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TopTip2020 #20 - Prior Preparation - by Lucy Greenwood, GBR
Lucy Greenwood is often seen challenging at the front of the RS Aero 5 fleet when it is not too breezy and won her first World Championship race at our RS Aero Worlds at Weymouth from a fleet of 60 before it was abandoned after the finish. She has learnt to cope with both studies and injuries within her busy sailing calendar and can offer some top advice;
'Prior Preparation
- Stay on top of Homework before a weekend of sailing: As a student, balancing work and sailing can be quite difficult. Typically events last a whole weekend on the water, which is a big time commitment. When I was at school I'd always try to make sure I didn't have any work hanging over from week to week so I could enjoy a weekend, and now I'm at uni, it's more important. It's hard to fully enjoy sailing when your mind is on the work you need to do, and it's rubbish having to work after when your friends are having fun.
- Reset after a bad race: When I was younger I had a laminated refresh symbol on my boat that I would hit after a bad race to help me re focus. Now I don't have the button, but if a race has gone badly, it's important to put it behind you once you've thought about what went wrong so it doesn't affect the next race.
- Fitness is really important if you're on the smaller side: Fitness is important for everyone, but if you're smaller, you'll be hiking in lighter wind than others, and hiking harder when it picks up, so making sure you're fit is crucial.
- Injury Rehab: Injuries happen, whether on the water or off, and sometimes they mean time off the water. Take the time off if you need to, you don't want to make anything worse or risk another injury by protecting it. A year ago I ended up in A&E after a really dodgy capsize, and had 3 months off initially, then another 6 months of reduced time on the water. It's hard to miss the summer season, but it's better than making it worse and missing longer. It's okay to sit races out when you come back, know your limits and try not to push through because you're enjoying yourself.
- Special one for Ffinlo: make sure your Bung is in properly before you launch...!'
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12/04/2020 23:24:00
Peter Barton
Posts: 5169
