Goya Youth Academy are in search of their new UK rider to follow on from where previous winner, Chris Murray, left off.

The selected team rider will receive:

• Full set of loaned equipment (2 boards and 5 sails) for 12 months
• Mentoring from Francisco Goya
• Mentoring at UK Freewave events from Andy King & Chris Murray
• Raised profile in UK windsurfing through promotion in magazines, events, advertising etc.
• General support to reach your highest potential

Applicants must:

• Be aged between 14 and 17 on the 31st Dec 2008.
• Have the potential and motivation to compete at national wave and freestyle events.
• Be already competent at sailing a short board.

Procedure:

• Complete the online application form which will be sent to Goya UK for consideration (closing date for applications - Aug 15th).
• Based upon the information submitted on the application form, Goya UK will invite a maximum of 6 sailors to attend the 2008 Fat Face event (6/7Sept).
• A sail-off at the FatFace event will determine the new Goya Youth Academy rider.

So what are you waiting for?

Good luck!

Read how Chris Murray got on being the first UK rider on the Goya Youth Academy.

So Chris, exactly when did you win it? September 2005

What was the immediate benefit? I got a whole set of Goya boards & sails and was then thrown into Andy King’s van for a training trip to Ireland!

Did you feel under pressure to get better? Only from myself. I had extra determination to improve to show they had picked the right guy! 

Did you get much mentoring from Francisco Goya? Yes, I still speak regularly to Francisco and the Goya team in Maui via email & Skype and they also looked after me when I went to over to Maui recently.

Tell us what it was like being 'mentored' by Andy King? It was quite an experience! No matter what the conditions were Andy would send me out. This was good because I didn’t think at first I would cope with, for example, mast high waves at Gowlane but I did and when the waves were smaller I had a great deal more confidence.

What have the long term benefits been of getting this award? Firstly the Goya Academy gave me confidence and more drive. Then there is the support with equipment, wave riding with Andy King and getting connected with other Goya riders around the world which makes travelling easier and a little less expensive! 

What are your windsurfing goals this year? At the moment I am just trying to get my windsurfing level up to a professional standard and compete in UK WaveJams and UKWA wave contests. I am hoping to try for the PWA in Tiree again this year.

Finally, what's your top tip for becoming the next Goya Academy Winner? Work hard, challenge yourself and go for it!