March 31, 2019 - 1823 views
Editors note: I think we've been April fooled - thank you Colwyn Bay Watersports!
A community sailing centre in Colwyn Bay has just announced details of a prestigious student windsufing competition which will be taking place next month.
Over two hundred enthusiastic young windsurfers are expected to flock to Porth Eirias over town’s 1940s Festival weekend to showcase their skills and prowess on the water. This year will see an exciting new category of race which organisers a very excited about.
The BUCS/Student Windsurfing Association Nationals are one of the highlights in the student sporting calendar and after talks with clubs at universities across the country, Windsurf Ballet Racing or WBR as it’s known internationally, will be added to the racing competition over the weekend.
Student windsurfers will be split into advanced, intermediate, beginner, freestyling and team racing categories allowing student at all levels to take part and enjoy the competition. Competitors will be competing for BUCS points on the Student Union sport league table which measures sporting success in universities across the country.
WBR is a new category of race which will see windsurfers pair up and race to the finish line in a ballet style formation with one partner held high above the other. It is an incredibly skilful race and one which has been enthusiastically embraced by university windsurfing clubs across the country.
“Training has been going on over the past year and this category really caught my attention at the Aussie Kiss windsurfing competition” said Taffy Osborne Manager of Colwyn Bay Watersports.
“It’s a real feast for the eyes and a bit like Dancing on Ice except of course it’s not ice, it’s water”.
“Seeing 50 student windsurfers come over the line in a formation will be fantastic to see and I know many are looking forward to wearing their shiny, spangled costumes to complete the look. We have been very strict about competitors not wearing plastic sequins due to environmental concerns about them coming off the costumes and ending up in the sea”.
The Student Windsurfing Association is a not-for-profit organisation set up to promote windsurfing amongst the student community in the UK by supporting clubs at various universities.
This year it hosts The Nationals and The British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) National Windsurfing Championships in Colwyn Bay and Aussie Kiss, a big festival event planned at the start of the academic year.
April Oslo who is helping organise the Student Nationals at Colwyn Bay Watersports said that was now a real sense of anticipation but warned the public to pack a pair of sunglasses as the glare from the shiny outfits might affect the visibility of drivers on the promenade if the weather is good.
“That was the problem during Aussie Kiss. I lost count of the number of motorists who drove into the ditch after staring too hard and getting dazzled by the costumes. We want to avoid that happening again.”
The event takes place over the weekend 26thand 27thApril to coincide with Colwyn Bay’s 1940s Festival celebration.
