ILCA Women's Coaching Day at Queen Mary Sailing Club
by Suzie Munnery, Littleton SC 29 Oct 23:22 PDT
26 October 2024
Female sailors from as far afield as Chew Valley, Rutland and Bexhill descended on Queen Mary SC to take part in the inaugural ILCA Women's Coaching Day led by Ellie Cumpsty and an all-female coaching team.
Twenty-four sailors turned up but sadly the wind didn't, so Ellie, Georgina Povall and Bryony Sharpen rose to the challenge to deliver a shore based session of rigging and sail shaping appreciated by novices and experienced ILCA sailors alike. No one will forget Ellie's focus (obsession?) with the "4th Corner".
Sailors took to the water for an afternoon session of balance points, roll-tacking and practice starts. With Georgina's mantra - "if you're not swimming, you're not trying" ringing in our ears, we demonstrated a variety of capsize techniques!
I don't see myself as someone who seeks out a women's only session. My club is full of friendly and approachable guys who have provided help and guidance since I joined, but I'm probably a bit of a convert. The all-female environment created an open and enquiring feel that made everyone feel relaxed. Through the course of the day I could see even the least confident sailors in progress and grow. And most of all laugh!
Cagil from London Corinthians commented, "I am new to ILCA and I've often found it a bit intimating The women's training on Saturday created a welcoming and positive environment that made us all feel much more confident about our sailing. We've learned from our coaches, but we've also learned from each other. Ellie and Georgina have shown us ways to determine our goals and succeed in them."
If you can get yourself to ILCA Women's Coaching events I strongly recommend it. Each of us gained in confidence and knowledge and I'm struck by the incredible talents of the female coaches from British Sailing. Their passion is infectious and their knowledge second to none, resulting in a day filled with laughs but built firmly on personal growth and development.
I guess it's consistent with the inclusive theme of the day that everyone left with 'merch' from Queen Mary SC and SailingFast.
Queen Mary invited all participants to join their famously competitive club racing on Sunday morning, but once again the wind failed to show. Fingers crossed for next time.
Queen Mary will be hosting the next ILCA Women's Coaching Day in March led by Ellie and her team. This one sold out pretty quickly, so keep an eye on the QM and ILCA websites to snag a place.