Dennis sails through competitions, school

Most American teenagers rarely venture far from home. They'll accompany their families on occasional trips to other cities and sites across the United States, and perhaps experience a week or two in Canada or Mexico.

Then there's Claire Dennis.

This worldly 17-year-old Californian traveled to Poland, Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, the Dominican Republic and The Netherlands. And she can thank her skills and the sport of sailing for those opportunities.

The well-spoken high school senior, who will continue her studies next year at Yale University, embraces the chance to hopscotch around the globe, not merely for the competition.

"I welcome the experience of traveling a lot," says Dennis, who makes her home in Saratoga, Calif., which rests an hour south of San Francisco. "I'm really into history and I like to see important sites and learn about different cultures. I've made friends in different countries, which a lot of high school kids can't say."

Hardly any high school kids can say they're among the premier sailors in the world. Among her accomplishments in 2008:

• First among all United States females in the U.S. National Radial Championship
• First among all United States females in the North American Laser Championship
• First among all American youths in the U.S. Sailing Youth Championship
• First among all American youths in the European Women's Radial Championship in Belgium
• First among all Americans in the Youth Female Radial World Championship in New Zealand
• Second overall in the U.S. Sailing ISAF Youth Worlds Qualifier Regatta

Dennis also earned Laser Sailor of the Year honors at the St. Francis Yacht Club in 2008 and the Youth Sailor of the Year Award at the San Francisco Yacht Club in each of the previous three years. She was a member of the U.S. Sailing Elite Youth Development Team in 2007 and was an honorable mention candidate in 2008.

Most recently Dennis was at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, Calif., for the 2009 International Sailing Federation Youth World Qualifier on Jan. 17-19. She participated in the girls' laser radial division and placed fourth.

Not bad for a teenager who barely remembers sailing on a small keelboat with her father, Peter, and her mother, Susan, as a kid in Houston. Her first strong recollection of the sport was as a participant in a youth program in that city and getting some relief from the oppressive heat.

"I definitely loved it, primarily at that age, because I sailed in the summer and it was always really hot down there," she said. "I enjoyed being on the water and going swimming. There was something about it back then that made me stick with it."

Dennis first soloed at age eight after her family moved to California. She not only enjoyed the competition, but she also appreciated forging a relationship with a group of friends from the junior program. And she began to embrace the notion of taking credit for her successes and blame for her failures.

She struggled early in her career at sailing effectively in heavy winds, but that certainly is not a problem anymore.

"I didn't like it when it was windy," she said. "I had to come to terms with that fear, but now I like those conditions the best. You can go faster and it's very exhilarating, especially in San Francisco in the summer."

Like many 17-year-olds, Dennis is leaving her future wide open. She has yet to decide on a college major, though she expresses an interest in several subjects. Unlike other sports, such as gymnastics, Olympic sailors most often reach their peak at a more advanced age. Dennis understands that her best sailing is ahead of her.

"As of right now, I'm not campaigning to compete [in the 2012 Olympics]," she said. "The 2016 Olympics are more realistic. I'll go through the motions in 2012, but I'm not going to sacrifice my academics. Sailing is a sport that benefits those with experience, and you can only get that learning experience when you're at a certain point in your life."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Marty Gitlin is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.