Haileybury sailor chosen for the National Youth Squad

Haileybury pupil Rhiannon Massey (15) has been selected for the Volvo Laser Radial National Youth Squad (NYS) for 2011/12, the highest level national sailing squad for Under 19s, the next squad being the Olympic Development Squad.

This programme is designed to enable the best British sailors to develop their racing skills so they can achieve on the international stage. It is aimed at sailors with the potential for world-class performance and only the top ranked six or seven girls in Britain are selected.

Says Rhiannon: "This was my big target for the year. My selection was based on my performance at the Youth Worlds in the summer plus the two recent Autumn Qualifier events."

Sailors are invited to join the RYA Volvo National Youth Squad if the selectors feel they may have the potential to achieve one of the following criteria:

• To win a medal at World or European Championships
• To qualify for Team GBR for the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships
• To successfully follow an Olympic pathway

The RYA employs a specific National Class Coach and contracts a series of performance specialists to oversee the development of the sailors under the direction of the RYA Youth Racing and Pathway Managers.

Training for Rhiannon starts next week during half-term with a four-day residential camp at Weymouth.