Allison Blair Jolly (born August 4, 1956) is an American

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the ...

and Olympic champion. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, Jolly began sailing at the age of 10 and attended the Florida State University where she won the

Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association National Championships The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) holds National Championships in seven different categories: * Coed Dinghy * Women’s Dinghy * Team Racing * Women's Team Racing * Men’s Singlehanded * Women’s Singlehanded * Match Racing (pre ...

in 1975 and 1976. In 1976 she placed second in the European women's championship, and also took second place in the Timmy Angsten Regatta. In 1976, at the age of 20, she became the youngest woman ever to win the US Sailor of the Year Awards, "considered the top prize in yachting in the U.S." and was presented the award again (along with Jewell) after the Olympics in 1988. In 1979, she won the Adams Cup with the

St. Petersburg Yacht Club The St. Petersburg Yacht Club (SPYC) is a private yacht club located in St. Petersburg, Florida (United States) and a member of the Gulf Yachting Association and the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs. The club won the Adams Cup in 1979. Histo ...

team. After college, Jolly worked as a

computer programmer A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software. A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...

Valencia, California Valencia is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County, California. This area, with major commercial and industrial parks, straddles State Route 126 and the Santa Clara River. Development projects continue to be built in ...

to support her sailing. She bought her first boat with $8,000 that she and her husband had saved for a

down payment Down payment (also called a deposit in British English), is an initial up-front partial payment for the purchase of expensive items/services such as a car or a house. It is usually paid in cash or equivalent at the time of finalizing the transactio ...

on a house. Her husband, Mark Elliot, also worked as a computer programmer and raced as a sailor. In 1987, Jolly and her sailing partner Lynne Jewell entered the Olympic trials for the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

. Despite a poor start in the qualifiers, the two rose to the top and won a spot. After qualifying, Jolly was "considered a long shot" in the event. In the first race of the games, Jolly and Jewell placed third, and in the next race, their boat capsized twice, but the two managed to stay in contention. After finishing strong in their remaining races, the two won the gold medal in the '' 470 Class'' with a convincing lead over the competition, causing the ''Washington Post'' to write that they "blew the competition out of the water." Jolly and Jewel were the only American sailors, male or female, to win a gold medal in the games. Their victory helped to promote the involvement of more women in sailing competitions. Immediately after returning from the Olympics, Jolly continued sailing, entering the US Yacht Racing Union's Championship of Champions with her husband only three days later. In the Championship of Champions, Jolly raced a

Snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. The '' Gallinago'' snipes have a n ...

instead of the 470 she had raced in the Olympics and had a difficult time adjusting to the boat differences. As a result, she and Elliot placed ninth. In 1994, Jolly applied to join the first-ever all female team in the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one ...

yachting race, organized by Bill Koch. In a decision that shocked the yachting world, Jolly was cut from the team after tryouts and training, as was Lynne Jewell. Jolly continues her sailing passion working at the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...

as the head coach of the Bulls sailing team. Jolly was inducted into the

National Sailing Hall of Fame The National Sailing Hall of Fame is a nonprofit educational organization that promotes sailing and racing by recognizing individuals who have contributed to the sport, highlighting sailing's contribution to the American culture; and demonstrating ...

on November 9, 2019.

References

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jolly, Allison 1956 births Alamitos Bay Yacht Club sailors American female sailors (sport) Living people Florida State Seminoles sailors Olympic gold medalists for the United States in sailing Sailors at the 1988 Summer Olympics – 470 Snipe class sailors US Sailor of the Year Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics 21st-century American women South Florida Bulls coaches Sportspeople from St. Petersburg, Florida American computer programmers