Clinic Now Full

WE ARE NOW ONCE AGAIN FULL. CLINIC TOTALLY CLOSED.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR SUCH A FANTASTIC RESPONSE.

Due to a last minute cancellation, we now have one spot available (as of Dec 28). Contact one of the Clinic organizers if you want to be a part of our world class event.

Orestes Reyes our 8th and final coach

Orestes Reyes has been contracted to be the final coach for the Clinic. We are very happy to have Orestes join our international team of top-level coaches. Orestes' background is as following:

Canada National coach Optimist Worlds 2006,2007,2008
Peru Worlds Coach 2004
YCA Head Coach (1993- )
GUST Sailing Team Head Coach (New York) 2006
Southern YC New Orleans Head Coach, 2008
Conducted several clinics in Canada, USA, Trinidad & Tobago, Bermuda, and Peru.
Has attended 15 IODA events including 6 South Americans, 3 North Americans, 2 Europeans,4 Worlds

Welcome Orestes !

Two more coaches join as Clinic Coaches

Clinic organizers have today signed up two more coaches for Diego's High Performance Clinic. They are Riley Dean from New Zealand and Jefri Ismail from Singapore.

Jefri Ismail is The National Coach of Singapore in charge of the National Optimist A Squad. More information about Jefri will come shortly.

Riley Dean's sailing CV is as follows:

New Zealand Development team (optimist) Noumea
Head coach Kohimarama Auckland yacht club
New Zealand Worlds Team (optimist) Noumea
New Zealand North Americans Team (optimist) Curacao
Yachting New Zealand Regatta Race coach
New Zealand Optimist coach

Jefri Ismail sailing CV as follows:

Full time coach with Singapore Sailing (2005 - present)
Singapore Optimist Development Coach (2003 - 2005)
Singapore Optimist National Coach (2006 - present)

Coach for Singapore Team at:
2007 ASEAN Championships
2007 ITC Clinic France
2008 Asian Sailing Championships

Manager for Singapore Team at:
2006 South Americans
2007 South Americans
2007 Worlds
2008 North Americans
2008 Worlds

We are very happy to have signed up another two internationally renowned coaches, and we are certain that these two coaches will strengthen our existing coaching team.

We are still working to sign up one more coach for the clinic, bringing the total number of coaches to eight.

Revised Program

We have revised the Clinic Program in order to facilitate more on the water training. The Presidents' Cup Regatta on Day 3 and Day 4 of the Clinic will have a race start of 2 PM with 4 back to back races in the afternoons. NOR to be distributed shortly.

Since most sailors are not staying at the Clinic, we have also changed the time of debrief so the that Clinic ends at 6PM every day.

January 1st

15.00 – 17.00 Allocation of boats (early arrivals)
18.00 - 20.00 Welcome and introduction briefing for early arrivals

Accommodation available. No meals provided on Monday night.

January 2nd

07.30 - 08.00 Boat Allocation for late arrivals
08.00 – 08.30 Breakfast
08.30 – 12.00 Welcome Briefing and session on the water
12.00 – 13.30 Break
13.30 – 17.00 Briefing and session on the water
17.00 - 18.00 Afternoon tea and Debrief
18.30 Dinner for sailors staying overnight at Clinic
(Time TBA) - Olimpic Gold Medalist Elise Rechichi speaks at the Clinic.

January 3rd

07.30 – 08.00 Morning exercise
08.00 – 08.30 Breakfast
08.30 – 12.00 Briefing and session on the water
12.00 – 13.30 Break
13.30 – 17.00 Briefing and session on the water
17.00 - 18.00 Afternoon tea and Debrief
18.30 Dinner for sailors staying overnight at Clinic
21.30 Quiet

January 4th and 5th

07.30 – 08.00 Morning exercise
08.00 – 08.30 Breakfast
08.30 – 12.00 Briefing and session on the water
12.00 – 13.30 Break
14.00 – 17.00 Presidents Cup - Day 1
17.00 - 18.00 Afternoon tea and Debrief
18.30 Dinner for sailors staying at the clinic
21.30 Quiet

We are evaluating the possibilities of arranging a barbeque on the evening of December 5th. More information to follow.


January 6th
07.30 – 08.00 Breakfast
08.00 – 12.00 Briefing and Teams Racing
12.00 – 13.30 Break
13.30 – 16.00 Fun on the Water
16.30 End

Olympic Gold Medallist Elise Rechichi Guest Speaker At The Clinic

RED HOT NEWS

Olympic Gold Medallist Elise Rechichi Will Be Our Guest Speaker At The Clinic

Read All About Elise’s Amazing Journey ………


Elise grew up in Perth, sailing Optimists on the Swan River, with a dream to represent Australia at the Olympic Games. In 1997, at just 11 years old, she attended her first international competition - an Optimist regatta in Japan. By 2004 she had won four World Championships including the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship, the 420 World Championship and the 470 Junior World Championship. And in 2008 she and her partner Tessa were one of the youngest teams in history to be crowned Olympic Champion in the 470 class at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

During her sailing she found time to learn to fly and is now close to completing her commercial pilot training. In the future Elise hopes to work for the Royal Flying Doctor service in Western Australia, before moving into one of the airlines. Outside of sailing and flying her other interests include human rights, media and journalism. Having travelled so widely, Elise truly appreciates the beauty and uniqueness of Western Australia and loves nothing more than spending time in the beautiful South West region. Elise cites the enjoyment of working within a large team and the World Championships in Perth in 2011 as motivation to continue to London 2012.

New Sponsors

Helly Hansen, Olimpic and Zhik are new sponsors for the clinic. All companies will be providing gifts for the daily PRIZE DRAW at the Clinc.

Clinic Registration CLOSED

Clinic Registration is now finally closed. We have registered 54 sailors in total.

The deadline for registrations was October 1, which we extended for one month to accommodate more sailors who were considering coming.

We are keeping a few open slots for international sailors who have announced they are coming, but are not yet formally registered.

The reasons for closing registrations are as following:

- We do not want the clinic to become so big that it reduces the value for each sailor to be a part of it.

- We want to have only top-notch coaches, and as time is passing, it becomes difficult to sign up more coaches with the clinic less than 7 weeks away.

- We want to be able to attract even more international sailors to the Open Australian Nationals. Being part of the Clinic is for many sailors a major reason to make the trip to Australia, and therefore a few places are being set aside for those sailors.

We will be establishing a waiting list for sailors who have signed up, that have not yet been accepted. Sailors on the waiting list will be notified if cancellations happen or if spaces open up.

Coaches for Diego's clinic

The Clinic's aim is to have world - class coaches. Five coaches have so far been signed up. Four of these are current and past National Coaches and have been coaching national teams at Optimist World Championships.

We are currently in discussions with two more high quality Coaches to bring the total number of coaches to 7. More details will be provided later. Our aim is to have a sailor / coach ratio of 8 sailors per coach.


Andrew Wills

- New Zealand National Coach (2005- )
- World Champion Coach 2007
- World Female Champion Coach 2007
- Miami Herald Trophy (Best Country Award) 2007
- New Zealand Optimist Clinic Director
- Yachting New Zealand High Performance Coach

Diego Figueroa

- Peru National Coach (1997-2006)
- 5 National Fleet Racing Championships
- 7 National Team Racing Championships
- 1 South American Fleet Racing Championship
- 4 South American Team Racing Championships
- 1 North American Fleet Racing Championship
- 1 North American Team Racing Championship
- 1 World Team Racing Championship

Fernando Alegre

- Singapore National Coach (2005-)
- Coached 6 different Worlds Teams (TRI, AHO, BAR,
VEN, PER, and SIN).
- 3 Asian Fleet Racing Championship
- 2 Asian Team Racing Championships
- 1 South American Fleet Racing Championship
- 3 South American Team Racing Championships
- 2 North American Fleet Racing Championships
- 2 North American Team Racing Championships
- 1 Worlds Team Racing Championship
- 1 Miami Herald Trophy(2006)


Bianca Hall

- Primary School Teacher
- 6 Years Coaching Experience
- Coached Learn To Sail Courses
- Head Coach Mandurah Offshore Fishing & Sailing Club


Andrea Giovannini

- South African National Coach 2008
- Australian Team Coach 2009
- 6 National Champions In IRL, RSA, UK
- Fleet Racng Championships IRL

Norwegian Optimist Champions to Diego's Clinic

Norway held their Optimist Nationals in mid August. Norwegian Champions were Harald Faste in the Boys Class and Line Flem Host in the Girls Class. More than 130 optimists took part in the event which was held for sailors between 12 and 15 years of age.

Both sailors have signed up for Diego's clinic and the Australian Nationals. We are looking forward to seeing them both here!

64 sailors accepted

The following 64 sailors have been accepted to participate at Diego's High Performance Clinic. Welcome!


Maia Agerup, AUS
Ragna Agerup, AUS
Samuel Ainge, AUS
Mats Bauer, GER
Milly Bennett, AUS
Sam Blackburn, AUS
Nicholas Buxton, AUS
Douglas Campbell, AUS
Harrison Campbell, AUS
Christopher Charlwood, AUS
Zandra Chew, SIN
Brendan Drew, AUS
Louise Evans, AUS
Ella Giudice AUS
Rebecca Goh, SIN
Stefan Golic, AUS
Freddie Grogono, GBR
Oliver Grogono, GBR
Jeremiah Guo, SIN
Joshua Guo, SIN
Line Flem Host, NOR
Dillon How, SIN
Lim TSE Howe SIN
Nia Jerwood, AUS
Ryushda Jumali, SIN
Fieke Koelemij, AUS
Ling Ying Koh, SIN
Bryan Lee, SIN
Jillian Lee, SIN
Jack Lidgett, AUS
Tom Lidgett, AUS
Joshua Matthew Lim, SIN
Kimberly Lim, SIN
Ryan Lo, SIN
Peta Luff, AUS
Ava Mannering, NZ
Naomi Mannering, NZ
Clement Muller, FRA
Alex Negri, AUS
Sue Shen NG, SIN
Rosa Nissen Hill, NZ
Suzanne Oliver, AUS
Jevyn Ong, SIN
James Parsons, NZ
Anna Philip, AUS
Sarah Philip, AUS
Malone Pun, SIN
Antonino Riolo, AUS
Freya Skipworth, AUS
Riley Skipworth, AUS
Mark Spearman, AUS
Alex Stephens, AUS
Rowan Stephens, AUS
Paris Stowell, AUS
Andrew Tan, SIN
Daniel Hon Zhi Tan, SIN
Daniel Norman Tan, SIN
Jen - E Tan, SIN
Nicodemus Tan, SIN
Andrew Tang, SIN
Georgia Thompson, UAE
Ben Walker, AUS
Elisa Yukie Yokoyama, SIN
Alistair Young, AUS

Key Documents as of June 24, 2008

Documenents available from organizers are:

- OptiClinic Flyer
- OptiClinic Registration Form and Payment details
- Charter Form

We can also send you

- Australian Optimist Nationals Flyer

Please send us an email if you want us to forward these documents to you !

Welcome to Diego's blog for the 2009 OptiClinic in Mandurah, Western Australia.

Join World Class Sailors and World Class Coaches at an Unbeatable Event in Mandurah, Western Australia, January 2009

Diego Figueroa High Performance Optimist Clinic
(including 2 day coached regatta) January 2nd—January 6th

National Coaches from the World-Leading Optimist Nations Max 60 sailors—Minimum 7 coaches. Accommodation and food provided for international sailors

* * *

Open Australian Nationals January 8th— January 12th

* * *

We promise you an action filled 5 days with top-notch coaching from some of the worlds best Optimist coaches and some of the worlds best sailors, at a fantastic venue. If you choose to stay for the Australian Nationals, you will have an experience you will not forget!

On this blog we will keep an updated list as to who has signed up, information on coaches, program, venue etc. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Here are the contact details for the organizers:

Diego Figueroa. + 61 415 138 746, email: diegofigueroam@hotmail.com (Coaching, program)
Brenda Campbell, + 61 4199 44050, email: ianbren@bigpond.net.au (Participants, venue)
Karl-Christian Agerup + 61 450 221644, kca@northzone.com (Web, practical)

Notice of Clinic

NOTICE OF CLINIC


1. Venue

The Diego Figueroa High Performance Optimist Clinic will be held on the 2nd until the 6th of January 2009 in the Old Mandurah Sailing Club, in Western Australia.

2. Eligibility

The Clinic is Open to all advanced sailors who want to improve their skills.

3. Program

January 1st
15.00 – 17.00 Allocation of boats (early arrivals)
18.00 - 20.00 Welcome and introduction briefing for early arrivals

Accommodation is available. No meals provided on Thursday night.

January 2nd and 3rd
07.30 - 08.00 Boat Allocation and welcome briefing for all participants (Jan 2.)
07.30 – 08.00 Morning exercise (Jan 3rd only)
08.00 – 08.30 Breakfast
08.30 – 12.00 Briefing and session on the water
12.00 – 13.30 Break
13.30 – 17.00 Briefing and session on the water
17.30 – 18.30 Dinner
19.00 – 21.00 Debrief and Social
21.30 Quiet

January 4th and 5th
07.30 – 08.00 Morning exercise
08.00 – 08.30 Breakfast
08.30 – 12.00 Briefing and Presidents Cup
12.00 – 13.30 Break
13.30 – 17.00 Briefing and Presidents Cup
17.30 – 18.30 Dinner
19.00 – 21.00 Debrief and Social
21.30 Quiet




January 6th
07.30 – 08.00 Breakfast
08.00 – 12.00 Briefing and Teams Racing
12.00 – 13.00 Lunch
13.00 – 14.00 Fun in the water
14:00 - 16:00 Final Debrief and Prize giving
16.00 End

4. Entries and Payments

To register please complete and submit the entry form below.

4.1 The bookings, entry fee and charter boat payments should be done not later than the 30th of October 2008.

5. Entry Fee.

5.1 The entry fee for 5 day clinic and regatta is AU$600.00.

5.2 The entry fee for 5 day clinic, regatta, charter boat for both clinic and
Australian Nationals is AU$1,200.00.

5.3 The entry fee for 5 day clinic, regatta, food and accommodation is
AU$900.00.

5.4 The entry fee for 5 day clinic, regatta, charter boat, food and accommodation is AU$1,500.00.

5.5 Training clinic, regatta registration, written material, video and photo material are included in the clinic.

6. Payment Schedule

6.1 All payments should be paid prior to 1st of October of 2008.

6.2 A surcharge of AU$200.00 will be charged to any late payment.

7. Payment Instructions


7.1 After submitting the registration form you will be sent an email of confirmation of successful selection and payment instructions.

7.2 Payments must be made in AU$.

7.3.1 Entry fees must be free from bank commissions. Any bank fee will be charged to the participant.

6. Accommodation

6.1 Official lodging will be provided from the 1st until the 5th of January 2009.

6.2 All meals will be provided commencing on the 2nd and ending with lunch on the 6th of January 2009.

7. Transportation

7.1 Sailors can arrive at Perth Airport, either via domestic or international terminals.

7.2 Transportation from the Airport to the Clinic venue is not included in the entry fee.

7.3 Transportation pick ups from the airport could be arranged by the organization. Charges for transportation will be charged to the traveler.


8. Charter Boats

8.1 Charter boats will be available to sailors who do not have boats.

8.2 Charter boats will be supplied by Ozi Opti.

8.3 Each boat will be equipped as follows:

- One hull including two mainsheet blocks, (1 ratchet) and 3 buoyancy units.
- One set of foils.

8.4 Sails, mainsheet, and bailers will not be supplied. Participants may bring their own foils, spars and fittings.

8.5 Participants shall not modify the supplied boat or equipment.

8.6 Spars can be rented at an additional cost.

8.7 Charter period will be from the 2nd until the 6th of January 2009.

9. Safety

9.1 Every sailor will carry a whistle attached to his/her clothing.

9.2 Adequate personal buoyancy vest must be worn at all times.

10. Insurance

10.1 Participants shall carry at arrival an international valid personal insurance.

11. Liability Release

11.1 The Clinic organization assumes no responsibility from any personal
injury and/or property damage arising out of participation on this clinic. All children registered to participate in this clinic must provide a copy of the Medical Consent and Liability Release Agreement, signed by a parent or guardian, in order to participate.

11.2 Liability signature form shall be sent by email with a scanned signature before sailors arrive.

12. Social events.

12.1 To enhance friendship amongst participants and to make their stay in
Australia more enjoyable, appropriate social events will be organized.

13. Visa Requirements.

13.1 Participants shall verify the visa requirements to visit Australia.

14. Contact.

• Brenda Campbell [ianbren@bigpond.net.au]
• Diego.Figueroa [diegofigueroam@hotmail.com]
• Karl-Christian Agerup [kca@northzone.com]