Budding windsurf star receives boost

Izzy Hamilton receives Marlow Ropes Award

Rising windsurfing star Izzy Hamilton received an additional boost to her RS:X campaign after being awarded the coveted Marlow Ropes Award last weekend at the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show.

Having recently been signed up to the Skandia Team GBR Development Squad in October, following an exceptional year in the RYA Volvo Youth National Squad, the Marlow Award kick-starts an exciting new year for Hamilton who will be stepping her Olympic Classes campaign up a gear adding senior events to her calendar.

As well as training with the Development Squad, Hamilton will also continue training with the youth team this year and hopes to qualify for the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships again and go one further than the impressive silver medal she picked up in 2009. Hamilton was also crowned Britain’s first ever windsurfing Youth World Champion when she collected gold at the 2009 RS:X class Youth Worlds in Turkey.
Hamilton commented: "I’d love to qualify again and win the youth worlds this year but I don’t want to put too much pressure on. Doing more senior events; Palma, the Worlds and European Championships will be great for me.

"Training with the Development Squad is really good - it’s on a completely different level in every sort of respect - everything’s more professional; there’s a lot more gym requirement and having so much contact with the specialists is brilliant for my sailing," she continued.

The Marlow award entitles the 17-year-old to free Marlow rope for a year; a financial boost previous winners, double World 470 champions Nic Asher and Elliot Willis and 2008 Olympic Yngling gold medallist Pippa Wilson, have also benefitted from.

"The award will be really helpful to me. I got a new board and sail recently so to kit all that out with brand new rope will be great. Traditionally RS:X’s aren’t that complicated rope wise but It’s really important to make sure what we do use is as efficient as possible, so it’ll be great to get that all working as smoothly as I possibly can," Hamilton concluded.

Marlow Ropes introduced the award in 2002 with the aim of rewarding Britain’s most promising rookies for their determination, focus and talent.

Skandia Team GBR Development Squad Manager Barrie Edgington said: "Izzy has had a fantastic year and is full of potential, making her an ideal recipient of the award. She is absolutely one to watch for the future performing at such a high level already.

"2009 was an excellent season for a number of Development Squad sailors who have firmly established themselves as top international performers and made the leap to higher levels of funding within the squad. These successes, we hope, will inspire the next generation and Development Squad intake and I’m sure Izzy, with the help of her award boost, will follow in their footsteps," he concluded.

Finn sailor Andrew Mills, 49er pair John Pink and Rick Peacock as well as Star class pair John Gimson and Ed Grieg all moved on from the Development Squad to the Performance Squad in 2009. Other Development Squad successes have included Mark Andrews posting consistent 11th places at the Finn Worlds and Europeans along with 470 duo Ben Saxton and David Kohler who notched up some impressive international results during their first year on the scene. A fifth at the 49er World Championships this week after posting a 13th at the event last year was also a fantastic result for Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign.

Hamilton joins fellow 2009 youth squad members – the 420 ISAF Youth World Champion Phil Sparks, and near youth worlds RS:X medallist Ali Masters – in recently joining the Skandia Team GBR Development Squad.

As well as supporting up-and-coming sailors, Marlow Ropes are also the official supplier and exclusive team ropes partner to Skandia Team GBR thanks to its industry-renowned reputation for producing products tried, tested and trusted in the world’s harshest environments.

Marlow Marketing & Yachting Sales Manager and company director Paul Honess said: “We find that working with team members such as Izzy helps us to develop our products. In turn we at Marlow can educate team members on the latest materials and rope constructions to help keep British sailors at the leading edge.”