Millfield sailor Lucy Davis has been selected to represent Great Britain at the U21 Sailing World Championships.
The event will be held in Vilamoura, Portugal, from 21-28 August, and will feature the greatest young talents in the world of sailing. Lucy, who is in the Upper Sixth, has been selected for the U21 age group, despite still being eligible to compete at U19 level.
Lucy has been sailing her whole life, and began competing in the sport aged eight. As a sailing scholar, she trains with the Millfield team twice a week, focusing on team racing tactics and boat handling skills. Alongside, she follows a tailored, sport-specific strength and conditioning programme, which is put into practice when she represents Millfield on the water during inter-school sailing competitions.
Lucy decided to join Millfield due to its reputation of producing top-level athletes, alongside a confidence that the school understands how to support young athletes in their attempts to balance their sporting and academic commitments.
Eighteen-year-old Lucy boards at Millfield and studies biology, psychology and physical education at A level. She hopes to attend King’s College, London to study physiotherapy while continuing to pursue her sailing, with the aim of attending an Olympic games as a member of the British Sailing Team in the future.
Lucy said, “This selection has given me a great opportunity to compete internationally, and to take one step closer to the senior level and see how I fare against older sailors. It has been three years since I last represented Great Britain, so the event will allow me to get an idea of how I have improved as a sailor in the interim. The school have been incredibly supportive of my sailing since I joined in the Lower Sixth; teachers are always willing to sit down with me and help me catch up on any missed work when I’ve been away from school for training or competitions.”
Millfield’s Sailing programme works closely with the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and Chew Valley Lake to provide equipment and specialist coaching. Sailors at Millfield are able to get on the water twice a week, with students able to hire equipment or use their own boats. Students also utilise strength and conditioning training sessions with Millfield’s expert coaches and sailing theory sessions on land, to better equip students once they are on the water.
Categories: Millfield School School News
