Allison Jolly attended Florida State University, where she won collegiate titles in sailing in 1975 and 1976. In 1977 she was named Yachtswoman of the Year by the New York Yacht Club, at age 20 the youngest woman to win the award. Jolly worked after college as a computer programmer, which helped support her sailing habit. Her husband, Mark Elliot, was also a sailor and computer programmer. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Jolly and her partner, Lynne Jewell, easily won the gold medal in the 470 Class.
In 1994 Jolly and Jewell both joined the all-female crew that was assembled by Bill Koch to challenge for the America’s Cup, but both were surprisingly cut from the final crew. Jolly later settled in Florida where she served as a sailing coach at the University of South Florida beginning in 2004. Jolly was named to the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in November 2016.
United States