Euros Eckernförde, Germany. Junior worlds Medemblik, Netherlands.
Euros 7th-12th July, Junior worlds 22nd-26th
RPAYC sailor Eva Attwood recently represented Australia at the Euro and Junior World Championships, with support from a YCSF grant. In the report below, Eva shares her experience competing on the international stage, reflecting on the racing, challenges and opportunities that came with representing Australia overseas:
Our European campaign was a bit of a whirlwind, with the two events packed closely together and not much time to reset in between. Thankfully, six months of training at home had given us a solid base before we left, although nothing quite compares to arriving in Europe and suddenly being surrounded by unfamiliar conditions, fast boats and a much higher level of competition.
The biggest goal of the trip was simply to experience what European racing is like at an Olympic campaign level. Being still early in our journey, it was a chance to look around, take it all in and see exactly what the standard looks like. It definitely put our training into perspective and gave us a much clearer idea of where we sit and how far we still have to go.
We also quickly learnt that an Olympic campaign is about much more than just what happens on the racecourse. There is the travel, the planning, the boat preparation, the teamwork and the challenge of keeping everything running smoothly across a long international schedule. It was a great introduction to the bigger picture of campaigning and all the moving parts that come with it.
The lighter-wind days were definitely the most rewarding part of the trip for us. When the breeze eased, we could finally see some of our training at home beginning to shine through. Unfortunately, those days were a little few and far between, but when they did arrive, we were able to race with more confidence, handle the pressure and put some of the skills we had been practising into action. The windier days were a slightly different story, but probably taught us even more. They showed us very clearly where our next big focus needs to be and gave us plenty to take home and work on.
So now it is back home, back to training and back to the gym. Our focus will be on becoming stronger and more confident in windy conditions, while continuing to build our fitness, strength and consistency ahead of the summer season.
Europe gave us plenty of challenges, a few really encouraging moments and a much better understanding of the level we are working towards. Most importantly, we came home with a long list of things to improve, and plenty of motivation to get started.