Thad A. Lettsome (left), seen here competing in the 2018 ISAF Youth Worlds, is poised to make history as the [[British] Virgin Islands’ first Laser Sailor in its Pan American Games history. Photo: Jen Edney/World Sailing

From left: Sailing coach Alec Anderson; Laser Sailor and flag bearer Thad A. Lettsome; and Chef de Mission Lindel Hodge aka ‘Chef’, right, at the opening ceremony of the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, on Friday, July 26, 2019. Photo: Dean H. Greenaway aka ‘The Sportsman’

“I’m excited and pretty motivated and all these people around me, helps me being excited about the whole thing,” said Lettsome who carried the VI’s flag during Friday’s opening ceremony. “I’m looking to get a good experience out of it, come back in the future and do well, but still do well this time.”

Lettsome enters the games after finishing 19^th overall, during the July 14-20, ISAF World Youth Championships in Poland and has several familiar faces from the Caribbean he’ll meet here, as well as other South American counterparts.

“It makes it easier as there are people here I know, obviously, and also easier because I’m comfortable around them, I know how good they are and what they’re like,” he said. “So, it takes away some of the nerves and jitters from not knowing who you’ll be sailing against.”

The buildup

Prior to Worlds, Lettsome attended nine international events in the past year and his event is a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Among his performances, he was 22^nd of 55 competitors in the US Nationals in January, won the 88^th Sailing World Cup Miami also in January, that attracted 101 participants.  

In the Laser Radial, he was 10^th of 76 competitors in the US Laser Radial Nationals in 2018. Lettsome was also 14^th of 58 in the Youth Sailing World Championships and 4^th in the Cork International Regatta in Canada, of the 125 entries.

His recent sojourn to Worlds as a final tune up, he said, was beneficial for Pan Ams.

“It definitely helped me with race management as I was definitely up with the top guys and it would simulate this event being with a smaller group of people,” he noted. “So my managing of the rest of the fleet, my competition in Poland would help me a lot with race management.”

Lettsome has been working with Canadian Coach Chris Watters, who guided his development at the Royal BVI Yacht Club, but will be coached by Alec Anderson at the Pan Am Games.

“He has a good perspective because he’s almost in this situation himself and has done many events even recently, so he really knows what he’s talking about and has a good Dinghy feel and a good feel for the boat I’m sailing, because he’s recently just sailing himself,” Lettsome explained. “It’s a really new good perspective and I’m still in touch with Chris so it will be a good mix.”

Lettsome will be in action August 3-10, 2019.  

NOTE: Additional Pan Am Games reports and interviews with Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway, will be carried on CBN 90.9 FM at 5.00 p.m. through August 5, 2019 and then at 9.00 a.m., 2.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m., from August 6 – 11, 2019. There’s a 9 a.m. wrap up on August 12, 2019.