Finn Hawkins CO21
Future Olympics 2024 Windsurfing champion
For Finn’s 10th birthday he went sailing, and saw windsurfers having fun in and around the boats. After begging his dad to give him some equipment, it wasn’t long before he was out learning and training on the water at Porthpean. Finn explained that progression in windsurfing in the beginning is really slow, but before long he started in Team15, a windsurfing club for under-16s where he was able to train with the professionals. Finn attended Truro School from 2014 to 2021, and told us that Wednesday Afternoon Activities also provided an opportunity to enjoy windsurfing at Loe Beach. He explained how all his training and the sessions at school combined to help his progression to a zone squad, and then to the national team, which involves travelling around the country. Finn soon took part in his first international event, when he was just 12 years old, in Brest,
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France. He told us he didn’t too well, and only sailed the right course twice during the whole event: “I had no idea what was going on!”. Finn explained that his mum took him to this particular event, with her driving all the way and then ensuring he was prepared enough. He told us that, as soon as you get on the circuit, you can take part in European and world championships every year. This meant that during the school term he would train every single weekend. Did you enjoy your time at school? “School was really, really good. The school was so supportive. The biggest thing for me is they knew I had to take time out of school to train, and they were really good at making sure I didn’t miss out and really helped minimize the impact it would have on my schooling. You’re always going to fall a little bit behind when you’re training or abroad.”
