Credo Asset Finance have always been great supporters of local young talent, not just in the workplace, but in our local area.
Over the years we have sponsored local drivers in Motorsport, Tom Lebbon being one that we have continued to support since his early days in Karting and he is now racing in Formula 3 with a wonderful career ahead of him.
With our knowledge of sailing (being nicely based near the Norfolk Broads) we have been keen to support young talent in this sport and are delighted to announce that we will be sponsoring James Percival-Cooke from Norfolk who has his sights on the Olympics in 2028.
James gave us an insight into his journey so far..
“I started sailing at around the age of 6, on the Norfolk broads at a club called Wroxham Broad Yacht Club (NBYC). I was lucky enough that my Grandma bought me my first boat, an optimist, which I loved to sail whenever I could down at Wroxham. When I first started racing down at the club I hated it, mainly due to the fact I didn’t like to loose against my friends! However, I’m glad to say I grew out of that mindset fairly swiftly (enjoyed winning a lot more than the fear of loosing!) and started to compete at a regional and national level at the age of 13. I competed at my first optimist nationals at that age in 2014 where I remember constantly being at the back of the fleet wondering where I was going wrong (plenty of answers there!).
Nonetheless, that didn’t stop my determination and enjoyment for the sport and so the year after I qualified for my first national squad in the topper. The year after I moved into the laser 4.7 (now known as the ILCA 4), where I again qualified for the national squad before I gained too many kilos and had to move up into the Radial rig, and then the last jump into the standard rig (ILCA 7) a year later in 2018.
My first two years in the standard rig where tricky, balancing A-levels alongside sailing and not having qualified for the national squad stacked a lot of problems against me, pushing me to the point of giving up. However, as COVID hit the country in March 2020 (just as exams were approaching), it gave me the opportunity to train full time for the next year and a half down in Weymouth where I managed to qualify for the national squad in 2020/2021. Fast forward a year to summer 2021, I had to date my best career finish at the 2021ILCA 7(laser standard) Mens U21 World Championship where I finished 13th out of 140 competitors. This has meant that I have qualified for the RYA Olympic transition squad that is on the pathway to the 2028 and 2032 Olympics.
2021 Laser U21 European Championships- Tivat- Montenegro
At the moment I am living in Weymouth on a full time training programme at the age of 19, which starts with a block of training in Vilamoura (Portugal) before Christmas. The key events I will be competing in next year for the 2022 season is the ILCA 7 senior world championships, held in Mexico at the end of May. I also have the ILCA 7 European championships which are in Hyeres (France) at the end of the year. Its a long road ahead but my goal is inevitably medal at the 2028 or 2032 Olympics, along with annual goals such as finishing in the top half of the World and European Championships next year”.
We are delighted to be watching your journey closely James, and wish you every success for the 2022 season.
