Shaw of a Gold - Bryony’s Europeans

The long awaited clash between the Olympic and Formula racers dawned at the RS:X Open European Championships in Alacati, Turkey this June. There was controversy, unpredictable winds, a new slalom format and the medal race for the competitors to deal with. The marathon seven day event tested everyone’s physical fitness, mental focus and tactical ability.

Pump in the morning, plane in the afternoon

Alacati is a venue well known for its strong thermal wind that funnels down a valley into the bay surrounded by hills, cliffs and headlands. There are a number of funboard centres and it is also hosting the PWA Slalom World Championships this year as well as the recent Red Bull King of the Bay freestyle contest.

So with Windguru predicting a week of 20 knots many of the world’s best formula windsurfers were seduced to turn up and compete. The forecast was everchanging, tempting us with the possibility of strong wind, but it never came. Controversy sprang up when it had to be decided who would sail in the light morning winds or the stronger winds in the afternoon. The race team rotated the men’s and women’s fleets to keep it fair because only one fleet could sail at a time, which meant long days and frustrated competitors. The toughest RS:X competition yet separated the men from the boys and even when it was planing conditions the formula boys (and girls) could not win the races. Some even left before the end of the competition.

Media Friendly

The RS:X has attracted a lot of press interest because it is a modern formula style concept for windsurfing racing. As one of the sailing classes will be taken out for 2012, windsurfing is fighting to stay in the Olympics so it is essential to maintain this interest and attraction. One idea was to introduce a small downwind slalom on the last reach towards the finish, with the intention of adding a bit of drama so that spectators can follow who is winning. We had this format for the Euros and it is still in discussion whether or not it will stay. An idea that has been officially chosen for the Olympics is a “medal race” – one race that attracts the press interest because it is the final race of the series. But to add to its importance only the top ten can race and the points are doubled. The intention is that all these ideas will make our racing more media friendly.

C to B

My racing in the women’s fleet was very up and down. I was overjoyed to finish with a silver medal as it means I am on B level funding which is more money and a step closer towards qualifying for the Olympics. I was winning after the first day, but was soon overtaken by Antonia Frei, a Greek girl who led the competition for a number of days. The wind in the second half of the event turned light and fickle, in one race the wind spun 180 degrees but still counted, and new faces came to the front of the fleet. Blanca Manchon (2005 Mistral World Champion) from Spain improved her results to come through and take the Gold, and Pauline Perrin from France overtook Antonia due to her result in the medal race to take the Bronze. You could say that Antonia choked at the pressure of the medal race as she came last out of the top ten girls to fall off the European podium. The men’s medal race was a lot more straight forward as Nick Dempsey (Olympic Bronze Medalist) had dominated the event all week, but even he was not settled until the end because the wind at this venue was so unpredictable. Leo Macallin also improved his funding status to C level by finishing an impressive 11th. A good result for the Brits all round.

To celebrate my result I went on a shortboarding holiday to the Greek Island of Mykonos with my boyfriend Greg and Antonia Frei (ex PWA) to practice my freestyle. I was on a 4.2 for most of the week, with the one day of no wind providing perfect wakeboarding conditions.

The next competition for the team is the Pre-Olympics at Qingdau, China in August; this competition is just as important and will be a test for all of us.

Right, back to the rowing machine!

Bryony

Main Page

View Archive





	Top of page