Evie Haseldine out to create waves in SailGP, America’s Cup and Olympics
She’s the Sydney schoolgirl out to create big waves in a male dominated sport with big dreams of competing on the world’s biggest sporting stages.
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Someone once told Evie Haseldine to dream big – and she has.
The Sydney teenager has a lengthy, detailed and ambitious plan for her sailing future including being the first female Australia to race in the America’s Cup and the first to compete in the SailGP series for Australia.
Now the 16-year-old has been invited to join other top young sailors in a competition which is running alongside the Sydney opener of the Sail GP series being raced by some of the world’s leading foiling sailors on Sydney Harbour on February 28 and 29.
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“This is so exciting. It’s pretty cool that I am one of the four girls chosen for the WASZP,’’ Haseldine said.
“These are exciting boats and to just be around some of the best in the world will be inspiring. I can’t wait.’’
Haseldine, who attends school at Meriden at Strathfield and races out of the Drummoyne Sailing Club, will benefit from the experience of rubbing shoulders with the likes of multiple Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie from the UK, Japanese skipper and former Australian Olympic gold medallist Nathan Outteridge and the Australian team headed by America's’ Cup winner Tom Slingsby.
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“The goal is to be sailing there (on the SailGP circuit) one day,” Haseldine said.
“It is one of the things I have written down as my dream … to sail in the Sail GP and then future America’s Cups.’’
No female has made the cut for teams racing the 2020 SailGP series with French Olympic and round the world sailor Marie Riou the only one competing in the 2019 event.
Also on Haseldine’s hit list is an Olympic Games in either the mixed Nacra 17 class or the all female 49erFX boat.
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Haseldine recently won a silver medal at the Australian youth 29er champions and is a former Nacra 15 champion with old crewmate Will Cooley, who is also part of the new competition.
“I’m in the NSW Institute of Sport and the one thing that gives me a bit of an advantage is I am taller and stronger than most girls my age,’’ said 178cm Haseldine.
“I can’t just focus on sailing with school this year but I’m trying to make them coexist.’’
The Inspire GP program will see Haseldine and other up-and-coming sailors from around the region facing off in a sailing competition involving foiling WASZPs and RS Cat 14s boats from February 25.