Elise's Olympic dream in full sail after selection

SOLE SAILOR: The only female New Zealand sailor selected for the first Youth Olympics, Elise Beavis, left, with Jordan McKenzie Brown, a fellow Kiwi who competed in Cannes but missed selection. Beavis has also been invited to be the female Olympic torch bearer on Monday, August 2, at the official Auckland reception.

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ELISE Beavis, 16, of Dairy Flat has been selected to represent New Zealand in sailing at the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore next month.

The only New Zealand female sailor selected, Beavis qualified by placing seventh in the world championships in Cannes, France, sailing a boat not used here. She also racked up a strong season in the Starling – the single-handed boat New Zealand sailors move on to after Optimist and P classes.

Of the 10 major national regattas held during the sailing season, Beavis was the first girl home in all but two.

Late last year she was approached by Yachting New Zealand and advised she had been nominated by the selectors as a possible contender to represent New Zealand at the inaugural Youth Olympics.

"I was very excited to be offered such a wonderful opportunity," she says.

A student at Kristin School in Albany, Beavis started Learn to Sail at Murrays Bay Sailing Club five years ago, having first had a couple of sails after school with Janet Watson of the Takapuna Sailing Club.

Beavis wasn't particularly successful sailing an Optimist, but loved it and has enjoyed the company of other teens on the race course who challenge and support each other.

But the biggest challenge was that the class of boat to be used in the Youth Olympic Games – the Byte C11 – is not sailed in New Zealand.

Her parents managed to charter one that Kiwi Yachting had imported – one of only five in the country.

Sailing five days a week is possible because Beavis is still ahead of her peers academically, having completed three NCEA papers a year early. Andrew Murdoch, who was fifth in the Laser class at the 2008 Olympics, will be her coach.

"I would like to follow in the footsteps of past Murrays Bay Sailing Club members such as Dean Barker and Chris Dickson competing at the highest levels and being a great ambassador for sailing and New Zealand," she says.

More than 3000 athletes will contest events in 26 disciplines at the Youth Olympic Games from August 14-26. The Youth Sail Trust, set up help young sailors, has provided support, along with Mike Pascoe of www.NZ sailing.net.

For more information on the Youth Olympics, go online to the website www.singapore2010.sg/public/sg2010/en.html.

- © Fairfax NZ News