Sutton Coldfield Sailor Named West Midlands Young Sailor Of The Year 2011 

Sutton SC's Matt is an RYA Regional Young Sailor of the Year

A World champion junior sailor from Sutton Coldfield will pick up one of youth sailing’s most prestigious awards in the New Year - the RYA West Midlands Young Sailor of the Year Award 2011 - in recognition of his achievements over the past 12 months.

Sutton Sailing Club’s Matt Venables, 15, will join 13 other RYA regional award winners from across Britain for a VIP day out at the Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show on Saturday 7 January, where the inspirational youngsters will receive their trophies.

The RYA Regional Young Sailor of the Year awards recognise the outstanding impact young people make to British boating, whether on the racecourse, at their club, overcoming adversity or through an exceptional achievement.

It has been a sparkling year for Fairfax School pupil Matt, as he led from start to finish to claim the Topper World Championship title in Dublin in August, amassing a points total of less than half of any other competitor! Earlier the same month, he came second at the Topper Nationals in North Berwick, Scotland.

The Topper is a single-person junior dinghy supported by the RYA on the pathway to Olympic sailing, and as a member of the prestigious RYA National Junior Squad, Matt has travelled the length and breadth of Britain, as well as internationally, training and competing. He also fulfils a great ambassadorial role for Sutton SC, which has been a launch pad for several successful young sailing careers over the years.

Matt started to sail aged eight at Sutton SC with his dad, as he wanted to do a more exciting and adventurous sport. He admits he has to pinch himself to remember he is now a World Champion and the RYA Regional Young Sailor of the Year.

He said: “The most enjoyable thing about sailing is the competitiveness and the racing aspect. I love to race against rivals and see how we match up to them. But also I like to spend time off the water reviewing and planning goals, and of course seeing friends and just generally having a good time.

“Sailing has taught me some life skills, for example communication skills when I talk to my crew, organisational skills for preparing for events and packing for most weekends. It has also given me some opportunities outside school rather than in school.

“To be recognized outside of the Topper scene is amazing. I feel very privileged as there are a lot of other talented sailors in the West Midlands so it’s great to be selected ahead of them.”

RYA Chief Executive Sarah Treseder said: “Winning an RYA Regional Young Sailor of the Year Award is a fantastic achievement and I am delighted to recognise the talent of these young people and the dedication they show for our sport. The awards highlight the fact so many young sailors are out there enjoying themselves and achieving brilliant things.”

Matt is now progressing from Junior to Youth sailing and has recently qualified for the RYA Volvo National Youth Squad, sailing the 29er two-person high performance dinghy with Rutland SC’s Will Alloway. Last week the pair finished a hugely-creditable fourth out of 61 boats at the 29er Inland Championships at Grafham Water.