Meet Your Spring Coaching Staff!

The Wayzata Community Sailing Center is excited about the staff they have assembled for the spring and look forward to a successful season!  Read on to learn more about the lineup.

 

Name: Cappy Capper 

Position: Executive Director/Head Coach

Famous Quote: "If you are in control, you're not going fast enough."

Cappy grew up in Chicago and started sailing at age 5 in a sunfish.  He spent most of his sailing and racing time in keelboats, lasers and windsurfers.  Cappy has been coaching sailing for the past 28 years, with the most recent 7 being spent at the Wayzata Community Sailing Center.  Over the years, he has taken his sailors to well over 70 National Championship Regattas.  Cappy was inducted into the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Hall of Fame by receiving the Graham Hall Award for Outstanding Service as a Sailing Professional.  He founded and served as president of the Midwest High School Sailing Association of North America.  US Sailing has presented Cappy with multiple distinguished awards over the years, including “Outstanding Seasonal Program Director,” “Outstanding Director of a New Program” and the Captain Joe Prosser award for excellence in sailing instruction.  He is a US Sailing Small Boat Level 2 Master Coach Trainer, Level 3 Coach and serves on multiple US Sailing Committees.  Cappy is a well-known and respected coach who has the ability to reach and develop sailors on any level of knowledge and skill.

 

Name: Allison Prange

Position: Assistant Director/ Varsity Coach

Frequently Seen: Beating the boys!

Allison grew up sailing Optimists, X-boats, Lasers and C Scows with her family and home Yacht Club on Okauchee Lake in southeastern Wisconsin.  She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2011 with a Bachelor of Design in Architecture.  She sailed all four years for the U of M Sailing Team, serving as Secretary, Vice Commodore and Commodore.  Allison qualified for and competed in 5 ICSA National Championships including Match Race, Single-hand, Women’s and Coed events around the country.  She was named Top Female Skipper three years in a row in the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association (MCSA) and her senior year, she won the 2010 MCSA Women’s Single-handed Championship and was named the Most Valuable Sailor on the U of M team.  Allison still enjoys adult racing in Lasers, C Scows, 420s and any keelboat she can hitch a ride on.  Over the years, she has held a variety of business/administrative positions as well as coaching jobs across the Midwest.  Allison has been working at the Wayzata Community Sailing Center since June of 2010.  She has served as Waterfront Director at the Sailing Center over the summer and has been a valuable addition to our team.  She is excited to jump into the high school season and looks forward to being on the water more than she was over the summer!

 

Name: Matt Thompson

Position: Varsity Coach

AKA: Momma Bear

Matt has been a part of the Wayzata Community Sailing Center for 16 years, both as a student and a coach. He dominated Optimists and moved into the 420 and Laser Race programs as soon as he had the chance. Matthew began practicing with the Minnetonka High School team in 7th grade, and by sophomore year began to take part in its leadership as captain.  Summers took a new competitive edge with two trips to Sears Trophy, the youth triple handed championships.  Enrollment at the University of Minnesota and joining its sailing team brought a new level of experience. With it came renewed success, qualifying for five national championships. Matt’s last three years of college sailing received All-Conference Co-ed Skipper Awards. He is US Sailing Level 2 Certified and has been teaching racing for 5 years. Recently, he graduated with a Bachelor of Design in Architecture (along with Allison) and he is still enjoying adult Laser racing, J22, and E scow sailing.

 

Name: Bob Foster

Position: Junior Varsity Coach

Best Trait: His flowing locks

Bob began sailing 420's over 15 years ago with Cappy Capper in the Summer Camp Programs at the Lake Minnetonka Sailing School (LMSS). During his high school years he was a member of the Minnetonka High School Sailing Team and began teaching as an Instructor at LMSS. During college Bob assisted Cappy with High School coaching and started a sailing team at the University of St. Thomas where he studied Finance & Economics. While studying abroad he sailed competitively with the University of London Sailing Team. He continued teaching & coaching with LMSS and served as Commodore of the University of St. Thomas Sailing Team. Bob became involved at both WYC sailing J22's, J24's, and S2-79's and MYC sailing A-Scows and C-Scows.  He has now begun a career in education. Currently, he spends his non-sailing months teaching business courses as an Adjunct Instructor at Hennepin Technical College and as a Marketing Consultant to a few local businesses. His favorite parts of the year are when he can spend his Spring & Fall months coaching High School Sailing and his summer months as an Instructor with the WCSC Summer Camp Program. After being away from the sport for a few years Robert is happy to be back sailing and coaching; he likes to say that teaching and coaching sailing is "the greatest thing I'll ever do!"