Olympic Campaigns

SUPPORTING OUR OLYMPIC SAILORS

For the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the club was able to support three of its younger members in their Olympic campaigns. Mainly through their own talent but with a little help from Royal Thames supporters, Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark achieved 6th place in the Women's 470 Class in the Qingdao Olympics which was surprisingly disappointing to them but very exciting for the rest of us. Our third Olympian aspirant was Lizzie Vickers who, very sadly, and despite superhuman effort, did not ultimately achieve selection. One of the rewarding aspects of the initiative was that all three are charming and lovely people. Not only do they have these qualities as well as being highly talented sailors but also, unfairly perhaps, are very attractive young women which earned them the sobriquet of the "Beijing Babes".

With the 2012 Olympics being so close to home, it would have been criminal not to continue the initiative this time round. For those few of you who may not know, the 2012 sailing Olympics will be held at Weymouth between the 28th July and 10th August 2012. In addition to our support for competitors the Club will have other involvements with the Olympics. We are honoured to have Sir Keith Mills, not only a keen sailor but also International President and CEOVice-Chairman of London 2012, the UK organising body of the Olympics, as a member of the Club. He was actually largely responsible for London winning the bid for the 2012 Olympics in the first place.

Needless to say, there are a number of Club members whose campaigns for Gold at Weymouth are well under way but before giving some details of them, an explanation of how the support mechanism works may be of interest. In 2005, after consultation with Flag Officers and other leading members of the Club, a Committee was formed of Andrew Collins, Iain MacdDonald-Smith, Rufus Gilday and Barbara Ehlers. A number of options were considered before the format of an autumnal fund raising dinner was decided upon. The first of these was themed on Beijing, where notably the "Babes" sported gorgeous Chinese dresses which were profitably sold by master auctioneer, Nick Bonham! In subsequent years the committee was augmented by Tom Montgomery and Leny Gibson, the latter deciding, last year, that emigratingon to New Zealand was the safest way to avoid the traumas of organising more fund raising dinners. This year we have been joined by Carol Hackman, who is just wonderful at organising anything, and Lizzie Vickers, whose Olympic campaigningexperience and general enthusiasm are a breath of fresh air.

Our criteria for supporting younger RTYC members in their Olympic campaigns are firmly set out and involve rather more than being an Olympic triallist. The principal requirement is that candidates should be rated within the RYA Olympic Squad at either World Class Performance, World Class Potential or RYA Development level. This is so that we help those with a real chance of success and do not spread ourselves too thinly. To those members who have not benefited this time round, please be assured that you remain on our radar screen and we very much hope that your efforts will reward you with the success necessary to benefit this year.

Last year's Olympic Benefit Dinner was a great success thanks to all the generous people who attended and the charitable souls who so kindly gave for the auctions, in connection with which, I must particularly mention Michael Baker-Harber (himself a former Olympic sailor) who kindly donated time in his magnificent Nassau residence which Nick Bonham craftily managed to sell three times! Surprisingly, perhaps, for these occasions, it always seems to be a happy evening.

Now for the really important bit, which is what your committee has done with the funds so generously provided. We had four members who met with the criteria and here are brief profiles:

Saskia Clark, who this time has teamed up with Sarah Ayton (Gold Medalist at Beijing in the Yingling Class) to go for the Women's 470 once more, says:- "Returning home from Beijing having finished 6th, I had the opportunity to sail with various helms over 2009 which has really highlighted to me where my personal strengths and opportunities (as the sports psychologists like to call them!!) lie, and both on and off the water.

2010 is a new beginning, with a new helm in Sarah Ayton, who needless to say comes with good credentials! Sarah is new to the 470 but I feel totally energised by the task ahead, especially knowing that sitting 2 years out from Beijing the 2008 Gold medallists were yet to appear on the 470 scene."

Annie Lush, who with Lucy Macgregor and Katie Magregor are also competing in the Womens's Match Racing Class, the Eliot 6 metre keelboat. Need more be said than the latest press release from the RYA ? "The ‘GBR Match Race Girls' have stormed into the world number one spot in the ISAF women's match racing world rankings, overtaking the long-standing leader Claire Leroy of France to claim the top position for the first time. "

Ben Saxton, who is competing in the Men's 470 Class with David Kohler says: - "Hi, I am Ben Saxton, I'm aged 19, and I became a Royal Thames member last year. Currently am at University in second year at Southampton studying management.  I helm a 470 sailing with David Kohler (from Edinburgh).  We began 470 sailing in Autumn 2008 and have been in the 470 Olympic Development Squad since October 2009.   Our best results in 2009 were 19th at the World Championships in Denmark, 19th at the European Championships in Austria and 5th at the Junior (U21) Worlds in Greece.

I would like to thank Royal Thames for accepting me as a member, and for generously supporting my 470 campaign. Our main sponsor is "Rola-Trac," pontoon, flooring and trackway specialists, and we're also supported by Skandia Team GBR and Marlow Ropes.

The next Olympic benefit dinner will be held, at the Clubhouse, on 16th November when we hope that all four of our stars will be present and supporters will be able to meet and talk with them. Please put the date in your diaries and come and support these dedicated and talented sailors!

Time: 7pm

Tickets: TBC

To book please click here or contact the Secretariat on 0207 201 6267.