Great Ouse Primary Academy is celebrating as one of its pupils has been selected to represent Great Britain at the 2024 Irish Optimist National and Open Championships.
Rory Luddington, 11 years old, who currently attends the Bedford-based school, was previously selected for the East Optimist Regional Training Group (RTG) last winter after being recognised by the team coach as having the potential to progress within British Youth Sailing.
The winter training for this event was very intense and involved Rory working 8 hours a day, on both Saturdays and Sundays. The weekends involved a range of activities including a morning run, other fitness-related training, classroom-based theory sessions and lots of time on the water in extremely cold conditions.
All of this training built up to the International Optimist Class Association (IOCA) UK Spring Championships, held in March. Rory’s strong performance here has led to his selection for the upcoming Irish Optimist National & Open Championships. This event is to be held in August, at the Howth Yacht Club, in Dublin.
Rory has now met with his teammates and event coaches as he continues his preparation for the competition in Ireland. He will also be travelling to France to compete in the Coupe Internationale d’Été Optimist and also to Wales for the UK Optimist National & Open Championships.
Chris Payne, Headteacher at Great Ouse Primary Academy, said: “We are all incredibly proud of Rory’s selection for the Great Britain team at the upcoming Irish Optimist National & Open Championships. Rory showed superb commitment throughout his training and this achievement is a testament to his hard work and talent.”
“Our staff have also been brilliant in supporting Rory during his challenging training, in particular Mr Hammond, our PE teacher. He has provided Rory with valuable support that has allowed him to balance his school work alongside competing at an extremely high level. As Rory’s time here comes to an end, I would like to thank all staff that have helped him in his journey to becoming a confident and resilient individual.”
Well done Rory!
