This article is reproduced by kind permission of RYA Northern Ireland where it appeared on its website in early May 2002.
Olympic sailing gold medallist Shirley Robertson presented awards to six local clubs at a ceremony hosted by the RYA, Northern Ireland’s official organisation for sailing and boating, today (Tuesday 30th April) at the House of Sport in Belfast.
Ballyholme Yacht Club (at Bangor)
Carrickfergus Sailing Club
Cushendall Sailing and Boating Club
East Down Yacht Club (near Killyleagh)
Lough Erne Yacht Club (near Enniskillen),
and
Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club (near Holywood)
Are the first in Northern Ireland to achieve the national standard of Champion Club.
To gain the award, clubs must operate an approved scheme of youth sailing and
race coaching which both introduces young people to sailing and helps them
compete at different levels up to international standard.
“I am delighted to present the Volvo RYA Champion Club awards” said Shirley
Robertson. “Young club sailors will be the Olympic stars of the future and the
Champion Club programme has been created to develop and encourage their talents.
It is great that the scheme has taken off so well in Northern Ireland.”
Doug Smyth, Chairman of the RYA in Northern Ireland, put the scheme in context
saying: “The RYA is working to provide opportunities for all our young people
to compete on an equal footing with other young sailors in Britain and Ireland.
The recent appointment of our High Performance Manager, Bill O’Hara, himself
an Olympic sailor of distinction, together with the Champion Club scheme shows
how committed we are to achieve this objective.”
Sports Minister, Michael McGimpsey, congratulated the clubs on their success. “It
gives me great pleasure to endorse the Volvo RYA Champion Club scheme which both
encourages participation among young people and charts a pathway to future
excellence. Many congratulations to the RYA in Northern Ireland with no fewer
than 20% of local clubs achieving this high standard compared with a national
success rate of 8%.”
The Volvo RYA Champion Club scheme is part of a broad Volvo sponsorship supporting
young sailors and windsurfers in the UK from club sailing right up to the
highest level of international competition – the annual Volvo Youth Sailing
World Championship. Brian Gibbin from SMW Belfast and Andy Duke of Greers of Antrim
were at the House of Sport to
lend their support. “We are delighted to be associated with the scheme” said
Andy Duke. “It is very rewarding to get involved with young sailors and help
them on their way to success in their sport.”
Also at the presentation were George Clark, the national Chairman of the RYA, and
John Crebbin, President of the Irish Sailing Association. Commenting on their support,
Dr Curly Morris of Larne, a former Olympic
sailor and currently Chair of the local RYA Performance Committee, welcomed the
close working relationship the sport of sailing in Northern Ireland had with
both national authorities.
Shirley Robertson became, at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the first British woman ever to
win an Olympic sailing gold medal. Born in Scotland, she started sailing aged 7
in a home built kit boat at the Loch Ard Sailing Club. She progressed to the RYA
youth programme, competing in the single-handed
Europe class at her first Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992. There Shirley
finished 9th and went on to take a 4th at Savannah in
1996. Silver and bronze medals at
World and European championships followed, and then in 2000 she took silver in
the Europe class World Championships and topped that with Olympic Gold in
Sydney. She is married to Belfast man Jamie Boag and lives on the Isle of Wight
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