After attending (as the driver...) several junior regattas around the country during the last couple of years I would like to make a point about our results and prizes.

In the Optimist Nationals we have three fleets (age categories) and separate trophies for each, also one for best under 12yrs. We give a trophy to the best girl, best first timer and best wooden boat (a rapidly disappearing category - perhaps need to be revised to "best non-IOD95 hull"...?). But in our points series and club races we pretty much put our hands together for the same guys time after time. These topnotches certainly deserve it, but what about the little champs who have given their heart and soul just to get around the course and the younger ones who are the best in their age category and the best girls??? Shouldn't we lift these guys above everybody else to encourage more new kids to join the fun?

I believe the people organising the regattas would happily sacrifice their bottle of wine (transferred into junior prizes) to see the numbers of participants doubling. This (different categories within Optimist class, based on age and gender rather than A and B fleet) is a standard procedure in a lot of other countries, in Finland they run two results lists (also a combined) in every regatta, one for 8-12yrs and the other for 13-15. Best girl gets a prize in every event and a special "Fighter's trophy" is also a very common thing (someone with the outstanding fighting spirit and attitude / heroic performance or something similar). In bigger regattas a "daily firsts ceremony" on each day gives another additional opportunity to reward the most outstanding performances of each day, a Bar One or an event sponsor's cap can mean a lot when the timing is right...

For example last weekend's WC Interschools event was one of the weekends where the young and eager should have been rewarded for just being there. Instead only the (same old...) winners were called to the podium while the little ones were wondering if they ever make it that far. The attendance and energy levels were high and promising, such is the interest towards our novice courses directed to the primary schools...

Let's work towards 200 Optimist sailors on the start line in Youth Nationals 2008!

Hike hard and never give up!

Eero