Lakewood Yacht Club General Manager Terry Chapman has announced that the club has hired Marek Valasek as the new full-time Sailing Director/Head Coach effective May 14, 2012.

“Marek is a world-class sailor, winning a total of 7 National Championships for his home country of Slovakia in Optimists, Lasers and Finns during the 1980’s and 1990’s” Chapman remarked.  “As an elite coach and sailing director, he has had great success in developing yacht club sailing programs and coaching competitive racing teams and has acquired diversified experiences in directing and coordinating operations and staff.”

Valasek graduated in 1999 from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, with a Masters degree in Physical Education and English and Literature.  He moved to Miami in 2000 where he served as the Sailing Head Coach for Coral Reef Yacht Club for 8 years followed by his position as Sailing Director at Lauderdale Yacht Club from 2009-2011.  He managed very large summer sailing programs with up to 12 employees in charge of over 200 sailors.  He is currently the Optimist Head Coach for the highly-competitive Team Gnarly out of New York.

“Our Lakewood Yacht Club Board of Directors and Officers feel that Marek is truly a professional, both on and off the water.  We look forward to him joining our staff for a long and productive tenure” added Chapman.