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Blog submitted by Laszlo Drummond, Rooster Rider
Going into the GB Team Selection Trials, I felt confident. The forecast looked good, with strong breeze conditions that I knew suited me well. Even so, sitting on the start line before the first race, I was nervous — but mostly excited. This was what I had worked for all year.
Day One — Strong Start
Race one started exactly how I’d hoped. I got a great start, managed to stay clear, and finished second. I backed that up with a 4th and then a win in the final race of the day, which meant I ended Day One leading the regatta in first position.
It felt amazing, but I also knew selection weeks are long and anything can happen.
Day Two — Things Started Falling Apart
The first race of Day Two was okay. I finished 10th after dealing with both a yellow flag, penalty turns and losing 6 places
Then came the second race.
I was over the line at the start and received a BFD (Black Flag Disqualification). That immediately took away my discard and completely changed the scoreboard for me.
In the final race that day, the wind died. I got trapped out to the right-hand side of the course and couldn’t recover, finishing 34th. That race was hard to handle. Carrying a 34 at a selection event is brutal, and suddenly I’d gone from leading the event to feeling like I had let myself down with unnecessary mistakes.
Day Three — Another Black Flag
Coming into Day Three, I knew I had to reset mentally and sail smart, most importantly not to push the line too hard. I tried to come in with an open mindset, knowing I needed strong races.
But I pushed the line too hard again and got another black flag. I dont mind admitting that this was extremely emotional for me, I had minutes to pull myself together for the 3rd race. I managed it, gave everything I had a came first, another bullet.
Still, at that point, most people probably thought my Worlds campaign was over.
Honestly, statistically, it almost was.
Carrying two black flags at a GB selection event and still making the Worlds Team was close to impossible. We worked out afterwards that my chances of recovering into the top five were tiny — almost non-existent. I was lying 12th overall and 56 points behind 5th place going into the final day.
But I also knew the forecast for the last day was my kind of conditions: strong wind, where strategy, and confidence mattered.
Final Day — Clawback
Going into the final day, I knew exactly what I had to do.
Top-five finishes weren’t enough anymore. I basically needed to win everything.
The first race of the day went perfectly. I got off the line cleanly, sailed fast, and won the race. That gave me confidence immediately but I still had a mountain to climb.
In the second race, I had another good start and led the race from the beginning all the way to the finish — another win.
Suddenly the impossible started feeling possible.
By the final race, the maths were simple: I needed to beat the sailor ahead of me by enough points to guarantee my Worlds Team spot.
I went all in.
I won the final race too.
Four straight race wins under pressure to secure my place on the British Team heading to the World Championships.
Lessons From the Week
What I’ll probably remember most from this event isn’t actually the result — it’s the mindset.
It’s easy to feel confident when things are going well. It’s much harder when everything starts going wrong.
Carrying two black flags could have ended my week mentally. But instead, I tried to stay calm, reset each day, and trust my speed and training.
One thing I’m proud of is that the comeback was significantly done by gathering my spirits and focus, not letting my emotions after the second black flag get the better of me, continuing to race as hard as I could, but without unnecessary risks, I That felt pretty special.
The Team Around Me
This result also definitely didn’t happen alone.
I’m hugely grateful to everyone supporting me — my coach David, my family, my sponsor Rooster, and everyone who’s backed me through the hard years as well as the good ones.
So to now be representing Great Britain at World Championship level for a second year means everything, it's my last year in the Optimist Class.
Massive thanks to Rooster for supporting me throughout the journey. I’m incredibly proud to wear the kit and represent a brand that genuinely understands sailors and performance.
Now… bring on Morocco.
