December 26, 2019
Two years were not in vain
In St. Petersburg, in a wonderful friendly atmosphere, the reporting and election meeting of the Russian SB20 Class Association was held.
Not only Petersburgers came to the meeting, but also several crews from Moscow, which was especially nice. The ability to make such events more popular is an indicator of the crew’s interest and involvement in the life of the Association. And the ongoing work is not in vain.
As part of the meeting, Ivan Gromov reported on the work done, successes in the development and popularization of the SB20 Association over the past 2 years, and also spoke about plans for the near future.
Summing up the past two years, Ivan Gromov emphasized: “The first and main task that we set for ourselves was to keep the number of acting crews in the classroom. Not sleeping. That is, those who regularly participate in our competitions. Now we have 57 boats constantly appearing, which is three more than before. This is a very important breakthrough for us, especially considering the seasonality of our sport. ”
Complementing the words of the president of the Association, we say that in 2019 more than 30 official events were held, 257 people took part in the races for the season, and the number of active active members of the Association reached 100, and we hope that these figures will grow.
For two years, the percentage of professional athletes has grown – at the main competition of the year – the championship of Russia – the number of amateur crews fell to 12%. “This suggests that we are developing, and the average level of the class has grown,” said Ivan Gromov.
These positive trends are largely due to the formation of a high-quality coaching staff, the regular invitation of foreign athletes, including professional Hugo Rocha, who comes with his team several times a year and holds very effective workshops.
“We have provided a high-quality material and technical base – we have our own RIBs, buoys, we have all the equipment we need to conduct competitions at the highest level. We are actively attracting professional photographers and videographers. This allows us to analyze controversial, from the point of view of refereeing, situations, which is very important, and also allows you to make beautiful videos to popularize both the SB20 class itself and sailing in general, ”commented Gromov.
Of the pleasant innovations in the coming 2020 – the return of the away stage of the Cup of Russia, this time the racers will go to the Sverdlovsk region on Lake Tavatuy. It will be a race with a change. Participating yachtsmen only need to arrive at the place.
A very important step, partly a breakthrough of the past two years: at least 4 crews regularly get into the top 10 at international competitions, and, moreover, occupy the first – second places. The European subdivisions of the Association look with great respect at the SB20 Russian Association.
In 2021, from June 21 to 27, a very important and significant event is expected in St. Petersburg – the European Championship in the SB20 class. Ivan Gromov said:
“Our daily work is now aimed at working out all the nuances of holding such an important international competition on the territory of St. Petersburg. We want to hold it at the highest level. Some of the participants will come to us from Singapore and we must provide the most simple and understandable transportation of ships. A very important achievement for us – St. Petersburg was in one of the three capitals where the electronic visa is being tested. This type of visa applies specifically to athletes and was made for them. We are active participants in this project and thanks, in particular, to our work, our city was included in this list. We are actively working on a cultural program for our guests. We are negotiating with museum sites. We are doing everything possible to not only adequately hold the championship itself, but also to show our city and country from the best side! ”
111 December 26, 2019 # 9786
Chief Editor
