Happy Birthday Ale!

Today is the birthday of our esteemed chairwoman, Alessandra Pandarese (ITA, Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team). She has been in the hot seat since early last year, having taken over for George Clyde after he ably led the CC during 2005 and then some. By all accounts, and no surprise to any of us who have known her since she got involved in the Cup (back in, what, 1988?), Ale is doing a terrific job.

Under CC rules the Chair must be a rep of a current challenger, and the joke at a recent CC meeting was that we should give Mascalzone a bye into the LVC finals to keep Ale as our fearless leader as long as possible -- irrespective of when her team might get "excused from further participation." No doubt Alinghi and ACM would support that as well.

And it is not an easy job, especially having to deal with the likes of Hamish Ross, the Michels Bonnefous and Hodara, and your Ed. -- to say nothing of the AC Jury. Nonetheless, Ale is weathering the job, and all of us, reasonably well.



Chairlady: Alessandra, who doubles as general counsel for Mascalzone Latino, with her Alinghi counterpart Hamish Ross (NZL) at an AC dinner soon after assuming the chair in early 2006...




...and after the CC meeting earlier this month.


N.B. We don't normally post personal messages here on the CCB, but in honor of Ale's birthday we thought we would make an exception.