Challenging Young Americas Cup: French Youth Team
If there is a country with a youth multihull program that is France. This team is comprised by several talented young sailors coming from the very base of the French sailing program. Having Yves Loday involved it is also a perfect presentation card for them.Sent by Emeric Dary & Vincent Gueho.
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FRENCH YOUTH TEAM
Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Candidate
Following the official announcement of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup launching on May 17, 2012, during the America’s Cup World Series event in Venice, Italy, Vincent Guého, then-President of the French and International Class Associations of the SL16 catamaran, decided to launch the French Youth Team project. Just two months later, French Youth Team’s work is well underway, with a clear vision and plan of
attack.
“Our goal is to represent the colors of France with two teams next summer in San Francisco and lift the
trophy,” said Guého. “We have conducted a pre-selection of 14 of the most promising French youth sailors
[…] Only 12 months remain before the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup–we have no time to lose in putting in
place a robust program and fund campaign.”
To execute this project and cover the three pillars of management, marketing, and communication, Guého
has assembled a team of talented students, one of which has recently completed a Sales Team internship at OC Sports, organizer of the Extreme Sailing Series.
The team consists of top sailors with a double competence in catamaran and match racing, each with experience in international events. This core group is joined by other French hopefuls with expertise in skiff and keelboat, to create the most competitive team. The 14 sailors of the French Youth Team currently account for a total of 20 International, 25 European and 34 French podiums.
Kévin Fischer-Guillou, one of the pre-selected sailors, just picked up the titles of European Champion and Vice World Champion in the 29er. In September, he will begin training for the Olympics in the 49er: “Along with the Olympics, the America’s Cup has been part of all our dreams since we started sailing. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is a real opportunity given to our generation that I will not let go, and I hope it will be the first in a series for young people to have access to a real pathway to the top level of international sailing.”
To ensure the best preparation for the 12 months leading up to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, the French Youth Team has received the support of two great international sailors, both Olympic champions, Yves Loday and Luc Pillot.
The training center of the French Youth Team will be based on the Atlantic coast of France, in the beautiful
bay surrounded by the cities of Pouliguen, La Baule and Pornichet. “Siréna-Voile provides technical support
to our project, and we are currently defining partnerships that will enable us to fund our campaign and plan
trainings in Extreme 40 and other boats close to the AC45. […] We already have several leads and we hope
to have more good news to report in the coming weeks,” adds Guého.
More information: www.FrenchYouthTeam.fr
Contact (at) FrenchYouthTeam.fr
