{{Short description|American sailor}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox sailor | name = Betsy Alison | image = | caption = | nationality = <!-- use only when necessary per WP:INFONAT --> | full_name = Elizabeth Gelentis Alison | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|03|25}} | birth_place = | collegeteam = Tufts University }}
'''Elizabeth "Betsy" Gelentis Alison''' (born March 25, 1960) is an American sailor who has been voted Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year five times. She was inducted into the United States' National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2011
== Sailing history == Alison started sailing sunfish<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Betsy ALISON, Lee ICYDA & Suzy LEECH (USA) |url=https://www.sailing.org/worldsailor/2003/29711.php |access-date=October 9, 2021 |website=sailing.org |language=en}}</ref> as a child at the behest of her father and, while she did not initially enjoy it, she rapidly enjoyed being with her friends on Barnegat Bay.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Alison, Betsy |url=https://nshof.org/inductees/alison-betsy/ |access-date=October 9, 2021 |website=National Sailing Hall of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref> Starting in 1977, Alison sailed on Upper Mystic Lake while a college student at Tufts University, and there she learned the technical aspects of racing from her teammates. In 1981 she was received honorable mention for college All-American sailor.<ref name=":0" />
Alison has won numerous events during her sailing career. In 1985, Alison won her first Rolex International Women's Keelboat championship, thereby receiving the Bengt Julin trophy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnstone |first=Stu |title=International Women's Keelboat Championship- Open for Entries! |url=https://jboats.com/2016-blog/international-womens-keelboat |access-date=October 9, 2021 |website=jboats.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> She won four additional times, and the original trophy was retired to her after 1997 when she earned it for the third consecutive year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bengt Julin Trophy |url=https://www.ussailing.org/competition/awards-trophies/bengt-julin-trophy/ |access-date=October 9, 2021 |website=US Sailing |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1998 Alison won Women's Match Racing event at the ISAF Sailing World Championships held in Dubai, UAE and was honored with her first ISAF World Sailor of the Year award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1998 |title=ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 1998 |url=https://www.sailing.org/worldsailor/1998/index.php |url-status=live |access-date=October 9, 2021 |website=sailing.org |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718130525/http://www.sailing.org/worldsailor/1998/index.php |archive-date=July 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=AmericaOne Newsline - 1998 ISAF Nominees |url=http://www.americaone.org/news/sailnews/93098-isafnom.html |access-date=October 9, 2021 |website=www.americaone.org}}</ref> Sailing with Lee Icyda and Suzy Leech,<ref name=":1" /> Alison won the 2003 Open Yngling World Championship held in Rostock, Germany which was the first time an all-woman's crew won the Open Yngling World Championship.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 28, 2003 |title=Alison, Icyda and Leech Beat 88 Boat Fleet to Take The Title |url=https://www.sailing.org/news/11270.php |url-status=live |access-date=October 9, 2021 |website=sailing.org |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426091610/http://www.sailing.org/news/11270.php |archive-date=April 26, 2012}}</ref>
in 1998 Alison began coaching the US team for the World Disabled Sailing Championship and is the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider Paralympic coach.<ref name=":0" /> She played a key role in the 1996 revision of the Disabled Sailing Manual revision and, as of 2021, Alison is the Chair of the Para World Sailing Committee.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 6, 2021 |title=Betsy Alison and Adaptive Sailing Instruction – Sail Sport Talk |url=https://sailsporttalk.com/index.php/2021/07/06/allison-betsy/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 9, 2021 |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009125047/https://sailsporttalk.com/index.php/2021/07/06/allison-betsy/ |archive-date=October 9, 2021}}</ref>
== Awards == In 1990 and 1991 she won the Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Trophy. In 2009, Alison received the Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy for her work with adaptive sailing and sailors with disabilities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gay S. Lynn Memorial Trophy |url=https://www.ussailing.org/competition/awards-trophies/gay-s-lynn-memorial-trophy/ |access-date=October 9, 2021 |website=US Sailing |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2011 Alison was in the first group of sailors, and the only woman, elected into the United States' National Sailing Hall of Fame.<ref name=":0" /> In 2015, Alison won the President's Development Award from the International Sailing Federation (ISAF, known as World Sailing as of 2015) who recognized her for outstanding achievement in her work on the Para World Sailing Championships in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cronin |first=Mike |date=November 13, 2015 |title=Betsy Alison Wins ISAF President's Development Award for Para World Sailing Initiative |url=https://www.ussailing.org/news/betsy-alison-wins-isaf-presidents-development-award-for-para-world-sailing-initiative/ |access-date=October 9, 2021 |website=US Sailing |language=en-US}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{World Sailing|id=USAEA1|www=elizabeth-betsy-alison|name=Elizabeth (Betsy) Alison}} * {{YouTube|id=l8o065XRH1g&t|title=Betsy Alison awarded for Para World Sailing development}}, November 13, 2015
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Alison, Betsy}} Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:American female sailors (sport) Category:Disabled sailing world champions Category:Yngling class world champions Category:World champions in sailing for the United States Category:Tufts Jumbos sailors Category:20th-century American sportswomen