You can help us qualify for the 2016 Olympics!

"Here's to strong women. May we know them, may we be them,

may we raise them."

Welcome, and we’re glad you’re here! We are Paris Henken and Helena Scutt.

Paris, 19, grew up in San Clemente and Coronado, CA, before starting at the College of Charleston, SC. Helena, 23, is from Kirkland, WA and graduated from Stanford University in 2014.

We are the #1 49erFX team on the US Sailing Team Sperry and we’re training full-time to represent the USA at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, only 9 months away!

In order to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials in January and February, our goal is to raise $15,000 by November 13. 

Why Should I Support You?

Almost a year ago, we put our degrees on hold (Paris' bachelor's and Helena's master's) in order to pursue the biggest goal of our lives. We may be young, but there is no other USA FX team that has put in the time on the water than we have, has competed in as many championships as we have, or has consistently performed at the top level like we have. Some of our achievements are:

• Bronze Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games in July
• Two-time 49erFX US National Champions
• USA representative at the 2015 Rio Test Event in August
• #25 in ISAF World Rankings and still moving up

How Did You Get Here?

Vision, dedication, and just “sending it”!

In 2012, the 49erFX was announced as the new women’s boat for the 2016 Olympics. The national team coaches saw our talent and paired us up for a training camp in March 2013… and we never looked back.

While still in high school and college, over the next two years we fought through unexpected challenges and now we remain unbeaten by other USA teams in the last 16 months.

Why Do You Need My Support?

What many people do not realize is that there is a very large gap between our expenses and the amount of funding that the US Sailing Team Sperry can offer us.

We expect the costs up to the Olympics to approach $100,000. Our goal here is to raise $15,000 by November 13 in order to compete in the US Olympic Trials. 

We’re only 3 months away from the trials - the make-or-break of our Olympic effort. To qualify for the Games, we need to be the top USA team when our finishes at those two events are combined:

1. ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Jan 25-30 2016
2. 2016 World Championships, Clearwater FL, Feb 9-14 2016

With your help, we will be ready. The money we raise here will go directly to:

Housing in Miami, FL and Clearwater, FL: $1,450

Two new sets of sails: $7,650

Coaching for two regattas: $4,900

Entry fees: $1,000

Total: $15,000

WOAH! That’s a Lot of Money!

That’s probably why you’ll find us eating oatmeal in the morning (bang for your buck!) and sewing up the holes in our wetsuits at night. But we are so passionate about what we do, and a little help from a lot of you adds up to a lot!

Supporting us financially is a tremendous gesture of your belief in us, and we are so appreciative. It's also SO MUCH MORE: beyond being the push to victory at the US Olympic Trials, it is a statement that you know the importance of strong role models. Our young sailors, especially girls, need inspirational figures in order to believe that if they throw their time and energy into a big, ambitious goal, and live with honesty and integrity, that they can succeed.

Join Our Team and Spread the Word!

If you want to be able to say “I helped them, I contributed to that,” when you see us on TV in Rio next August, now is your chance! Please don’t delay - we have just 3 months until the Olympic trials. Every day we are preparing and we need your support.  

Are There Other Ways To Help?

Please help us get this campaign in front of as many people as possible by sending this page to your friends, family, colleagues, networking groups or email groups.

If you have any connection to someone at a company that may be interested in sponsoring us and taking advantage of our dynamic billboard, please let us know!

We can also use your donated airmiles - please email us at henkenscuttsailing@gmail.com.

Please use the buttons to the left to share our rally!

Example Tweet:

My friends @henkenscutt2016 could qualify for the #Olympics in #sailing! Support them here: https://www.rallyme.com/rallies/2222/henkenscuttsailing/ #henkenscutt2016

Example Facebook Post:

How often do you get to join a journey to the Olympics?! Paris Henken & Helena Scutt are reaching out to all of us to help them win the US Olympic Trials. I’ve supported #henkenscutt2016 on RallyMe and I hope you will too! Watch their video at https://www.rallyme.com/rallies/2222/henkenscuttsailing/.

THANK YOU!

For more photos, video, and stories, visit our website: http://henkenscuttsailing.com

Reach out to us with any questions or comments at henkenscuttsailing@gmail.com

Never underestimate the power of teamwork. We can’t wait to see your name on our boat!

Our Team

We'd like to thank our parents, families, coaches, the communities of San Clemente, San Diego, Seattle, Kirkland, Stanford, and Charleston, and the organizations that have helped us reach this amazing opportunity:

• US Sailing Team Sperry
• Expedia
• St Francis Sailing Foundation & St Francis YC 
• Seattle Yacht Club Foundation & Seattle YC
• Sailing Foundation of New York
• Oakcliff Sailing Center
• San Diego YC
• Coronado YC