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2003 Pan
Am Games Team - Sailing |
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Name: |
Henry Filter |  |
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Class |
Snipe |
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Position |
Skipper |
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Pan Am Games Team: |
1999, 2003 |
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US Sailing Team: |
1993, 1999, 2003 |
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Member of: |
Severn Sailing Association | |
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High School: |
Green Farms Academy, 1979 | |
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College: |
Ohio Wesleyan, 1983 BA Economics |
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Birthdate: |
14 October 1961 |
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Birthplace: |
Syracuse, N.Y. | |
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Hometown: |
Stevensville, Md. | |
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Sailing Since Age: |
5 | |
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Name: |
Lisa Griffith |
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Class |
Snipe |
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Position |
Crew |
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Pan Am Games Team: |
2003 |
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US Sailing Team: |
2003 |
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Member of: |
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High School: |
Mission Bay High School, 1989 | |
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College: |
UC
Irvine, 1992 BA Economics Thunderbird School, '99 MBA |
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Birthdate: |
24 August 1971 | |
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Birthplace: |
Philadelphia, Pa. | |
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Hometown: |
San Diego, Calif./Phillipsburg, NJ | |
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Sailing Since Age: |
12 | |
| Winning
sailing medals is a common goal that sailor Henry Filter shares
with his wife Liz Merrifield-Filter, but it will be with crew Lisa
Griffith that he’ll attempt to win a Pan American Games medal in
the Snipe class. When Filter flies out to Santo Domingo for the
August event, he will miss -- by one day -- his wife flying in
from Europe, where she is crewing on a Yngling with an eye toward
the 2004 Olympics. "Even though we have to juggle work and two kids (a boy, 5 ½, and a girl, 3 ½), we both love the sport and feel the high level of competition adds fulfillment and balance to our lives," said Filter, who is a Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch. Griffith, began sailing at age 12 in California and was an ICSA All-American crew in 1992 while attending the University of California-Irvine. She hooked up with Filter last year at the Snipe Western Hemispheres, replacing Filter’s former crew Lori Stout, who sailed with him to a fifth-place finish at the 1999 Pan Am Games held in Canada. Like Filter, Griffith, who works in International Market Research for Merck & Co., Inc., must balance a busy work schedule with competition and regularly drives three hours to practice with Filter. "Lisa and I have worked a lot on our light-air skills," said Filter, who is most confident in heavy air and thinks the sailing venue in Santo Domingo will serve up light air in the morning and switch on to breeze in the afternoon. "At the Pan Am Trials, we won in three very light-air races after two of three race days had to be cancelled." For Griffith, a San Diego native, competing on an international level provides the opportunity for continuous personal improvement while meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. "When my mom first signed me up for the junior program at Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego, she hooked me with the idea that if I did really well with my lessons I could compete, and if I practiced a lot then one day I might be able to compete internationally." After she and Filter won the Colonial Cup in June, beating two-time Snipe National Champion Augie Diaz, Griffith is as ready as she will ever be. "We’re not content just to go and compete," said Filter. "My goal four years ago when I left Canada was to get back to the Pan Am Games and medal." Filters’ training regimen includes an aerobic workout with weights four to five days a week. He also tries to sail three to four days a week. Griffith works out at the Merck gym three times a week and sails almost every weekend from May through October. "Our motivation is the sense of accomplishment and to continuously get better over time, while sailing against the best in the world," said Filter. |
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