Anna Tunnicliffe
• Personal: Anna Tunnicliffe-Funk
Age: 27
Age: 27
Spouse: Bradley Funk
Resides: Florida, USA
Career: Olympic Sailor
Most Notable Sailing Achievement to Date:
• OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, 2008 BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES (LASER RADIAL)
• Life Before The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games:
Born in Doncaster, England, Anna grew up taking part in many different activities, swimming, soccer, netball, ballet/dance, music – cello, and initially learned to sail with her parents on their boat. But as she established herself as a ‘helm’ personality, and clashes with Dad became more common, she branched out on her own, into Optimists. She sailed and raced on both the open ocean and inland lakes.
At the age of 12, she immigrated to the United States with her parents and moved to Perrysburg, OH (NW Ohio). She joined North Cape Yacht Club, La Salle MI, on Lake Erie, and soon established herself as one of the top skippers at the club and then the area, working through the Optimist, Club FJ, Club 420 and Laser (full rig) fleets. At the age of 13, she helmed for a team at the Rolex Women’s International Keelboat Regatta. (She is still the youngest helm on record at this regatta.) Towards the end of her junior sailing, she qualified, in full rig Laser, for the national Smythe Cup. Quite an achievement, seeing as she was the only girl and weighed only 130lb. Anna had several offers from colleges asking her to run track and cross country for them, but she decided to follow her sailing goal, set back when she was 12/13; that was to bring home a medal from the Olympics.
Old Dominion University, Norfolk VA and Mitch Brindley provided the next 4 years of her sail training and development. The college sailing circuit is very grueling and unforgiving. Mistakes are seen by many and forgotten by few. So one quickly learns not to make them. At college, Anna brought back several national titles (see below), and struck up a professional coach/athlete relationship with Mitch, that extended well past Anna’s university years.
Anna competed in the US Olympic Trials in 2003 in the Europe dinghy, finishing 4th and opening many eyes to her future potential. The 2007 US Olympic Trials were more successful, as she qualified to represent the US in China at the Olympic Games in 2008. In a regatta that came down to the last 2 legs of the final race, Anna was triumphant, winning the gold, and bringing home the first US women’s Olympic Gold sailing medal in 20 years.
• What’s Next? London Olympic Games 2012
Anna is still sailing on the world circuit in the Laser Radial. But she is also branching out into other sailing. The Match Racing challenge is quite alluring to her because of the intense pressure before, during and after the start, pitching one's own tactics and wit against one other boat, rather than a fleet, and also because of working with a team on a much larger boat than the Laser Radial. Moth foiling, although it is still single-handed racing, is quite a different skill set from the Radial and it is racing against a new group of world-class sailors; all of which improves her own skills.
• With all of this and other commitments, Anna is still very focused on winning the 2011 US Olympic Trials in the Elliot 6m (Women's Match Racing) and once again, bringing home from the 2012 London Olympic Games, another Gold for America.
• Achievements, Awards and Accolades Gained and Received:
Resides: Florida, USA
Career: Olympic Sailor
Most Notable Sailing Achievement to Date:
• OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, 2008 BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES (LASER RADIAL)
• Life Before The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games:
Born in Doncaster, England, Anna grew up taking part in many different activities, swimming, soccer, netball, ballet/dance, music – cello, and initially learned to sail with her parents on their boat. But as she established herself as a ‘helm’ personality, and clashes with Dad became more common, she branched out on her own, into Optimists. She sailed and raced on both the open ocean and inland lakes.
At the age of 12, she immigrated to the United States with her parents and moved to Perrysburg, OH (NW Ohio). She joined North Cape Yacht Club, La Salle MI, on Lake Erie, and soon established herself as one of the top skippers at the club and then the area, working through the Optimist, Club FJ, Club 420 and Laser (full rig) fleets. At the age of 13, she helmed for a team at the Rolex Women’s International Keelboat Regatta. (She is still the youngest helm on record at this regatta.) Towards the end of her junior sailing, she qualified, in full rig Laser, for the national Smythe Cup. Quite an achievement, seeing as she was the only girl and weighed only 130lb. Anna had several offers from colleges asking her to run track and cross country for them, but she decided to follow her sailing goal, set back when she was 12/13; that was to bring home a medal from the Olympics.
Old Dominion University, Norfolk VA and Mitch Brindley provided the next 4 years of her sail training and development. The college sailing circuit is very grueling and unforgiving. Mistakes are seen by many and forgotten by few. So one quickly learns not to make them. At college, Anna brought back several national titles (see below), and struck up a professional coach/athlete relationship with Mitch, that extended well past Anna’s university years.
Anna competed in the US Olympic Trials in 2003 in the Europe dinghy, finishing 4th and opening many eyes to her future potential. The 2007 US Olympic Trials were more successful, as she qualified to represent the US in China at the Olympic Games in 2008. In a regatta that came down to the last 2 legs of the final race, Anna was triumphant, winning the gold, and bringing home the first US women’s Olympic Gold sailing medal in 20 years.
• What’s Next? London Olympic Games 2012
Anna is still sailing on the world circuit in the Laser Radial. But she is also branching out into other sailing. The Match Racing challenge is quite alluring to her because of the intense pressure before, during and after the start, pitching one's own tactics and wit against one other boat, rather than a fleet, and also because of working with a team on a much larger boat than the Laser Radial. Moth foiling, although it is still single-handed racing, is quite a different skill set from the Radial and it is racing against a new group of world-class sailors; all of which improves her own skills.
• With all of this and other commitments, Anna is still very focused on winning the 2011 US Olympic Trials in the Elliot 6m (Women's Match Racing) and once again, bringing home from the 2012 London Olympic Games, another Gold for America.
• Achievements, Awards and Accolades Gained and Received:
2010
Aug 5th: 2010 Knickerbocker Cup Match Race (helm/12 teams)(Grade 2 Open/Colgate 26)
Aug 2nd: 2010 Toyota Intermational Match Race for the Detroit Cup (helm/12 teams)(Grade 2 Open/Ultimate 20)
Aug 2nd: 2010 ISAF World Cup (final result/helm)
Aug 3rd : Skandia Sail For Gold 2010, Weymouth UK (helm/24 teams)(Grade Womens/Elliott 6m)
June 7th : ISAF Laser Radial World Championships, Largs, Scotland (fleet:114 boats)
June 3rd : 2010 Kieler Woche, GER, WMR (helm/24 teams)(Grade Womens/Elliott 6m)
June 3rd : BoatUS Santa Maria Cup 2010, WMR (helm:10 teams)(Grade 1:J22)
May 2nd : NYYC Women's Match Race Clinic and Regatta (helm:8 teams:Grade 3:Sonars)
Apr 1st : XII International Women's Match Race Criterium (helm:12 teams:Grade 1:TOM 28)
April 2nd : Semaine Olympique Francaise, Hyeres FRA, WMR (helm:22 teams)
April Lauderdale Yacht Club 2009 Yachtswoman of the Year
Mar 9th : Princesa Sofia Trofeo, Palma, ESP, WMR (helm:24 teams)
Feb 1st : North American Women's Championships, Laser Radial (30 boats)
Jan 1st : Rolex Miami OCR, WMR (helm:24 teams)
2009
ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year
Rolex US Sailing Yachtswoman Of The Year
US Sailing Team Alphgraphics Awards 2010 - Best Individual Performance
• 2008
o Olympic Gold Medal, Beijing
o Rolex US Sailing Yachtswoman Of The Year
o Nominated for Rolex World Yachtswoman Of The Year
o Olympic Gold Medal, Beijing
o Rolex US Sailing Yachtswoman Of The Year
o Nominated for Rolex World Yachtswoman Of The Year
• 2005
o Quantum Women’s College Sailor of the Year
o U.S. Women's Match Racing National Champion
o U.S. Team Racing National Champion
o ODU College Female Athlete of the Year
o Quantum Women’s College Sailor of the Year
o U.S. Women's Match Racing National Champion
o U.S. Team Racing National Champion
o ODU College Female Athlete of the Year
• 2004
o ICSA All-American (Womens)
o ICSA Women's North American Singlehanded Champion
o ICSA Women's ACC A division Champion
o ICSA All-American (Womens)
o ICSA Women's North American Singlehanded Champion
o ICSA Women's ACC A division Champion
• 2003
o ICSA All-American (Womens)
o ICSA Women's North American Singlehanded Champion
o ICSA All-American (Womens)
o ICSA Women's North American Singlehanded Champion
• 2002
o ICSA Women's North American Singlehanded Champion (Fall)
o ICSA Women's North American Dinghy Champions (Spring)
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