New Young Comets Set to Soar 

Carsington's latest T15ers set for first outing as club hosts Midlands event 2

The new young crop of Carsington Comets are set to get their first taste of racing action as they host round two of the 2013 Team15 Midlands Inter-Club Challenge Series at Carsington Water on Saturday (15 June).

Carsington’s team of young windsurfers are on the rise again after a couple of years during which the club has seen its regular and most talented members become over-age, while low water levels in Carsington Water two years ago meant Comets’ activity was limited and the club missed out on a season of recruiting and training new members.

Carsington Comets were the dominant Team15 youth windsurfing team in the Midlands for a number of seasons recently, winning the Team15 regional title and qualifying for the Team15 Champions Cup national grand final for four consecutive years from 2006 to 2009.

A breeding ground for young talent, a number of the Comets’ best windsurfers were selected for the RYA’s regional Zone and National racing squad programmes, on the pathway to Olympic classes racing.

Team15 is the RYA’s youth windsurfing development programme helping make windsurfing more accessible and appealing to kids aged 15 and under at grassroots level, and over the past 12 months the team at Carsington Sports and Leisure, where the Comets are based, have been working hard to encourage new youngsters into the sport.

Now those youngsters are ready to take their first steps towards trying to emulate the success of the recent Comets teams as they prepare for their first competitive outing.

Ben Hodgson, Centre Principal at Carsington Sports and Leisure, explains: “The Team15 Inter-Club Challenge Series adds a competitive edge and race training for those young windsurfers keen to hone their skills.

“Circumstances have meant that, although we have had a really good track record in this series in recent years, over the past couple of years we haven’t been able to have as many sailors representing Carsington Comets at the events to give us the best opportunity to try to win the regional title and qualify for the Champions Cup.

“It’s been a bit of a rebuilding process but the youngsters we have coming through now are really enthusiastic and we expect the team we put out on Saturday will consist mainly of new guys giving racing a try for the first time, which we hope will get them hooked for good and give Comets the grounding to go on and produce more successful young windsurfers.”

Four Team15 Inter-Club Challenge regional rounds are contested each summer.

The first round of the 2013 series took place at Croft Farm in Tewkesbury last month, with the host club, Croft Farm Flyers, claiming opening round victory. Northampton-based Pitsford Pirates have dominated the Midlands series for the past three years, winning each of the regional titles since 2010 to qualify for the Champions Cup.

Carsington Comets train each week on Sunday between 10am-12pm. Absolutely no experience is necessary and complete beginners are welcome so come and give windsurfing a try!

There are more than 80 Team15 clubs nationwide. Team15 sessions are fun and informal, kit can be borrowed from the clubs and the cost of sessions is kept low.

To get involved with Team15 at Carsington this year visit www.carsingtonwater.com or to find out more about Team15 visit www.rya.org.uk/programmes/team15