National Talent Orientation Camp

16 of the RYA's most promising young sailor to get insight into what it is to become an Olympic medallist

Around 16 of RYA Team GBR’s most promising young sailors will get a unique insight into what it takes to become an Olympic medallist when the third National Talent Orientation Camp (NTOC) is staged at Loughborough University next month.

Alongside the cream of the country’s top young talent in five other sports - cycling, rowing, canoeing, hockey and wheelchair basketball - the sailors will get expert advice and guidance from a host of former Olympic, Paralympic, World and European champions, including double Olympic silver medallist sailor Joe Glanfield, when the four-day camp starts on Thursday 8 January.

An initiative of the Youth Sport Trust (YST) aimed at preparing young athletes for the personal, sporting, academic and vocational challenges that lie ahead of them, the first NTOC was staged in 2007 and last year grew on the success of the inaugural camp attracting even more athletes and national attention.

The 2009 camp will see around 90 young athletes, aged between 14 and 18 enjoy a combination of high-quality training sessions with workshops, keynote speeches on education and lifestyle planning and advice on drugs-free sport while a British Army Unit has also been enlisted to put the youngsters through their paces in a series of command tasks.

RYA Youth Racing Manager Simon Wergan said: “There comes a point in every young athlete’s life that they have to start balancing the conflicting priorities that inevitably arise between school work, training, competition and family life. To be able to make the right choices for them they have to really understand what it will take to be the best.

“With the camp focussing on the four key aspects of talent and ability, attitude and ambition, my pathway and education and lifestyle support the athletes leave the camp with a much greater appreciation of what is required to reach the very top. The feedback we received from the sailors who attended the first two camps has been so positive we are delighted to be involved again.”

Among the sailors invited to Loughborough are 16-year-old Ed Fitzgerald from Chichester who enjoyed a sensational 2008 in the 29er double-handed skiff class with helm James Peters, the pair completing the golden hat-trick of RYA Youth National, ISAF Youth World and 29er class European titles.

Also a 29er crew, Alex Groves, 17, from Surbiton was another 2008 World Champion, he and helm Max Richardson sailing to World 29er class Under 19 gold in Melbourne in January as well as taking Weymouth Europa Cup victory this summer.  

Christchurch’s Phil Sparks, 16, has progressed from being one of Britain’s hottest junior sailing prospects - having excelled as an Optimist sailor on the international stage – to already making an impact in the Youth double-handed 420 class. At his first RYA Youth National Championships, the young helm, with crew Ben Gratton, took a creditable bronze medal before following that up by winning the National 420 class title in August.

Skandia Team GBR 470 star Glanfield, a Youth Sport Trust Athlete Mentor, will be delivering the workshops with Simon Wergan. The RYA will also be represented at the camp by RYA Youth Physiologist Paul Mullan and physiotherapists Laura Jeffrey and Matt McGovern.

National Talent Orientation Camp 2009 sailors:
Anna Carpenter (Radial)
Piers Strong (420)
Ed Strange (RSX)
Phil Sparks (420)
Ben Gratton (420)
Jak Cornthwaite (Laser)
Peter McCoy (Laser)
David Carpenter (Laser)
Anna Burnet (420)
Freddie Connor (Radial)
Flora Stewart (420)
Ed Fitzgerald (29er)
Claudia Carney (RSX)
Alex Groves (29er)
Joanne Freeman (420)
Hannah Mitchell (420)