Victoria & Emma Rawlinson talk to madforsailing

Peter Bentley interviews Britain's reigning Youth World Champions

Victoria and Emma Rawlinson are Britain's only current ISAF Youth World Champions. Two weeks ago, they earned the right to defend their title, beating all comers for the chance to join Team GBR for a second time at the Volvo Youth Worlds in Crozon-Morgat (France) in July.
Peter Bentley asked them about the pressures of being World Champions, sailing as sisters and the role of their parents.

What does it mean to you now you've had a bit of time to think about winning the youth worlds?
E. It just feels like a really big achievement to think that I feel that we've sailed really well in Australia and optimum sailing that's it now it's just really a big achievement.

How hard will that be to follow up with another gold medal?
V. Hard, much harder. It's going to be much harder. I think standards should be higher.

What do you do to counter the fact that it's going to be harder?
V. I think more hours on the water. We're going to start training with the four other girls again.

How much pressure does it put you under going to an event like the Youth Trials as current world champions?
E. Much more. There's much more pressure than at the worlds but that just makes us stronger.

And what effect does that have on your sailing?
V. We try not to over-practise too much. I think the best thing to do is take pressure and use it as a tool to unwind. We just get on with the race and try to get better results.

There must be some positive benefits to being world champion?
E. Well I don't know if it's a good thing or not but everyone sort of expects us to win and so the other girls are thinking where are we going to finish? I think we've got the advantage over them psychologically.

At senior level like the Olympics the racing is really psychological - everybody sails the boats well. How important do you think that is at youth level as compared to the more basic skills of boat speed, boat handling, tactics?
V. I think the standard in the 420 class has gone up dramatically and I think everyone has much more similar boat speed now and they're much more tactical with it as well so it is more a psychological thing than it was.

Emma, how much do you contribute to the front of the boat?
E. Well I help with which way we go down the course, where we are in relation to the whole fleet, the position at the mark and overall the whole picture about the beat. Victoria usually makes the decisions about things like where people are, lifting or heading and things like that.