Issue date
Entries for next weekend's Starling national championships have surged past the 100-mark - a significant jump from the 75 entries recorded last year, with over a week still to go before the first start gun.
Equally notable is the number of female sailors who entered. Nearly half of those registered for the event at Howick Sailing Club are girls, with 43 female sailors confirmed so far, travelling from as far afield as Christchurch, Wānaka, Picton, Wellington and Napier.
Last year’s nationals at Charteris Bay Yacht Club saw 31 female competitors.
The increase follows a year on from the introduction of Yachting New Zealand’s Starling Girls Accelerator programme, led by women’s sailing manager Jenny Armstrong. The initiative is designed to fast-track a select group of young sailors through the Starling class and into the Aon national youth programme.
Over the past 12 months, 12 female sailors have taken part in the programme, which included three weekend clinics, one-on-one coaching, and support at four regattas. Coaching was provided by Armstrong and fellow Olympians Tom Saunders and Erica Dawson, as well as former ILCA 6 national champion Naiomi Ferrissey.
Four webinars were also hosted, covering topics such as pre-start routines, nutrition, performance under pressure, first-beat strategy, and callbooks.
"The webinars were offered to all junior sailors, their parents, and coaches, and the response was excellent," Armstrong said. "We regularly had between 50 and 60 people join us live, and the sessions were also recorded as a resource for those who couldn’t attend."
Armstrong said a key highlight of the programme has been the growth of the sailors both individually and as a group.
"I’ve been impressed with how they’ve developed a strong sense of camaraderie and teamwork. Seeing them learn, practise, and then apply new skills in a racing environment was exciting every time. I’m really looking forward to seeing more of that at Howick."
Click here for more information about Yachting New Zealand's Starling Girls Accelerator programme.
