakes for athletes and fans alike. Posted on 26 Jun
SailGP opens tender process for two new teams
SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment. SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment for ownership of two new teams entering the global racing championship next season, alongside available stakes across existing national teams. Posted on 23 Jun
Russell Coutts explains SailGP's investor value
Russell Coutts explains the growth of SailGP and why investors are chasing a slice of the action. SailGP co-founder and CEO Russell Coutts discusses the hard to understand investment, and growth of SailGP. The growth multiples hoped for SailGP have been achieved, on paper, by the same investors in other sports. Posted on 12 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix overall
Spain SailGP Team claims second consecutive U.S. win Diego Botin and the Spain SailGP team have punched their way to the top of the Rolex SailGP Championship, taking the win on Sunday in New York. Posted on 9 Jun
SailGP: Spain win in New York - Day 2
Diego Botin's Spanish crew scraped into the Final, and then took their second successive SailGP win. The Spanish crew led by Diego Botin staged a comeback in the last race after losing an 8pt lead to squeeze into the Final, only taking the lead halfway through the three boat Final. Full race replay here. Posted on 9 Jun
SailGP: Spain lead in New York - Day 1
Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix, after a consistent day's sailing on the murky and rainswept Hudson River. Full replay and leaderboard in this story. Posted on 7 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix day 1
Spain overcomes storm clouds, topping the standings Diego Botin's Spain SailGP Team leads the fleet after a stormy and tactical opening day of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix. France, ROCKWOOL Denmark and New Zealand are all hot on his heels for all-important leaderboard points. Posted on 7 Jun
Russell Coutts reports ahead of SailGP New York
The New York Russell Report: Coutts on fleet-wide wing repairs and top picks for New York podium SailGP has returned to New York for the third time ahead of this weekend's Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on June 7/8. Ahead of racing, SailGP CEO Russell Coutts reveals his behind-the-scenes insight of the fleet. Posted on 7 Jun
SailGP to Kick Off Summer in New York
With this Weekend's Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix An unforgettable weekend of high-speed, close-to-shore racing and world-class entertainment will take place this weekend when the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix takes place in front of the most famous skyline in the world. Posted on 5 Jun
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERLloyd Stevenson - Catalyst Yacht Tender 1456x180px BOTTOMMackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOM