UKLA Chair Blog # 70

As we approach the year-end, I thought I would write on the role of UKLA for ILCA sailors, especially Youth and Junior sailors. It also comes at the time when the RYA is conducting a review of their pathway for those sailors.

As I have said many times, the benefit of our class is the inclusivity of it, a very wide age-range of sailors from 13 to over 75, across three rigs, sailing and racing in hundreds and hundreds of clubs across the country, in national and international competitions and of course two Olympic single-handed events. We are in a privileged and unique position!

And so the opportunities for ILCA sailors need to be wide-ranging. For Youth and Junior sailors, we need a pathway that is flexible and inclusive, catering for a diversity of ambitions and desires. We want to provide a platform for our sailors to make the most of themselves, not one that is focussed (just) on results. And it is not just the sailors, we have many, many volunteers organising, supporting, and promoting the class.

Thinking about ILCA sailors at clubs, today UKLA acts as a reference point, providing information on our website, a central calendar, a regular blog to over 2,250 of you and some virtual training. But of course, we need to do this on a "one to many" basis as we just don't have the resources to work with individual clubs (and its why our club training model must change in 2024). We want to encourage more women and more club racing for ILCA4s and ILCA6s. We want more clubs to offer ILCA club boats to start ILCA racing. We would like to have more training at clubs and support that with a coach register.

With 10 regions across the country, there is an excellent Grand Prix circuit (there were 78 of them in our calendar last year) but we need to promote and co-ordinate this better. We need more ILCA4s and more Youth and Junior sailors doing these circuits.

UKLA does provide regular, open regional training but we also want to support open club training at a "super-local" level. The RYA has Regional Training Groups (RTGS) for ILCA4 sailors and while we co-ordinate our schedule around this, we need to understand their strategy as it evolves. Two other challenges at this level - as a sport, how to support talented sailors at club level who don't have a boat to allow travelling, and how best to support sailors who need to be challenged beyond what may be possible at regional level.

UKLA does provide lots of opportunity at National level, whether you are a junior sailor or a master, with 10 to 12 National events each year with loads of training as well. We are not promoting the need for "early specialisation" but instead giving a foundation to many sailors with different motivations and wanting to take different paths. That's why our events are open and do not involve any selection. We don't have squads and encourage, if possible, sailors from teenagers upwards to go to international events (with many different aspirations) usually offering open regatta support to all UKLA members.

It is also why we don't support private coaching but understand that some younger sailors want to fast-track their progress. Currently, the RYA have a role here with their Youth Squad for a small number of ILCA6 sailors. Beyond this, sailors who have aspirations to Olympic level or professional sailing, still see the ILCA as the best route to that. Racing an ILCA in senior international competition is the most competitive in each to hone skills and build experience. The path to British Sailing Team or Squad level is mostly an individual one, although this year, UKLA have been trialling a mentoring scheme for U23 ILCA7 sailors to help with that.

For all ILCA sailors, we would like them to continue racing beyond youth level where they can enjoy a sport for life but also support some that are interested into coaching, jury work, event management and race management.

Thanks for your support in 2023. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and good winds in 2024.

Snippets

UKLA Training

Winter training dates for Jan, Feb and Mar - UKLA Calendar

On 8th Jan at 7pm we are having our second virtual training of the winter – Fitness for ILCA racing. This winter the sessions are open to members (if you are not a member please join here for 2024 or renew here). Last year we ran three sessions which are available here to anyone Setting up your ILCA for performance, ILCA technique for upwind/downwind in light and heavy air and Getting your tactics right.

UKLA Announcements