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RYA Squad system Major Shakeup
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JimC View Drop Down
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    Posted: 26 Feb 20 at 11:29am
Seems to me this is a big deal worth commenting on. It seems to address a number of criticisms of the current Zone/national squad system.

https://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/regional-training-groups-launched.aspx


The revamped British Youth Sailing programme will see the current system of U16 national and zone squads replaced with Regional Training Groups (RTGs) from autumn 2020.

[snip]

These changes have been devised to address challenges facing the sport including declining participation at club level, increasing regional disparity, an over-emphasis on results in junior age groups and the increasing costs and environmental impact of training and racing nationally at a young age.


Edited by JimC - 26 Feb 20 at 11:30am
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Posts: 245 		Post Options Post Options   Quote KazRob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 20 at 12:40pm
It certainly goes some way to helping those in the north of the country. For Scottish sailors, each training weekend or qualifier on the south coast is a 1000mi round trip, time off school and several hundred pounds in fuel, hotels etc so it's a massive commitment from parents to get to these events which possibly rolls into reduced attendance at club level from being worn out by travelling. I dare say the same would apply to sailors from Cumbria or Northumberland. 
One criticism a few years ago was that the event locations didn't even facilitate dropping a boat off and coming back the next weekend i.e. Weymouth one weekend, Hayling two weeks later etc etc. At least they had events in at Northern clubs like Rutland!

I think most of us would welcome their attempt at changing the system in some way, even if they were slightly clumsy with the wording and ignoring N.I. Scotland and Wales("promote inclusive and accessible training across the English regions"), but I'm not sure it will ever change the need to head to the south coast if you want to raise your game.


Edited by KazRob - 26 Feb 20 at 12:42pm
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Posts: 3400 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Sam.Spoons Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 20 at 12:40pm
Well that may be a step in the right direction at last......
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Posts: 30 		Post Options Post Options   Quote bdu98252 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 20 at 2:24pm
I think it will work but only if they push the midland sailors North though administration. To do well at a major event you need to be able to start in a big fleet over 20 boats. You learn this by doing so if you can't get these sorts of numbers in say 3 latitudes within Britain then the system falls down as those Midland kids will drive the couple of hours extra South and the Northern kids will then be back to square one. Agree it is a positive development. 
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Posts: 6 		Post Options Post Options   Quote BarneyS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 20 at 2:39pm

It’s definitely a big deal, and a major shake up to the system which will have implications for a lot of sailors, including one of my relatives who is in the current (last ever) RYA supported Optimist National Squad. For me, it feels like our family has gone full circle as I was in the first ever RYA supported Optimist National Squad way back in the 1980s. (Yes, that's last century for the younger amongst you!).

From my perspective I really hope the RYA have considered some of the possibly untended consequences of the changes. For example:

My suspicion is that the best, richer, sailors, will ignore the new system and still regularly travel the length of the country to quasi 'national' training camps run by professional coaching outfits (google 8 days a week). This will leave the better, poorer, sailors, to fight it out it the new regional training groups. Basically the rich will get richer (and probably better as they can afford the better coaches). nb Those of you in the know will be aware that a shift in this direction has been underway for a couple of years which I think could have been one driver in the RYA decision to stop the National squads.

The decision will also have a major impact on team building and development for attending major events, particularly those abroad. One of the great advantages of the present system is that those selected for national teams, from any part of the country, will have already spent time socialising and team bonding with team mates, and building relationships with coaches during residential winter squad camps. The new system removes these team building opportunities.

On the plus side there are is some eco/green logic behind the changes although I think we'd all struggleto argue that  the current system of international sailing, which is so reliant on flights, shipping and 1000s of mile of road travel towing dinghies and RIBs, is going to struggle to lower the carbon footprint. My biggest ironic laughter this winter was watching SailGP trumpet it's eco ambitions whilst simultaneously welcoming Team Ineos to the fold....It's not easy being green!

Finally I was rather stunned by the way the RYA phrased the press release....mangling the six English regions with other mentions of the policy being UK wide...If you're in Scotland or Wales, and to some extent NI, you're probably wondering "what does this mean for me?"  Smile








Edited by BarneyS - 26 Feb 20 at 3:21pm
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Posts: 440 		Post Options Post Options   Quote ian.r.mcdonald Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 20 at 4:24pm
Clearly a great system for creating medal winning sailors. But is my impression from the outside, that there is more than the average number ofpeople dropping out of sailing because of the pressure ?.

Or am I missing that the target is to create the podium sailors ?





Edited by ian.r.mcdonald - 26 Feb 20 at 4:25pm
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Posts: 3400 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Sam.Spoons Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 20 at 4:58pm
That thought did cross my mind. If the object is to create Olympic medal winners then the current system works reasonably well but if it's to increase lifelong participation then it's not succeeding.
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BarneyS View Drop Down
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Posts: 6 		Post Options Post Options   Quote BarneyS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 20 at 5:15pm
The RYA are pretty explicit about why they are changing the system in the announcement. 

For example they say they have an 
"ultimate goal of encouraging more young sailors to take up and stay in the sport."

and
"These changes have been devised to address challenges facing the sport including declining participation at club level, increasing regional disparity, an over-emphasis on results in junior age groups and the increasing costs and environmental impact of training and racing nationally at a young age."

I assume they've done an internal review of the current system and believe the goal of increasing lifelong participation will be better served by these changes. I really hope they are right (and that GBR still keep winning medals!).





Edited by BarneyS - 26 Feb 20 at 5:15pm
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Jack Sparrow View Drop Down
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Posts: 2965 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Jack Sparrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Feb 20 at 5:43pm
Originally posted by BarneyS

The RYA are pretty explicit about why they are changing the system in the announcement. 

For example they say they have an 
"ultimate goal of encouraging more young sailors to take up and stay in the sport."


They should get behind the Farr 3.7 then.
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Posts: 147 		Post Options Post Options   Quote polc1410 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Feb 20 at 5:50pm
If you look 20, 30, 40 years in the future... If clubs fold because the juniors don't stay in the sport and the next generation of juniors parents are too busy driving darling child to an event ... There will be no club to capture the next generation of juniors to take through a squad system.

We might be the only summer Olympic sport that has such a geographical oddity in its national training location and so squad make up. I fully expect at some stage Sport England to be asking about demographics and asking 'why do you have no poor black kids from Newcastle'...

If you actually put the investment into the regions, you probably improve the whole region sailing not just the zone squad. Clubs will get venue hire, you will end up with better coaches spread nationally etc. Perhaps we will even see venues investing in facilities etc rather than everything being at Weymouth

Yes you will get loaded Mummy & Daddy who are living out their failed Olympic dream through their kids and will throw money at private coaches. I believe the RYA advise against it on the basis of two coaches give conflicting opinions.

If your child was a national level 800m runner would you put them on a flight from Newcastle to Southampton several times a year on a Friday afternoon ? Why? And if you did... Would your local running club be rightly disgruntled that their best runners were off at a training camp AGAIN so they weren't taking part in local events..
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