Olympic windsurfing is a little different to the freeride and shortboarding that most of us usually do.

It has its own specific equipment that must be used, called the RS:X, which can be used in any wind strength. Those hoping to head to the Olympics and competing in the class are probably the fittest of all windsurfers. They also need strong tactical knowledge to take them to the top! FLOW catches up with Izzy Hamilton, who has already taken home a fair few medals from both British and World Championships, to find out a bit more about the highly competitive side of the sport:

The RS:X is the only olympic windsurfing class. Its one design, 8.5m sail for the girls and a hybrid formula/race board. Competitions usually last six days, two 40min races a day. The races are box courses, starting on a 5 min countdown, race upwind to a mark, a reach to the next mark, then a downwind and finishing at the end of a slalom. It can be sailed in 6knots meaning you have to pump 24/7 around the course and 25knots which is like formula, off the fin racing!

Izzy HamiltonIn the Youth RSX Class the Boys and Girls both race on the 8.5m sail. The RYA Youth Squad is the Team of the best Under 19 brits, mostly training down in Weymouth, girls including Sophie Bailey, Jo Evans and Becky Plummer! The youth team have historically had lots of medals, I have had 2 Silvers at ISAF Youth Worlds and Europeans, Gold at the Class Youth Worlds.

The next step up from Youth is the Skandia Olympic Development Squad, which is a group of girls who train together in Weymouth including Sophie, Claudia Carney and me! We train with team coaches Dom and Leo and RYA specialists.

Bryony Shaw is the RS:X sailor on the Olympic Performance Team! Recently 4th at the Worlds and Bejing Bronze Medalist.

The RS:X requires lots of fitness and strength training as its so big and pumping doubles your board speed. Lots of time spend on the water to improve speed and board handing and some time in the classroom thinking about tactics and the weather.

Bryony ShawMost of the competitions are in spring and summer. All the senior competitons including Europeans in Poland, Worlds in Denmark and Sail For Gold in Weymouth have already happened. The Youths still have their worlds in Cyprus in October, look out updates! 

Thanks Izzy, look forward to an update from the world of RS:X in the near future!

The best way into RS:X racing is to start young! Most of the racers, especially those who make it to world championships and the Olympics come up through the RYA youth and junior racing programmes. 

'I started racing pretty much as soon as I could windsurf starting out with course racing then moving onto speed and slalom. Throughout my teenage years my weekends and holidays were filled with windsurfing, it was such great fun to travel with amazing friends to so many places and do a sport I loved. I gained to many amazing opportunities through racing, and you can do it how ever seriously you want. If you want to have fun and get on the water as much as possible I would highly recommend giving racing a go, if your competitive nature kicks in (like mine did!) and you want to take it further you can.' Amy Carter

Team 15 is a great RYA initiative to get those under the age of 15 onto the water and involved with racing http://www.rya.org.uk/programmes/team15/Pages/default.aspx

The UKWA is in charge of competitive windsurfing in the UK head to their website for all the info http://ukwindsurfing.com/  

other useful websites:

Follow Izzy on Twitter http://twitter.com/IzzyHamilton  

Bryony Shaw http://www.bryonyshaw.com/  

RS:X Class http://www.rsxclass.com/  

Meet the Skandia Team GBR http://www.rya.org.uk/supportcrew/meettheteam/Pages/default.aspx  

BREAKING NEWS!!! 

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