Mary Ellen “Meg” Gaillard has come a long way from the days when she used to hate sailing.  Growing up in Pelham, N.Y., Meg had plenty of exposure to the sport from early on.  As the only child of parents who were avid sailors, she not only spent a lot of time racing with them on their Etchells, but also her stint in the summer sailing program at American Yacht Club was written into her parents separation agreement.  Like most kids who hate capsizing Optis – not to mention rigging and derigging -- Meg eventually grew into a 420 and found her niche. 

During high school and into college, Meg progressed from 420s to 470s, ultimately crewing for Whitney Connor at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Savannah where they placed fourth out of six boats.  Her competitive nature was evident in the other sports she tackled which included lacrosse, swimming, and soccer (she was named Captain of both her high school and college soccer teams), and in 1996 she won the Most Athletic Award at Connecticut College. 

On the water, Meg made the move to the Europe in 1997 and targeted the 2000 Olympic Games.  Sailing full-time, she attained the number one ranking on the 1997 US Sailing Team.  Three years later, her bronze-medal win at the 2000 Europe World Championships, the best finish by an American at that event, was followed by a hard-fought battle at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Sailing that ended with a second-place finish.  Not one to give up, Meg continued her quest.

In 2003 she had a standout year that resulted in her being recognized as US SAILING’s Female Athlete of the Year for the second time (she was previously recognized in 1998).  In January of 2003, at the Rolex Miami OCR Meg traded first and second finishes during a challenging 11-race series, and ultimately placed second in a field of 25 boats. A month later her win at the Europe U.S. Olympic Pre-Trials (a practice event for the US Olympic Team Trials) solidified her first-place U.S. ranking in the class, a position she had held for three consecutive years.

By far, her most significant performance of the year took place in Spain at the 2003 Europe World Championship. Competing in the 116-boat fleet, she closed out a consistent performance with a 10th place finish in the final race of the series to take third overall and her second bronze medal at a world championship.  Significantly, in addition to ending the 11-race series with a place on the podium, Meg’s bronze-medal performance guaranteed the U.S.A.’s berth in the Europe at the Olympic Games.

Five months later, Meg reaped the benefits of all the years of training and competing.  Her domination of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – where she won 13 of 14 races -- left her in a position to sit out the final two races of the series. 

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