A TEENAGE sailor has joined the Royal Yachting Association for its intensive winter training schedule.
Matthew Pounder, 13, and Steven Short, 14, both from Hartlepool, were invited to join the North Zone Volvo Topper Squad after giving impressive racing performances during the summer.
Steven declined because he did not want to let rugby team mates at West Hartlepool down, but Matthew has already been away with the squad for one weekend at Carsington Water, in the Peak District.
The weekends are supervised by some of the top coaches in Britain and are seen as a stepping stone for the England sailing team.
Ben Anslie, gold medal winner in the Laser event at the Sydney Olympics, held in 2000, is helping coach the youngsters.
Sixteen sailors were selected in total and the Tees and Hartlepool Yacht Club are delighted to have two sailors chosen.
The training schedule is designed to give the juniors a far better understanding of how boats work so they can maximise their performance over the water.
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