Hannah Mills on a mission to become a golden girl of Olympics

SHE has quickly become the silver lining of the British sailing team. Now Welsh ace Hannah Mills is looking to become its Olympic golden girl this summer. Mills and partner Saskia Clark have forged a formidable partnership after only linking up 15 months ago, winning silvers at the Olympic Test event and the World Championships in Perth. Mills and Clark will be aiming to go one better at this year’s World Championships in Barcelona which starts on Sunday. But the Dinas Powys ace already admits Olympic gold is the medal she craves. “We have had quite a few second places,” said Mills. “It is important to keep getting consistent results and keep pressure on other teams. “We want to keep proving we are the team to beat. “While we seem to keep coming second, different teams keep winning. “That is encouraging for us because we are not struggling to beat one particular team. We have the ability to beat anyone.” Great Britain were the leading sailing nation in the last three Games and Mills admitted there was pressure to emulate the achievement. “There will be expectations of us and that is good,” she added. “I would never want to go to an Olympics and just have an outside chance of a medal because you go to a Games to win. “There are high hopes of the team and we can deliver in a number of events. “Saskia was one of only four people who did not win a medal which she explained was so hard. We don’t want to have that feeling.” Ben Ainslie remains the sailing standout performer after winning three Olympic golds and challenging for a record fourth this summer with Mills admitting he is an inspiration. “Ben is a great person to have in the team and it is a real honour to be in the same Olympic squad as him,” she added. “When I was younger he was an idol of mine so to be in the same team as him is amazing. “He has this aura and is a huge figure within the sport. “There is a lot of pressure on him from outside but he copes with it. “He has not changed and hopefully he will nail it this summer.” Mills is also backing Ainslie to recover from the controversy he suffered last December at the World Championships in Australia after he was disqualified for an altercation with a media boat. “Sailing is getting bigger in the media and people are trying to get the sport more exposure which is great,” she added. “But there are going to be occasions where you are impeded by press boats. “We had a bit of that in Miami last year where we almost crashed into them. I am not sure what the answer is. “All you can do is concentrate on your race because it is not something you can control.” Hannah’s profile has risen since she became the first Welsh sporting star to be selected for the Games last summer. Mills told the Western Mail last year about her reaction to American rapper Snoop Dogg’s backing for golden glory, while the 24-year-old has already been labelled one of the new blondes in a boat by the Sun. “We have done a few cool things and had a few interesting interviews,” she smiled. “We have seen the headline ‘Two blondes in a boat’ and that is fine. “It is a bit of fun and we like the media side of things. “We love what we do and it is great to get to speak to people about that. “Things have not changed massively since we have been selected. But it will go mental and we are preparing ourselves for that. “I can’t imagine what it is going to be like because it is the Olympic Games and it is going to be insane.” The racing experiences will be confined to the Weymouth and Portland Harbour in Dorset where she lives and trains. So the British sailors will benefit from home advantage with Mills admitting it will be more Weymouth 2012 than London 2012. “Our schedule allows us to go to the opening and closing ceremony,” she added. “Other than that we are not going to go to London because our event lasts nine days.”

Britain completes sailing team for London Olympics by filling last 3 available spots

The British Olympic Association has confirmed the Royal Yachting Association’s nomination of 2008 veterans Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes in the 49er class. Alison Young will make her Olympic debut in the Laser Radial event. RYA Olympic manager and sailing team leader Stephen Park says “we’ve got people who’ve got potential to medal in every single event. We’ve never had that before.” The BOA also rounded out its Paralympic team with the addition of Helena Lucas.

Kiteboarding to replace windsurfing at 2016 Rio Olympics

Kiteboarding will make its Olympic debut at the 2016 Games in Rio after the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) dropped windsurfing. The decision has been met with surprise and frustration within windsurfing and an online petition has been set up to keep it as an Olympic discipline. British sailing's John Derbyshire said: "We're disappointed for windsurfing. "[But we are] looking forward to working with kiteboarders to develop the talent pathway for this new event." The decision was made by the ISAF at a meeting in Italy on Saturday and Derbyshire added: "While an exciting prospect for a new discipline, the decision to replace windsurfing will of course be a huge blow to the windsurfing community. Kiteboarding v windsurfing •Kiteboarding - a wind powered surface watersport using a kite and a board to move across the water. •Windsurfing - a wind powered surface watersport using a sail attached to a board to move across the water "We're disappointed for all those who are working at the coal face of the Royal Yachting Association's windsurfing programmes to deliver activity and British success on the world stage who will be affected most by this decision." However, he added: "Kiteboarding made a solid case for its Olympic inclusion at the March trials and, although a surprise that ISAF has voted it into the Olympic programme at this stage, it appears they wished to seize the opportunity, rather than wait until 2020." Britain's Bryony Shaw, who won bronze in Beijing at the 2008 Olympics, said on Twitter: "Windsurfing is me... I am windsurfing!" before adding: "My focus on London now seems heightened!! New discipline for Rio... New challenge...!" Compatriot Nick Dempsey, who was fourth in the men's event four years ago, commented on Twitter: "Wow, unexpected. That was a big decision and a very sad day for windsurfing. My heart goes out to all the aspiring champions and kids with dreams of windsurfing at the Olympics." Meanwhile, following sailing equipment trials held in Santander, Spain in March, the 49er FX was chosen for the new two-person women's skiff discipline while the Nacra 17 will be used in the two-person mixed multihull event.

How sailing helped autistic boy

Last year, Bonnie Monroe searched tirelessly for a summer camp that would enroll her autistic son, Mark. She found Clearwater Community Sailing Center and Rich White, an instructor who taught Mark to sail. "Rich told me to bring Mark out," recalled Monroe. "After Mark went out with Rich in a Hobie, he said, 'I'm ready to sail, Mom, let's go.' Rich didn't know about working with children who had autism, but he was willing to learn." The encounter changed Mark's life forever and became the catalyst for Camp Awesome, a new summer camp at the Sailing Center that will be aimed at helping children with disabilities. This evening, the center at 1001 Gulf Blvd. on Sand Key will hold a silent auction and cocktail party to raise money for the camp. "We will start out this program in a small but phenomenal way and work up to the best way of moving forward," said Sue Steward, the Sailing Center's director. "I'm overwhelmed by the amazing local support and donations we've received." Mark Monroe, 12, has high functioning autism. By the end of last summer, not only had he learned to sail and paddleboard by himself, he had joined the Sailing Center's regular summer camp activities. "After meeting him and evaluating him to make sure I could teach him, I started with one-on-one instruction three half-days a week," said White, the sailing instructor. "Within two weeks we went to full days. Mark is amazing. Not only does he sail alone, but he has become much more social." Monroe was so pleased, she told White she wanted to stay connected with the Sailing Center and become a member. "That's when the idea about a program that reached out to the community began," said Monroe. She wants to help make the sailing program for children with special needs a success. She's working for it to become financially self-sustainable and able to offer help for families that might not otherwise be able to afford it.

Young carers get on board sailing barge

A PROJECT designed to give young carers a bit of their childhood back, has allowed eight youngsters to embark on a trip onboard an historic Thames sailing barge. The Rotary-sponsored trip left from Faversham's Harty Ferry on Friday as part of a two-day voyage to Gravesend, stopping off in Southend. The young carers, aged 12-16 from Faversham, Sittingbourne and Sheppey, were able to take the wheel of The Cambria, which was re-launched after undergoing a £1.5million makeover last year. Rotary Club District Governor Lynn Mitchell said: "We had an idea to do a project for young children and we felt there were a lot of forgotten young carers out there. "It means that they can just switch off, they can just forget and get their childhood back. Last year one of the trips was forced to leave at night and everyone came back and said it was just magical. "Now we are looking to have static weekends in the creek for the little ones who might not have the strength to steer it." But it's not all been plain sailing. Rotarians from 56 clubs across Kent, South East London and East Sussex, raised £20,000 to sponsor 10 trips this year. Some of the total came from Rotary clubs across Whitstable, Herne Bay, Canterbury and Faversham. Chairman of the Cambria Trust Bruce Richardson said he hoped the excursions would become part of the "bread and butter" of the barge's activities for the next three years, and explained that the Rotary's symbol would now decorate its sail. He said: "We want to help communities. We piloted the trip last year and the young carers had a ball. "For us it's so satisfying to see how much they're enjoying it. It's a brilliant project that really chimes with needs of our time as we rely on the work done by these people." The youngest sailor onboard was 12-year-old Jack Pike from Sheppey. He cares for his mother, who is limited by a back injury, and his brother who suffers from ADHD and autism. As the ship set sail he said: "I'm absolutely excited about this. I have sailed dinghies and boats but nothing like this before! "At home I spend a lot of time cleaning to help my mum and have to look after my brother because he can be a bit of a handful!" The trip was supervised by David Lloyd from Rotary and David Scoones from FACES, an organisation supporting carers in East Kent and Canterbury. He said: "These kids have to grow up quickly and for the older ones who have left school it can be a full time job, so it's nice to give them this opportunity."

Blind Sailor to sail the Irish Sea

This summer sees blind adventure-athlete Mark Pollock and local sailor Tiffany Brien aim to sail across the Irish Sea to raise money for the Mark Pollock Trust and Belfast Lough Sailability. Sailing across the Irish Sea would be a big enough challenge for any regular sailor, but for 36-year-old Mark, who has been blind since the age of 22 and paralysed in a freak accident in 2010, this challenge is quite significant. Luckily enough, Mark is not shy of a challenge. He has survived sub-zero Antarctic temperatures to become the first blind person to reach the South Pole, suffered scorching heat running six marathons in the Gobi Desert in one week, and has even competed at high-altitude in the Everest Marathon. Mark has competed against many able-bodied athletes, including Olympic gold medalists, Special Forces personnell and professional explorers, such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes, all in a world of total darkness. After a threatening fall two years ago, Mark is fighting against his spinal cord injury, with the aim to defy the odds to walk again. The Mark Pollock Fund hopes to raise enough funds to assist with the capital and on-going costs associated with his spinal injury, including new wheelchairs, a team of care specialists and physiotherapy equipment. Mark says: “This will be my first big physical challenge since I was paralysed so I am really looking forward to giving it my best shot. I used to sail before my accident so I can’t wait to get back out on the water.” The challenge is scheduled to take place at the beginning of June, where Mark and Tiffany will be sailing in a specially designed SKUD Yacht that Tiffany purchased for the Belfast Lough Sailability following her individual challenge in 2007. She said: “Mark is a real inspiration so I am honoured to have the chance to participate in this challenge alongside him. His determination is infectious and I have no doubt we will achieve our goal of crossing the Irish Sea to raise valuable funds for the Mark Pollock Trust and Belfast Lough Sailability.” Belfast Lough Sailability helps those people with disabilities to learn new skills, while being able to enjoy the art of sailing, with the potential to reach their goal of taking part in the Paralympic Games. To support the Mark Pollock Irish Sea Challenge you can donate online at www.irishseachallenge.co.uk.

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