Exciting Coach & Event News For TT and Beyond

There is a lot to share about LISOT coaches and the many new events posted on lisot.org (especially the weekday and after school Team Trials clinics throughout April and weekends thereafter). We're also finalizing many of the summer clinic dates and locations - so check lisot.org often.

Coach News
Trevor and our amazing core coaching team of Olympian Amanda Clark and All-American Jeff Bonanni will be joined for Team Trials by another equally world renowned Opti coach, Argentinian Alejandro Solé.

Some may know Ale from his years coaching the United States National Optimist Team (USNT). He's been coaching Opti's for over 7 years and his impressive credentials include:

• Won the Opti Europeans, South Americans and Valentines Regatta (in the same year!)
• Coached at 5 South Americans and 2 Worlds
• Coached the USA, JPN and IRL national teams
• In 1999 started Optisailors.com, produced 2 Advanced Instructional DVDʼs and conducted many International Clinics

Ale arrives on April 24th and will be coaching the April 25-26 weekend practice in Darien, is available on Monday/Tuesday as desired, and then for all of Team Trials.

In early April while Amanda is coaching the US team at the Magic Marine Easter Regatta in Braassemermeer Holland, Trevor and Jeff will be joined April 4th thru 9th by another world-class South American coach Fran Bellocchio. Since Fran will be joining LISOT as a regular for the summer, this is a great opportunity to get to know him.

Fran's experience runs deep, including:

• South Americans (twice), Worlds, World team race team
• Argentinean Match Race and Team Race Championships
• Coached for: FAST (Newport), Canadian National Team, GUST, Sarasota Youth Sailing Program
• Fran also has deep experience in the I420, 29er and J-24 (went to worlds in each of these classes)
  
• And he worked for North Sails Argentina for a few years
  

After Team Trials
If you hadn't heard, congratulation is in order to Trevor and former LISOT head coach Erik Storck who made the 2009 US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics and are doing an Olympic campaign in the 49er class. As such, Trevor will be stepping down in June as LISOT's head coach after almost 2 years at the helm. We're thrilled to see two LISOT head coaches team up for the Olympics and wish them all the best.

Further congratulations to our Laser Radial coach, Clay Johnson, who also made the 2009 US Sailing Team Alphagraphics in the Laser.

We're equally thrilled to announce LISOT's new head coach will be Pepe Bettini. Pepe will take the helm in mid-June (including a mid-week clinic June 16-18 at Riverside YC). Pepe has been coaching many years, and like Ale and Fran, has amazing credentials, including:

• Head Coach, Team Argentina, South Americans
• Head Coach, Team Venezuela, Worlds
• Head Coach, Team Ecuador, South American
• Head Coach Netherlands National Team
• Coach, Team MOST, USA

Pepe will be joined by Fran for the summer, with Trevor coming back from Europe to join them for the Nationals week in California.

In addition, Amanda, Jeff, John Bainton, Karl Mittermyer, Ale Primavera and Brian Clancy (who coached LISOT last summer before heading off as assistant coach at the Naval Academy) will be coaching with Pepe and Fran based on their availability.

Don't forget to check the sign up list often on lisot.org - we're always adding events, regattas and clinics.