Queensland 29er sailors ready for Youth World Championship assault

Queensland teenagers Tom Siganto and Joel Turner will represent Australia for the first time when they compete at this month’s 2012 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in Dublin, Ireland.

The pair, who train at Southport Yacht Club on the Gold Coast, will represent Australia in the 29er class as a part of the Australian Youth Sailing Team.

Siganto and Turner were selected for the Australian Youth Sailing Team after dominant performances at the Australian Youth Championship and Australian 29er Championship back in January and have been training hard in the months since.

“Our preparations for the Youth Worlds are going very well, we’re keeping up to date with our program and our coach is guiding us on the right path,” said skipper Siganto. “We’ve got a positive attitude and loads of commitment has been placed into our training for Youth Worlds and then the 29er open World Championship after that in Germany.”

Turner said that the pair has been putting a lot of work into getting themselves ready for the biggest regatta they’ve ever competed in together.

“We’ve definitely been very busy with training and making sure we’re best prepared as sailors to go to such a high profile event,” said Turner. “The approach we’re taking to this regatta is far more professional than we have applied before, it’s a big learning curve and there is so much more to organise and prepare than I first expected.

The ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship is the largest youth sailing event in the world with current Australian Olympian Nathan Outteridge winning gold in the class Siganto and Turner will contest, the 29er, back in 2002.

“I think it’s going to be a really special regatta for me as it’s my first time to represent Australia,” said Turner. “But the experience we gain from the sailing competition side of things I think is going to be very fulfilling and exciting.”

The pair is looking forward to donning the green and gold for the first time and competing alongside their team mates on the world stage.

“The honor of representing my nation at a World Championship is a great achievement that I have worked so hard for over the last year,” said Siganto. “I’m looking forward to representing my country in hopefully what will be successful racing and to end up following the successful campaign of Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page.”

Turner is equally as enthusiastic about taking to the water in Ireland.

“This is very special to me as there are not many people that get the opportunity to represent Australia in their favourite sport,” said Turner. “It’s such an honour and I’m thrilled to be representing this country which is so highly respected as a nation for sailing.

“To represent the Australian 29er class at the Youth Worlds has been a goal of mine for two years and to achieve that was very important for my motivation and love of the sport,” he said. “It makes all of the training and hard work totally worthwhile!”

For more information on the 2012 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship visit www.isafyouthworlds.com.