Page 14 - Sept_Oct 2019

OLYMPICS HOPEFUL UPDATE
Our Olympic hopefuls were in high gear this summer. Here is a summer update on their journeys to Tokyo 2020.
TOM RAMSHAW - FINN
Having finished the first half of the 2019 sailing season, Tom begins preparation for the second half of the season in Toronto. The peak event this season is the 2019 Finn Gold Cup in December.
For the first time in over ten years Tom will spend two months in a row living and training in Toronto. As a Member at RCYC, he is really looking forward to spending most of that time sailing from the Island in both the Finn and other boats. It will be a great opportunity to connect with our Club community, especially the young sailors coming up behind him. This is always difficult for athletes competing at Tom’s level due to the travel demands required for high level training and competition.
Tom will be placing a heavy emphasis on building fitness during this extended stay in Toronto and to gain insight into tactics and strategy by racing other boats. Even international Olympic class sailors can get into herd-like
patterns that provide an opportunity for those who can see past them. If you don’t see him on the Island he will probably by at the City Clubhouse Fitness Centre doing weights, running, swimming, and cycling. To test his fitness he will do a 1⁄2 Iron Man in Whistler, B.C. at the end of July.
As all of you know, government funding in sport is simply not adequate to meet the demands of international competition. Tom is very excited to share that he has found an anonymous donor who has pledged to match up to $100,000 in donations to Tom’s program. This is the kind of support necessary for Tom to be in a position to win a medal in 2020. Your tax deductible donation will now go twice as far to bringing a medal back from Tokyo for the Club and the Nation.
To make a tax deductible donation that will be matched please go to https://www.windathletes.ca/athletes/ tom-ramshaw
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 • KWASIND
SAILING