Aqua Sports News & Events

Hythe Hotshots drift to victory in Team15 championship at Redhill.

At Aquasports centre near Redhill, May 25 was a really hot sunny day with blue skies and a solitary cloud - the hottest day of the year.

There were 43 young windsurfers in four classes racing for team honours in the first of 2010's T15 inter club competitions. The wind was so light and shifty that racing in such conditions would even test the experts, so all the kids did supremely well. Teams came from all over the South East: Eastbourne's Spray Sprites, Hythe's Hythe Hotshots, Lamberhurst's Bewl Blasters and Redhill's Aquasports Aquanauts.

AquaSports had coincided the Team 15 event with a ‘demo event’, and Ian Kraft (Team 15 event co-ordinator) had persuaded Nik Baker, the UK’s most famous professional windsurfer, to take to the water during the races and provide some ‘live coaching and encouragement’ to the youngsters.

Nik was so impressed with how many kids were enjoying windsurfing - a record number - that he offered to present the trophies and awards. ‘How cool was that, Dad, Nik Baker presenting me an award!’ exclaimed Oscar Williams (11) from Eastbourne's Spray Sprites team.

Despite the testing conditions, there were some outstanding performances. Dani Conroy (15) of Hythe Hotshots took top honours in the 6.8m fleet, despite never actually winning a race, but a model of consistency in very difficult conditions.

Hannah Williams (14) of Spray Sprites dominated the 4.5m fleet with 2 bullets, despite her being a novice racer with only one year's experience. In the 5.8m fleet, Toby Styles (14) of Aquasports Aquanauts came away with 1st overall, with team-mate Harry Dickens (15) 2nd in the 6.8m fleet. Ellis Holman (12) of Spray Sprites, competing in 3.5m fleet, showed massive improvement on her 2009 results, taking 4th place in a 17 strong fleet won by Zoe Fossett (14) of Aquasports Aquanauts.

Supported by industry leaders Tushingham/Starboard, Windsurf magazine, Boards magazine, Neil Pryde and Boardwise, T15 was set up by the RYA to help make windsurfing more accessible and appealing to youngsters at a grass roots level.

Fun and informal training sessions take place at T15 clubs all over the country for kids up to the age of 15, which are run weekly by specialist RYA coaches. The T15 inter-club championship takes place regionally over the summer adding a competitive edge and race training for those keen to hone their skills. Kit can be borrowed from the clubs and the cost of sessions is kept low.

To get involved with Team15 and locate your nearest local club visit www.team15.org.uk or contact the RYA 0845 345 0400....... [Go to T15 News, Articles and Event Dates]

Also check out Aquanauts on Facebook for all the latest team news, chat and photos.