Team 15 is a national initiative organised by the RYA to introduce young people to windsurfing. The Bristol Corinthian Yacht Club at Cheddar reservoir has its own Team 15 club, dubbed the Axbridge Animals, which meets weekly through the summer.

Open to 10-15 year olds, the weekly sessions combine fun with instruction and race training, leading on to advanced skills for the "extreme" end of the sport as well as top level racing. Most beginners obviously don't own windsurfing equipment, so the club provides it for a small weekly rental.

About the Axbridge Animals

The Axbridge Animals club is run by BCYC club members for fun. The RYA-qualified instructors are supported by a great team of volunteers (mainly parents of the windsurfers) while other coaches and instructors are invited to come and contribute during the season.

The 2003 season was the club's first and it turned out to be hugely popular. In 2004, we were awarded grants by the National Lottery's "Awards for All" scheme and the Local Network Fund which allowed us to invest in new equipment and more instructor training. BCYC is now an RYA Recognised Teaching Centre for windsurfing and we can issue certificates to recognise the achievements of those who have participated.

The 2005 season was spectacularly successful: not only did we win the regional competition eries but Ali Masters went on to win the Under 15 World Championships in Poland: an astounding but well-deserved victory.

In 2006, the club once again won the regional trophy and improved the
weekly sessions, based on a survey of members to see what they enjoyed
most. Although the group reached its maximum size, a new group called
Over2You was launched, comprised of of former Axbridge Animals members
who wanted to keep going and develop their windsurfing while still
having fun on a Wednesday evening.

Although competitive success and elite performance are the icing on the cake, the Axbridge Animals is primarily about fun and introducing people to a great recreational activity which they can enjoy after school. The "chocolate races" are always the most popular feature of our Wednesday evening sessions!

Axbridge Animals is pleased to be sponsored by Bardon Aggregates and BiC Sport

Events

There are dozens of Team 15 clubs nationwide, organised into regions. Each region holds several inter-club events each season, giving clubs the opportunity to get out there and have some competitive action. The events are carefully designed to include windsurfers of all abilities, so even if you are not much more than a beginner, you can still contribute to your team's performance. While not exactly windsurfing, events include paddling races and even a surf-bike race or two when the wind runs out!

The RYA provide really nice trophies for the winning team and the Axbridge Animals now has a healthy collection of these, including the 2004 series trophy. Reports on all the season's events can be found at the Team 15 website

Club development

For 2007, we are keeping the numbers limited to 30 because that's the
maximum number that we can manage and still have fun doing it. That
means that we continue to have a waiting list but will do everything we
can to include people as soon as possible.

Following last year's successes and a growing interest in racing, we
will also be arranging people more into groups according to their
current ability, interest and the weather conditions. For example, if
the wind is force 4+, we will run a group specifically aimed at
shortboard skills. When coaches with international racing experience are
available, we will run a higher-level race training group.

Windsurfing is a sport for life which you can do as and when it suits,
without spending a fortune!

News and events

Application forms for the 2008 season are now available but please note that there is a waiting list.

Application form for 2008

Newsletter

No newsletters at present

Contacts

The Team 15 club is run by Bob Shillito and Paul Hipwell. Bob can be contacted at team15@bcyc.org.uk

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