64 FEATURERYA
Champions Cup
One area of continual improvement is the Champions Cup –
it’s essentially the final competition of the season for
Team15 competitors. Although the Champions Cup has
proved popular there has been the introduction of ‘Super-X’
which tests sailors on skill set rather than the usual first past
the post style of finishing races. Super-X does have a slight
racing element to it but it is predominantly about completing
skills. Courses are laid that test a sailor’s skill, if you
complete the skill you will move on to the next and will in
turn be fast. This puts the emphasis well and truly on skill
completion and building technique.
With the introduction of Super-X a success at the Champions
Cup, measured by the positive feedback of sailors and clubs,
the mind-set now switches to implementing the same into
the club environment. Team15 sees the Super-X as a way to
introduce new competitors to the inter-club competitions by
familiarising the sailors to the new waters - because of this
there is some work to be done on timetabling within the
competition schedules, something that the Team15 staff will
work with the clubs to refine.
National Watersports Festival
In 2017 the RYA and Team15 were involved in the National
Watersports Festival held in Rutland. The festival is a
celebration of all water sports and is an annual event which
seems to be growing and growing in popularity. By holding
clinics throughout the weekend the festival opened up
Team15 and windsurfing to another group of not only young
people, but parents who could see and appreciate the
benefits of the sport for their children. The feedback was so
positive and the RYA representatives in attendance thought it
was so beneficial that Team15 will once again be returning to
Rutland for the 2018 edition of the festival.
Within the Team 15 programme there is a core set of
coaches that are on hand to offer help and advice. These
trainers are available to be deployed across the country to
uk
WIND
SURFING