Windsurfers contest National Championship crowns
by Imogen Stanley 9 Sep 2016 13:01 BST
10-11 September 2016
2015 Windsurfing National Championships and Team15 Champions Cup © Paul Wyeth / RYA
Over 190 windsurfers will head to Rutland Water for the 2016 National Windsurfing Championships and Team15 Champions Cup this weekend (10-11 September).
The 2016 National Windsurfing Championships combines the UK Windsurfing Association (UKWA) Youth and Masters, the National Junior Windsurfing Championships and the Team15 Champions Cup.
The event is open to all and for the first time, any Team15 club attending two or more regional inter-club events is able to enter a team in the Champions Cup too.
Windsurfers will race for National Championship titles and Team15 Champions Cup bragging rights while rubbing shoulders with members of the British Sailing Team around the boat park and on the water.
Bryony Shaw, Beijing 2008 Olympic bronze medallist and three time Olympian will be roaming the boar park meeting the next generation of windsurfers and handing out the prizes to the winners on Sunday 11 September.
British Sailing Team Podium and 2016 RS:X Europeans silver medallist, Kieran Martin, will lead the 9.5M class alongside teammate Joe Bennett.
Following selection to the RYA's Youth Worlds Sailing Team earlier this year, Emma Wilson heads the girls' challenge in the 8.5M class. Chasing Wilson will be Emily Hall and the Watson siblings, Islay and Erin.
Joint Team15 Champions Cup victors in 2015 were West Kirby (North West) and the Oxford Zoomers (South), and they again will be amongst the teams bidding to claim the title outright.
Racing for the West Kirby Warriors includes Oliver Lloyd, whose consistency in 2015 put him at the top of the 5.8M fleet. This year he returns in the 6.8M and will again battle it out for top spot as the 2016 champion, Ben Tweedle, has moved up a class.
Hoping to take on the West Kirby and Oxford Zoomers dominance is Pugney Pirate Charlie Bennett, who won bronze in 2015 in the 4.5M and this year will be pushing for gold as his two rivals Oscar Shaw (Academy Allstars) and Arun Brunskill move up to the 6.8M and 6.5M classes respectively.
Chris Blackburn, RYA High Performance Manager, explained: "The National Windsurfing Championships is a great event bringing windsurfers together from all over the country.
"There is a real buzz about windsurfing following Nick Dempsey's silver medal in Rio and it's great to have his training partner Kieran Martin at Rutland competing as well as other British Sailing Team members. We also have windsurfers competing at national level for the first time after training as part of their Team15 club.
"For the past two years anyone could have entered the Champions Cup and/or National Windsurfing Championships as an individual, while only a select few teams that qualified through the Team15 regional inter-club series have competed at the Champions Cup traditionally,
"But the Champions Cup is such a fantastic event we really couldn't see any benefit in limiting the number of teams taking part and now whole Team15 teams have another chance to enjoy the experience of travelling and competing together."
"As always the National Windsurfing Championships combined with the Team15 Champions Cup brings together the windsurfing community."
Entries will be accepted on the day, subject to a late entry supplement of £10.
You can follow the event on the British Youth Sailing Team Facebook page and Twitter @RYAYouthRacing.