Their similar qualities will help them
throughout the racing season and
Olympic trials, which begin in August.
Tobias and Henken will be racing the
49er FX, which is a two-handed skiff-
type high-performance sailing dinghy.
Henken is the skipper. She drives the
boat and keeps its direction while Tobias
is the crew and handles the sails to help
determine speed.
“It is truly a 50/50 partnership. One
person cannot do it alone because both
roles are equally important to success,”
adds Tobias.
For Henken, working her way toward
the Olympic Games in Tokyo is about
staying focused. She began her sailing
career at the age of 6. “My twin brother
and our older brother and I went to a
summer camp and were introduced
to sailing as one of the activities,” she
explains. “We all loved it and took to
it right away. After camp was over, my
parents continued to encourage us to
learn more about it and I’ve been sailing
ever since.”
effort to make it to the Olympics,” says
Henken. “I was fortunate to attend the
2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
and placed 10th. This opportunity with
Anna is my second chance at winning
the gold for the U.S. and I’m ecstatic.”
As racing season gets underway,
the pair has already competed in
five regattas. They also won the U.S.
National Championships after only two
months of full-time training together.
“We want to stay at the top of the
fleet and continue to move up as the
Olympic trials get closer,” says Henken.
“We train every day and work on sailing
as a team, keeping our boat ready and
fast on the water. It’s a very challenging
sport and we don’t know what kind of
conditions we’ll encounter on any given
day. It’s a constant action of reading
the water and seeing how the wind is
affecting it. If the water looks light in
color, it’s probably flat and, therefore,
slow. If it looks darker there may be
more wind, which obviously makes the
boat sail faster.”
In 2008, Anna Tunnicliffe Tobias (left) won an Olympic gold medal in the Laser Radial single
handed sailing class. She’s competing again and joined by teammate Paris Henken (right) in
hopes of earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team at the 2020 Olympic Games.
In fact, the family moved to Coronado,
California, because they all loved the
sport so much and it’s where they
could practice and learn the craft.
Throughout her formative years,
Henken has competed and won several
championships, including titles for her
college team at the College of Charleston.
“I’ve taken several breaks from school
to compete in different races, all in an
Another part of racing and readying
for the Olympics is fundraising. “Many
people don’t realize how much money
it takes to make it in this sport, or any
sport really,” notes Tobias. “We don’t
get any government funding like many
countries do, so we rely on donations
and sponsors to help us meet our
goals. This year, we’re hoping to raise
enough money to continue to maintain
“ When it
comes to a
partnership in
racing, you need
to have drive,
discipline, and
trust. One person
is the skipper and
drives the boat while
the other is the crew
and handles the
sails. There needs to
be trust and good
communication
between team
members. Paris and
I have found all of
that in each other. ”
our boat, which needs new sails every
other month, and also pay for a coach
and travel to and from our races. Any
donations we get go to supporting our
dream of reaching the Olympic Games,
honoring our country and winning the
Olympic gold medal.”
For Tobias and Henken, nothing short
of a top finish at the Tokyo Olympics will
suffice. “We both dream of representing
our country and bringing home the gold
in women’s sailing,” says Tobias. “It’s a
true honor that, for me, has yet to be
replaced.” Henken is humbled by the
opportunity and credits her parents for
their support. “I’m sure there are young
people out there who think they’re too
small or too young to try a new sport,”
she says, “but they have to believe that no
one is holding them back but themselves.
You just have to go for it and see where it
might take you.”
Follow Tobias and Henken and their
bid for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on
their Facebook page at Paris & Anna:
Tokyo 2020. To support them in their
effort, visit henkentobiassailing.com. n
SOUTH FAYETTE
❘
SPRING 2019
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