New Posts New Posts RSS Feed: Future Youth Classes
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

Future Youth Classes
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <123
Author
  Share Topic Share Topic  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
Elvis View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 02 Oct 07
Location: United Kingdom
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Elvis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Future Youth Classes
    Posted: 04 Sep 08 at 12:14am
Don't get me wrong I'm not bashing spitfires, they're a great boat... but
there just aren't that many of them about. If you want a boat to learn
about racing then you need a big strong fleet with national, european &
international events which only leaves the Dart 18, hobie 16 and F18 as
realistic options.

I'm sure the decision has already been made, but moving into spitfires will
not fix the previous cock-ups made by the youth program. One of the
problems is it's run by parents, who take short term decisions to help their
own offspring and then disappear over the horizon once said offspring
turn 18 and discover beer and girls. You can't blame em really but the RYA
should doing more to manage the progam with long term objectives,
rather than expecting small class associations and parents to take the
brunt.

The hobie 16 was a good youth boat and any young team could go out and
buy a grands worth of boat and join in... but putting a kite on it split the
UK racing fleet in two, which was shortly followed by a rapid demise of the
whole fleet. If I was a spitfire owner I'd be a little concerned if the youth
squad moved in as history has a habit of repeating itself.
Back to Top
AdrianM View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 03 Apr 06
Location: United Kingdom
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 33 		Post Options Post Options   Quote AdrianM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Sep 08 at 10:43am

Originally posted by Elvis



I'm sure the decision has already been made, but moving into spitfires will
not fix the previous cock-ups made by the youth program. One of the
problems is it's run by parents, who take short term decisions to help their
own offspring and then disappear over the horizon once said offspring
turn 18 and discover beer and girls. You can't blame em really but the RYA
should doing more to manage the progam with long term objectives,
rather than expecting small class associations and parents to take the
brunt. 

From an interested spectators point of view I would not have classified Brian Phipps' achievments as having been driven by focussing purely on his offspring.  The number and quality of sailors who came through that youth program to my mind were very impressive.  And having spoken to some of the guys looking after the Dragoons this year the impression I got was that their main interest was in developing youth cat sailing in general. 

As an aside I wouldn't say that the F18 events in the UK are particularly better attended than Spitfires, indeed this years Nationals had about half the number that were at Worthing in 2006.  Lastly isn't the choice of boat more down to ISAF rather than the local national authority?



Edited by AdrianM
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <123

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.665y
Copyright ©2001-2010 Web Wiz
Change your personal settings, or read our privacy policy