Westlake Yacht Club in the News

Conejo Valley Life, Dec 10, 2004 High School Sailing at Westlake Yacht Club Previous Conejo Valley Life articles have discussed the summer sailing program at Westlake Yacht Club (WYC). Each summer, 100 children, aged 8 to 17, learn the skills and joy of sailing. Another opportunity for Conejo Valley youth to enjoy sailing and sailboat racing is from WYC's high school sailing program. Students from Agoura, Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks High Schools come to WYC and become competitive athletes in intramural sailing. While WYC provides the boats and the venue, Coach Joe Sorosky and assistant Mimi Silver provide the leadership, energy, and love that makes this program great. Joe volunteers his time and talent because he likes working with young sailors. "They're fun, and it's a good opportunity for them. Most go on to bigger and better sailing programs. And for some, sailing gives them the added push that gets them over the line for college admission. Varsity programs treat sailors like NCAA athletes". Over 140 major colleges have sailing teams. In this, his 5th year coaching high school sailing, Joe has 15 athletes, both male and female. He accepts students from any local school, from 8th through 12th grade, whether or not their parents are WYC members. "I make sure everyone who comes to an event has a chance to sail". One former student, Rachel Maxson, was accepted to U.C. Berkeley and is now one of only two starting skippers in the women's division. Ashley Rose is on the UCSD sailing team. Joe's son, Jake Sorosky is "one of top five high school sailors on west coast". After the Nationals, Joe may be upping that claim. Joe praises his assistant Mimi Silver, whom he says "does all the work, except the coaching". She makes the team's travel arrangements, prepares race entry documents, collects fees, handles all the administrative work, and keeps everyone informed. Mimi started doing this 4 years ago when her son joined the program, and "I've been mothering all these kids ever since. What keeps me going is that the kids are very enthusiastic". This year's itinerary includes competitions in Newport Beach, Long Beach, Palo Alto, and Santa Barbara. At a typical west coast high school regatta, 300 athletes from 50 schools compete in two-man Flying Juniors (FJ's). There are five major regattas each year, leading up to the Pacific Coast Championships in April. From there, the top five finishers go on to the National Championships, where the 20 best teams in the nation compete for the title. This year, the Nationals will be held at Port Angeles in Washington State. Major financial support for high school sailing is provided by Mr. Roy Disney and the Santa Monica Bay Sailing Foundation. So, with summer sailing, high school sailing, and 20 regattas each year at Westlake Yacht Club, there's lots of fun for everyone from 8 to 88. And even if your idea of enjoying sailing is watching someone else struggle with their spinnaker while you're in the clubhouse, eating fine food, having a cold drink, and dancing to a hot rock band, you can still enjoy the spectacle. For more information about high school sailing contact Coach Joe Sorosky at 818 889-4214, jsorosky@earthlink.net. For more information about Westlake Yacht Club call 818-700-5257 or visit www.westlakeyc.org. Westlake Yacht Club is located on Westlake Lake at 32123 Lindero Canyon Road in the City of Westlake Village. You don't have to own a boat or live in Westlake Village to belong to Westlake Yacht Club. -- Robert Piccioni, Rear Commodore