Interview with Matty O’Dowd in Laser Radial Class
Irish Representative at the ISAF Youth Worlds in Istanbul in July 2010
Matty, are you looking forward to the Worlds?
Yeah, very much so..I am travelling on Saturday to meet up with my coach and a training partner to get a full week at the venue before the Laser event starts.
Who will you be working with?
I have done a lot of training in NewZealand and have raced and trained with Sam Meech who is the 2009 Radial world champion at the ISAF youth worlds in Brasil..Sam is overage for 2010 .New Zealand will be represented by Thomas Sanders who is a very smart sailor and is very probably going to win a medal in Istanbul.I have also raced and trained a lot with Thomas and we are going go work together next week.
How do you rate with them?
My coaches tell me I am up to speed with them both.
And who are your coaches?
My coach for the event is Arthur Brett from Australia. Arthur is the coach to Tom Slingsby ,the Australian world champion in 2007 and again in 2008 in full rig Laser .
For the last couple of years ,I have been working in particular with Ian Neely from New Zealand.Ian has coached world champions in 420 boys and girls as well as Olympic sailors .
He will also be at the event coaching the New Zealand team.
What did you have to do to get selected?
I am the current Laser Radial Irish youth champion and also Irish Open champion.
I have won 7 of my last 8 Irish events including youth trials at Schull,and in Dublin .I won a Europa Cup in Denmark last year at both youth and Open level in my first Europa Cup event.
Do you have favourite sailing conditions?
Well, I like a big breeze, especially for the downwind, catching waves and surfing. A lot of the guys that I sailed against in Aukland are very keen surfers. That is their thing so when they head out in the Radials,many of them are going for the thrill of the heavy air downwind.they are very good at it.So, I have joined in the fun and that has developed my wave catching and surfing skills.
Would that mean you are less comfortable in the lighter stuff ?
No, as it happens, I quite like light downwinds too.
Basically,I have 2 performance approaches
For light airs, That is to be smart and to work a lot with my head, then ,for Breezy conditions,I set up the boat for hard hiking and for speed.
Have you done all the preparations you would have liked to do for the Worlds ?
I have put in 2 solid years work.I have the benefit of having represented Ireland also last year at the ISAF youth worlds in Brasil.I particularly wanted to do a grade 1 full rig Laser event leading into the Worlds and I have done that this year.I am just back from Kiel Week where I competed in the full rig event against the Laser hotshots who are full time on the circuit.I like this as a lead in to the radial worlds.
Also,being in Istanbul for a whole week with Arthur Brett will be great,getting used to the conditions, the seas,the winds and the wind bends. This is also necessary for acclimatisation.,the heat,the food and so on.
Where will you stay?
All the competitors stay in the same hotel complex.There are up to 60 nations represented and that will be about the number in the Laser event
What else will you do this year?
I go to Largs in Scotland immediately after the worlds to do the Laser Radial Open Worlds.then I take a holiday with my friends . I am really looking forward to that ,I have been working solid for 2 years.
What future plans have you got for sailing?
I want to do the Laser full rig.I really enjoyed being with those guys in Kiel.I intend to train to win in Lasers .
Will you be challenging for Weymouth and the London Olympics?
The leaving cert comes first, after that,I am keen to be as good as I can in Lasers. If that makes me a contender and I were selected,then Of course that would be great.
What about school?
Blackrock have been very supportive of me and have permitted me 3 weeks in New Zealand and some Thursdays and Fridays off to get to some foreign events. But next year ,it will be different and I will be working hard for my leaving cert.
Do you do other sports?
Yes, I like rugby and made the JCT for Blackrock. I am out of practice now but would like to give the SCT a crack next year.
How has the RSGYC helped you?
The YSS scheme at the George is really brilliant, it's the best club support scheme I know .There is something a bit like it in Croatia where sailing is tops and yacht clubs pay for campaigning and coaching.
The YSS helps with funding and coaching . It is also a manager.this is so helpful. I tell them what events and training camps I want to do. The YSS will help find coaches and accommodation.For instance,I was looking for John Emmett from the UK to come over here as a training partner and the YSS got him over and paid for his costs.
Johnny Ross Murphy is the director and I present him with my plans . He will give an opinion on the good and the bad of it .I take his advice and I have found it to be really good advice.
What advice would you give to someone starting out with the YSS?
Organisation is the biggest thing in a sailing campaign..... Having a plan and sticking to it. The YSS is very good at this and telling you what to do and as important,what not to do.
Going into sailing without a plan, you will get nothing from it.
Also going on the water to train without a plan,,I will always have something to focus on .And work on..maybe hiking,mark rounding,working on feel for the boat,I spend a lot of time on feel of the bost.
Obviously ,it is best to train with other boats around.
What about fitness?
Hiking fitness is big thing in the Laser. You can be hiking for 10 to 12 minutes solid so a lot of leg and abdomen work in the gym.Starting out ,we do a lot of bike work for cardiofitness as well as developing aerobic fitness.I do 15 minutes of flexibility work every night. This also helps to prevent injuries.
Back to the ISAF Youth Worlds..what sort of conditions do you expect?
Breezy ! Istanbul is known as the 'city of the wind' . While the official view forecast is for around 12 knots , all my Laser contacts tell me that it will be up to 20 knots.
What are the racing plans?
We do 6 days racing with either 2 or 3 races every day and with one lay day in the middle. The course will be beat,reach,run,beat,run,reach to the finish and a race will typically last about 50 minutes. Laser racing is from 11 th to 17 th of July.
Matty.. What is your goal for Istanbul?
I am going there to medal. That is what I have trained for, Ben Ainsley famously once said " if you are not going there to win, you are going as a tourist"
Final word ?
Yes.. I would like to thank the RSGYC members, the YSS, and in particular Johnny Ross ,the boatmen and club staff for the tremendous support they have given me throughout my campaign.
