Monsoon Cup Father

by Rurrum, Pulau Duyong on 5 Dec 2009 The popular perception of any elite athlete is that their parents were once competitors in their chosen sport, or one of the parents are pushing that child extremely hard.

But if you were to ask Alvar Mirsky, father of Torvar Mirsky, if this stereotype were true, he would say, 'Probably, but not for me.'

Mirsky Senior says that he has never really pushed his children to do anything when it comes to their choices in life. Mirsky adds, 'I am not a sailor, and I have never pushed Torvar to do get into sailing. He has always done it himself, and I am not helping him at all, not even financially. We both like it that way. In fact I have not much of a chance to see Tovar race.'

However, Mirsky Senior was quick to comment that whenever he watches his son race, he is a nervous wreck. 'Even though I don’t help out much, I am still a parent. (He laughs) You want your children to do well in whatever they are doing, and it is no different for Torvar. All my children have different ambitions and talents, like my daughter Elleka who is studying dance in Spain.'

When asked to comment on advice for parents whose children are competing in elite level sports, Mirsky Senior says, 'Try and give them that freedom to grow. As a parent you have to answer to yourself how much help is too much help? How much encouragement is too much encouragement? It is not easy, that is why when my son Torvar has had a bad race, I just try and stay out of his way.'

The Monsoon Cup is a project of the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports and it is proudly hosted by the State of Terengganu and is supported by key sponsors Richard Mille, TM, Cartrade Group (CTG), Astro, Firefly Airline, and Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa.


The Monsoon Cup will be streamed live to the Internet throughout the day at www.monsoon.tv, www.sail.tv and www.wmrt.org/sailtv. Daily half hour highlights shows will be broadcast worldwide along with short news highlights and key matches. The action will be broadcast Live on Saturday and Sunday between 3-5pm local time. Key networks include Eurosport, Eurosport Asia Pacific, Fox Sports Australia, Fox Sports US, SKY NZ, ESPN Star, Showtime Middle East, America One, SKY UK, Sport Max Caribbean, CNBC Asia Pacific, BT Vision.
WMRT 2009 Tour Standings (after 8 of 9 events)

Tour Standings - (After 8 of 9 events)
1. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 100 Points
2. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 88 Points
3. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar 75 Points
4. Mathieu Richard (FRA), French Match Racing Team Racing 74 Points
5. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR 71 Points
6. Ben Ainslie, (GBR) Team Origin 65 Points
7. Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 48 Points
8. Sebastien Col, (FRA) French Match Racing Team 41 Points

About the World Match Racing Tour:
• The World Match Racing Tour is the leading professional sailing series featuring 9 World
Championship events across the globe
• The World Tour is sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with 'Special
Event' status
• The World Tour awards over US$1.5million in prize money
• Points are awarded at each event culminating in the crowning of the ‘ISAF Match Racing
World Champion’
• Events utilize the same 'match race' format used in the America’s Cup with racing taking
place in identically supplied racing yachts which places a focuses on team work and skill.
Racing takes place close to the shore for the general public to follow the races as virtual on-
the -water stadiums.
• Media and television highlights coverage reaches over 600 million households in excess of
90 countries around the world

About The Monsoon Cup
The Monsoon Cup 2005 celebrated its debut as the 50th official event of the Swedish Match Tour (now known as the World Match Racing Tour), and serves as the Malaysian leg for the international sailing event. This professional sailing series was formed in 2000 to unite the world's best match-race regattas under one banner.

The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) comprises nine events in nine specially selected locations around the world. As the leading professional sailing series in the world, the Tour events are recognized as must-attend regattas on the match-race circuit.

The Monsoon Cup 2009 will be held at Pulau Duyong, Terengganu, from the 1st to 6th December 2009. Website : www.monsooncup.com.my
For information on the World Match Racing Tour:
Yvonne Reid
Tel: +44 (0) 1590 679613
Mob: +44 (0) 7809 149268
E-mail: yreid@f10marketing.com
Website: www.worldmatchracingtour.com

For more information on the Monsoon Cup :
RURRUM Communications Sdn Bhd
Name : Audrey Lakai
Mobile : 012 309 4377
Email: audrey.lakai@rurrum.com