Performance Award for Local Sailing Officer

Adam McGovern collecting his trophy

Adam McGovern, from Littleborough, received one of the first ever Royal Yachting Association (RYA) RS Sailing OnBoard Awards last week for outstanding performance in his role as OnBoard Development Officer for Manchester North at an awards ceremony held at the Rose Bowl, Southampton.

Adam who works at the Hollingworth Lake Activity Centre was awarded the ‘Performance Award’, recognising his efforts in developing sailing clubs and centres, involving and encouraging schools to take up the sport and motivating volunteers.

Adam, 25, oversees nine OnBoard sailing clubs in his area, providing young people aged eight to 18 with the opportunity to get into sailing and windsurfing.

In the last three years he has organised numerous fun filled OnBoard festivals for local youngsters and even invited nearby sailing clubs to bring more children along. This year his ‘themed’ events were a great success including the 8hr race, Bug day and fun end of season regatta.

As a dinghy coach Adam also organises instructor training when clubs need it, encouraging and running pre-season instructor days. He has helped to find funding for club boats and consequently Hollingworth Lake Sailing Club has now got six new boats.

Adam also regularly takes boats to local fairs and school assemblies and uses his imagination to ensure he creates the best and most suitable sessions to encourage school children to take up sailing.

Victoria Lenz, RYA OnBoard manager says: “The work done by the OnBoard Development Officers across the country is pivotal to the programme and we have introduced these awards to recognise all the hard work the team put in to making it such a success.

Adam is a dedicated and respected ODO who always goes out of his way to help his clubs and ensures he is available to support them. He goes the extra mile to inspire young people to get involved with sailing and windsurfing, many of whom remain permanent participants of the sport.”

The Performance Award was one of three awards presented; prizes were also awarded for Innovation and Commitment.

Run by sailing’s National Governing Body, the RYA, OnBoard is a highly successful industry supported grass roots programme which seeks to make sailing easier to get into for young people. Over a ten year period the programme aims to introduce a minimum of 500,000 children to sailing in the UK, converting over 10% of them into regular participants. So far it’s nicely on track.