- Eight candidates awarded placements with Inspire Career program, including two youth from Bermuda through the Inspire legacy program
- 32 racing candidates to demonstrate their skills racing the RS Feva and Waszp class boats on the F50 racecourse
Aarhus, DENMARK - August 16, 2021 - Youth activities ramp up in Aarhus for the fourth edition of SailGP’s Inspire Careers and Racing programs. The championship league’s community outreach initiative continues its mission to offer diversity and accessibility to the sport for 10,000 youth by 2025.
Season 2 has been filled with a number of opportunities through SailGP’s Inspire programs despite challenges presented by the global pandemic. The Inspire Careers and Racing programs have thrived, enabling both virtual and live participation across the two pathways for the first part of Season 2.
Heading into Denmark, eight career candidates will take part in courses covering areas such as sustainability, technical skills, content creation and photography; and 32 candidates will take to the waters of Aarhus Bay to demonstrate their sailing abilities through the racing program.
Inspire Careers Candidates
By providing pathways to careers within the sport of sailing, SailGP’s Inspire program creates opportunities for young people to gain knowledge and experience that may otherwise be inaccessible, undiscovered, or overlooked. With an extensive list of roles to be maintained, tapping into young people provides an incredible talent pool for the future and enables the sport to grow seamlessly.
Local Danish youth participating in the careers program include: Annika Borchert for Best Practice Event Recycling Waste Management; Rebecca Belmer for Technical - Ropes and Rigging; Kasper Juhl for Technical - Wing department; and Jakoba Haga for Technical - On Water Operations; Wiktoria Ossowska for Photography.
Bermudian youth joining the careers pathway as part of the Inspire legacy program include: Dontae Butterfield and Matthew Stephens for Content Creation work experiences.
Bermudian candidate Dontae Butterfield said: “I’m so happy to have been selected to go to Aarhus. I just love the way it’s structured; the architecture, the roads, the cycling, just the traveling alone has me blown away. I’m really looking forward to taking part in the experience and supporting the content team. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I hope to make it a twice in a lifetime experience!”
Inspire Racing Candidates
Aarhus Bay promises to excite spectators during the race weekend with the future of sail racing as 16 candidates - paired as male and female - in RS Feva boats, and an additional 16 candidates in WASZP foiling boats take to the water ahead of the high-speed action being delivered by SailGP F50 catamarans.
Eight sailing clubs in the Aarhus area nominated two young members to represent their respective club in the RS Feva class during the inaugural ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix. The pairs of young male and female talent includes: Tobias Sendergaard and Isabella Hegermann for Horsens Sejlklub; Magnus Johannes Lund and Mie Kjelstrom Bruhn for Ega Sejlklub; Tea Eloise Solvang Frandsen and Jonathan Printz for Aarhus Sejlklub; Jonatan Lykke Grimsaeth and Sylvester Aaby Andresen for Kalovig Badelaug; Agnete Mogensen and Josephine Printz for Marselisborg Sejlklub; Gabriel Roer Paysen Rosenskjold and Maja Straarup Jensen for Hou Sejlklub; Kirstine Vestergaard Olsen and Andreas Lundgaard Skov Kristiansen for Sejlklubben Bugten; and Line Kjelstrom Bruhn and Emil Boie Jensen for Arhus Windsurfing Klub.
These young sailors have been nominated in partnership with the club and RS Feva Class in Denmark. They are the rising stars of our sport not just for their results but for their dedication to the promotion of the sport of sailing. They will be racing on the SailGP Racecourse, meeting the teams and taking stage in the event village. This is a life changing experience for these sailors!
The WASZP class of racing has seen an increase in interest among young sailors, especially since its introduction to the SailGP Racing program. Candidates for the ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix event range from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, and Poland who will converge on Aarhus Bay to put on a spectacle for family, friends and sailing fans alike.
Representing Denmark will be Malthe Ebdrup, Magnus Frohmann, Frederik Fomsgaard, Maja Klevelund, Signe Visby Svendsen, Agnes Agersten, Katja Visby Svendsen, Magnus Overbeck, and Lennart M. Frohmann. From Sweden are Oscar Andersson and Olle Aronsson; from Norway are Mathilde Robertstad and Marie Butler Wang; from Netherlands, Suzanna Lap; from Germany, Leo Maechler; and from Poland, Lukasz Machowski.
Inspire Racing WASZP candidate Magnus Overbeck said: “This is a great opportunity to show off my foiling skills right in front of those that inspire me to push the boundaries and learn more every day out on the water. Foiling is the future of this sport and the skills that we all build now on our WASZPs are those that will one day make us attractive material for the next SailGP team lineup.
“The Inspire Racing program also gives us some amazing access to the race village and the team bases so that we can get some great behind the scenes insights into the F50s and the teams in general. I know for sure that me and the other guys and girls participating are super stoked to have this opportunity!'
The ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix takes place this Friday and Saturday at the newly developed Aarhus O harborfront. Complete event details, including ticket sales, can be found at SailGP.com/Denmark. For those unable to attend, the broadcast can be followed across 175 territories including TV2 in Denmark, and live on SailGP’s YouTube channel. The award-winning SailGP APP can be downloaded - App Store and Google Play - giving the ultimate viewing experience with full customization, access to data, and live commentary. To buy tickets and access full event details, visit SailGP.com/Denmark.
