Louis Schofield has been riding waves of success for some time now.
The 17-year-old is a rising star of the national sailing scene, having already represented Australia at a junior level.
Schofield competed at the Cadet World Championships in Weymouth, England, in 2014 as the youngest skipper of an Australian squad.
Since then, the Williamstown resident has made the jump from the cadets division to the 29er class of boat.
Despite the shift, Schofield has lost none of his competitive edge.
“My future goal is to represent Australia at the Olympics,” Schofield said. “Moving on to the 29er, that is the next step towards that ultimate goal.
“The 29er is the youth class of the 49er, which is the Olympic class,” he said.
“The plan is to get good on the 29er then get good on the 49er. I just need to keep taking steps.”
Schofield’s results since making the move in class include three wins at the Mordialloc Regatta and a fourth place at the New South Wales Youth Championships.
All indications were a big win was coming, and that arrived last month. Schofield, with partner Tom Alexander, claimed gold at the Victorian State Championships.
“We were in second place for most of the regatta,” Schofield said. “The last day of the regatta was a bit more windy.
“That was when we were able to get in front.
“We were competing against a team from Tasmania and they couldn’t keep up with us, which was nice to see after sailing behind them for most of the regatta.
“We were really happy to jump in front of them at the end.”
Following the win, Schofield is now in contention to be picked for the Australian squad going to the Youth World Championships in Holland later this year.
In the meantime, he has already turned his attention to this month’s Victorian Youth Championships.
For his outstanding sporting achievements, Schofield is the monthly nominee for the Don Deeble Rising Star Award.
The award is run by the Sunshine Western Region Sports Club in conjunction with
Star Weekly.
Schofield will receive $1000 donated by the Yarraville Club Cricket Club and other prizes to assist in his future sporting goals.
The Don Deeble Rising Star Award recognises young athletes in the western suburbs who have achieved outstanding results at a state and national level.
To nominate someone for the Don Deeble Rising Star Award email ltwomey@starweekly.com.au
