Victoria Youth State Championship Wraps Up Despite Tough Conditions

Despite challenging conditions, the Victoria Youth State Championship was a huge success. The forecast proved uncooperative, with light winds throughout most of the day, but officials remained hopeful that the early afternoon would bring the much-needed gusts.

“We got it done, we got a full series in. We didn't think that was going to happen,” said Belly, a wind foil coach.

Parent echoed the sentiment, saying, “Tough conditions. It was sad that we didn't have any wind, but that’s part and parcel of sailing.”

Ben, the Sailing Manager, praised the team's efforts, saying, "Awesome team, David and Julia. Just slogging it. They couldn’t work harder. Overall, it went really well for the conditions we had. Everyone just tried as hard as they could. We can’t control nature, we had to work with it."

Despite the difficult conditions, many little ducklings could be seen being towed along behind RIBs throughout the event.

Dani, the Jury Chair, was pleased with how all the sailors reacted to the challenging conditions, saying, "Tricky, but everyone managed to put together a good regatta considering. The main thing that stood out as different from this regatta was the number of women that were not just involved in running the event but in the front of running the event and being pushed to the front. Women are always involved, but this regatta made it really visible."

Julia, the Sailing Administrator and Race Officer, was also happy with how the event turned out, despite the challenging conditions. "Looking at the conditions, it worked out as well as it could, we got as much coaching and racing in as we possibly could in these very light conditions. In the end, I'm very glad we got the foil races in that we did. Very happy that that worked out," she said.

Given the extremely difficult conditions due to lack of wind and the few number of races run, it was decided by officials and jury alike to support the inclusive nature of the event and a revision was made to race documents, adjusting the number of races required for a series. Although mildly disputed by some, this gave opportunity to recognize those that had done well in conditions outside of their control, and further engaged with the inclusive nature of the event.

"We know from the Sports Australia physical literacy framework that there are four areas each person has that influence their engagement with sport, physical ability, psychological attitudes, social connection, and cognitive understanding. We are very proud of each and every sailor who made it out on the water this weekend and hope that not only were able to learn something new but also to they had fun and made new friends," said the event organizers.

Despite the challenges, the Victoria Youth State Championship was a great success, and participants are already looking forward to next year's event.

Check out https://www.sailingyouth.org.au/victoria-youth-state-championship/ to view the full results.