BIG AIR AND BODY POSITIVITY | Lily May Young
Unknown to Lily May Young, her life was about to take a dramatic new direction after she entered an athlete recruitment initiative with British Kitesports. Looking for talent ahead of the 2024 Olympics, the National Governing Body sought out the highest-performing junior women in a drive for more female talent. 160 applications were originally made, and after several rounds athletes were cut down to a group of 5 that would constitute the official GB Kitesurfing team. One of the 5 was Young.
Originally, Young sailed and windsurfed to a high level, competing at the 2015 Youth World Championships in Poland. A self-proclaimed water-baby, the transition for Young came naturally despite a very physically demanding programme which required her to learn how to kite in a short period of time. Now she spends most of her time training with the goal of Olympic qualification, hitting speeds of up to 35 knots (40mph) .
“It didn’t matter that I changed sports” Lily explained. “For me, it was just competing and being on the water. Being outside is just something that I absolutely love.” Though her swift transition appears close to miraculous to the untrained eye, Young freely discusses how there are many challenges which she faces in the sport: “With reaching those top speeds come pretty big crashes which can hurt quite a lot [and] can make your days quite mentally challenging… You’ve got to push through that. But it’s days like those that make us do better.”
What is particularly exciting about kiting’s Olympic debut in 3 years-time is that it is going to be a mixed relay, with one male and one female representing each qualified nation as a singular team. In pursuit of a greater gender balance in the sports, the Olympics 2020 programme will offer 9 new mixed events in archery, judo, shooting, swimming, table tennis, the 4x400m relay, and triathlon. Though the exact course and format for kiting is yet to be formally confirmed, Young states that it is likely that the mixed gender relay will be the only kiting event, making it unique in comparison to the other sports the Olympics offers. This also means that the selection will be even tougher, with one spot for a female kiter and one spot for a male.
Young is highly supportive of kiting’s attitude to gender equality, describing the atmosphere as “relaxed” and “cohesive”. “There’s less of a divide between the males and the females” she explains, “We all race together quite often, which doesn’t really happen in sailing. Males and females will sail slightly smaller [kites and] we can – if we want to – use those exactly the same kites as the men” – ultimately, it is down to one’s preference of kite.
Following on from this, kiting is making leaps and bounds in term of securing fair play during the Olympics. In May, SurferToday reported that ‘kite manufacturers must provide detailed information (material, dimensions, weight, etc.) on the developing process to ensure that all athletes have access to the same equipment.’ The reason for this regulation is that the Olympics is trying to prevent an ‘arms race’ with custom-made kit, eliminating ‘technology doping’ and ensuring that the winner’s merit is based on their skill, not their fancy foils.
Introducing a mixed gender event also leads to more respect for one’s competitors Young tells AMG. Young and her teammates often race against and with each other irrespective of whether they are male or female. Due to their competitive nature, the team will fight tooth and nail to out-surf one another, however sex and gender are irrelevant factors. Though they may compete in binary categories, they are at the end of the day a single team. Young sums it up succinctly: “you’re still on the same course as them”.
In pursuit of gender equality in kiting and beyond, Young believes that part of the larger picture is redefining beauty standards in sport. From her perspective, championing women as strong and competitive athletes is the way forward. There is some inevitability that we want to look good Young explains, but how we view what ‘looking good’ is in sport is not a one-look-fits-all approach. Rather, we should appreciate athletic bodies and feel good about what they can achieve: “I have really strong shoulders and legs from weight training but I am happy with the way I look”. Many people are mortified by the thought of wearing a wetsuit and being in the cold, however it does not phase Young. In sport she finds it “super encouraging” that athletes can simultaneously look strong “and have a great time”, and she hopes that this is something she can promote as an elite athlete.