Buddy Melges Racing Team
The Buddy Melges Racing Team promotes high end, competitive youth sailing at the local, regional, national and international levels.
The Buddy Melges Racing Team offers practices and regatta support for all sailors in the area, who are interested in extending their season past summer months and venture out of the Midwest to compete at national and international regattas. This year the season will start on August 21-22 weekend, practices will be held until November, with the exception of Labor Day weekend and during scheduled regattas.
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Optimist Class schedule
2021 August 28-29 Opening Weekend Practice September 10-12 GREAT LAKES CHAMPIONSHIP, Sail Sheboygan, Sheboygan WI October 8-11, OPTIMIST SOUTHEAST CHAMPIONSHIP, Mount Pleasant, SC November 25-28, MIDWINTES (SPRING TEAM QUALIFIER), New Orleans, LA December 26-30, ORANGEBOWL REGATTA, Coral Reef Yacht Club, Miami, FL 2022 January TBD TEAM RACE MIDWINTERS February TBD, VALENTINE’S DAY REGATTA, St. Petersburg, FL March 4-6, SUNSHINE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP, USSCMC, Jensen Beach, FL April TBD First Spring Practice April 9-17 40TH LAKE GARDA MEETING, Riva del Garda, Italy May 1-8 NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS, TBD |
Lasers Class Schedule
2021 August 21-22, Opening Weekend Practice September 25-26, D20 CHAMPIONSHIP, Corinthian Yacht Club, Chicago, IL October 16-17, OKTOBERFEST, Lake Geneva, WI November 6-7, KEY BISCAYNE FALL SERIES, Key Biscayne, FL December 4-6, D13 CHAMPIONSHIPS, Florida Yacht Club, Jacksonville, FL December 26-30, ORANGEBOWL REGATTA, Coral Reef Yacht Club, Miami, FL 2022 February TBD, VALENTINE’S DAY REGATTA, St. Petersburg, FL February 18-21, MIDWINTERS EAST, TBD, FL March 26-27, MIAMI YOUTH SAILING WEEK, Miami, FL |
MAREK VALASEK BMRT HEAD COACH
The presence of our off-season Buddy Melges Racing Team, combined with the new building housing the Lake Geneva Yacht Club and Geneva Lake Sailing School, provided us the infrastructure necessary to attract top talent to lead our program. Marek Valasek joined us in January of 2017 with a resume and a coaching ability that we welcomed with enthusiasm.
Marek Valasek arrived at the Geneva Lake Sailing School having been a sailing director and professional coach for over fifteen years. In 2016, Marek’s high school team won the ISSA Mallory Trophy and placed 4th at the ISSA Baker Cup. Valasek coached the U.S. National Team at the Optimist World Championships (2015) and the Optimist Asian Championships (2016). He has consistently coached Optimist sailors to top finishes -2nd Place (2016 USODA Team Trials), 2nd Place (2011 USODA National Championships), 1st Place (2010 & 2011 USODA Team Trials).
An accomplished sailor, Marek won multiple national titles in Optimist, Laser and Finn classes and represented Slovakia in the at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Marek Valasek arrived at the Geneva Lake Sailing School having been a sailing director and professional coach for over fifteen years. In 2016, Marek’s high school team won the ISSA Mallory Trophy and placed 4th at the ISSA Baker Cup. Valasek coached the U.S. National Team at the Optimist World Championships (2015) and the Optimist Asian Championships (2016). He has consistently coached Optimist sailors to top finishes -2nd Place (2016 USODA Team Trials), 2nd Place (2011 USODA National Championships), 1st Place (2010 & 2011 USODA Team Trials).
An accomplished sailor, Marek won multiple national titles in Optimist, Laser and Finn classes and represented Slovakia in the at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
BRI PORTER LASER HEAD COACH
Bri is a professional Sailor racing Melges 24s and 20s, J 70s, and TP 52s. He was recently training with the stars and stripes America's Cup team in foiling GC 32s. Bri has been racing scows his whole life and has won multiple inland and national championships. His career starter out racing X boats then he moved onto lasers and 420s which Bri sailed through out high school winning many local events.
CHARLIE ALLEN OPTIMIST COACH
Charlie Allen is one of the most successful sailors in the Inland Lakes Junior Classes in recent years. In 2019 he won the Optimist Inlands and finished second in the X Boat Junior Championship. Charlie improved his X Boat resume by winning the 2019 X Boat Blue Chip and 2020 Senior Inland Championship. He also competes in E scow, Laser and is a member of his High School Sailing Team.
Charlie sailed Optimists with BMRT since 2017 and became a member of the National Team in 2018. He represented USA at the Nieuwpoortweek Regatta in Belgium in 2018 and at the Lake Garda Optimist Meeting in Riva del Garda, Italy, in 2019.
Charlie sailed Optimists with BMRT since 2017 and became a member of the National Team in 2018. He represented USA at the Nieuwpoortweek Regatta in Belgium in 2018 and at the Lake Garda Optimist Meeting in Riva del Garda, Italy, in 2019.
In September of 2016, the Geneva Lake Sailing School launched the Buddy Melges Racing Team. Harnessing the history and legend of our patron, this Racing Team seeks to introduce young sailors to regional, national and international competitions. After focusing on development of new generation of champions in the Optimist class we are now expanding in the Laser Radials as well.
BMRT offers the opportunity to continue sailing past the summer months. Once the Sailing School programs are over; we organize regular weekend practices all the way through Halloween and participate in major National and International events throughout the winter. We then resume training on Lake Geneva in early April to get ready for a successful Summer Season. Additional time on the water, and practice with the Buddy Melges Racing Team has a proven track record of allowing our sailors to be top performers at ILYA regattas in both Optimists and X Boats and represent the region at national and international regattas as well. In 2019 our sailors swept the podium in the Optimist Class at the Dinghy Fest and Inland Championships, they won the X Boats at Dinghy fest and Inland Senior fleet and finished second in the Junior competition. Our alumni won the US Youth Championships and North Americans in the Laser Radial class and won bronze in the US Youth Championship in the International 420 class.
On top of sailing skills, we are highly focused on conditioning and nutrition to help our sailors become better athletes and competitors. We also strive to develop our youth through building confidence and self-esteem, independent decision making and respect for others.
BMRT offers the opportunity to continue sailing past the summer months. Once the Sailing School programs are over; we organize regular weekend practices all the way through Halloween and participate in major National and International events throughout the winter. We then resume training on Lake Geneva in early April to get ready for a successful Summer Season. Additional time on the water, and practice with the Buddy Melges Racing Team has a proven track record of allowing our sailors to be top performers at ILYA regattas in both Optimists and X Boats and represent the region at national and international regattas as well. In 2019 our sailors swept the podium in the Optimist Class at the Dinghy Fest and Inland Championships, they won the X Boats at Dinghy fest and Inland Senior fleet and finished second in the Junior competition. Our alumni won the US Youth Championships and North Americans in the Laser Radial class and won bronze in the US Youth Championship in the International 420 class.
On top of sailing skills, we are highly focused on conditioning and nutrition to help our sailors become better athletes and competitors. We also strive to develop our youth through building confidence and self-esteem, independent decision making and respect for others.