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| Going for gold Local sailor heading to Olympics with sights set on medaling By Jon Malavolti The number eight is considered lucky in China, and that could bode well for Grosse Pointe native Carrie Howe. Howe, who first fell in love with sailing at 8 years old, will be competing in the Yngling-class sailing competition in the 2008 Summer Olympics — scheduled to begin at 8:08:08 p.m. Aug. 8 in Beijing. Howe got her start at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, and competitive sailing appealed to her from the beginning. “I was just an athlete in general, and I have an attitude to not give up,” Howe said. The club, where she still helps out with youth sailing programs when she’s in town, plans on hosting a fundraiser for Howe July 17 and a farewell party July 19. Fast out of the gate It was there she met her future teammates Debbie Capozzi and Sally Barkow who sailed for Old Dominion University. The trio got off to a quick start in 2003, leading Howe to believe they were destined for big things. “We won our first event, and all the sudden I saw this opportunity to be the best team in the world,” she said. The trio set a goal of winning the gold medal in this year’s Olympics and set off to gain experience international competition. Nicknamed “Team 7,” they found success in places such as Europe, China and Miami. “We have a really good track record,” Howe said. “I think we’ve sailed in 40 large international events, and we’ve been on the podium in like 85 percent of them and won the gold in maybe 50 percent of them.” The team clinched a spot on Team U.S.A. with the best combined score among U.S. sailors at the past two World Championships, finishing second in 2007 and fourth this year. Dedication to the sport has propelled Howe and her teammates. “They have put in years of preparation on the water and in the gym,” said Gary Bodie, the high performance director of the U.S. Sailing Team. Howe’s calendar has been full of competition and training since setting her goal of winning at the Olympics. “We’ve kind of put our lives on pause and took this on,” she said of her team. “At the moment, we’re all extremely exhausted.” Against the odds Bodie said Howe is the smallest member of her team, and “undoubtedly the smallest middle crew” member in the world. “Carrie is an accomplished skipper in her own right, and she brings a keen tactical and strategic perspective to the team,” Bodie said. “She is also an excellent spinnaker trimmer.” Howe and her teammates will need that experience if they want to best what will be tough and unique conditions when the races take place Aug. 9-18 near Qingdao, a coastal city in northeast China. “In August, it’s extremely humid, and (there’s) a very small chance for wind, and extremely hot,” she said. “For us, it’s going to be extremely trying. We’ve all learned to love the light air and the heat, but it’s not our favorite. We’re a very technical sailboat, so it’s made us have to readjust our program to design for conditions like that.” Each day participants will compete in a pair of races and earn points based on their finish. One point goes to the first-place finisher, and the team with the lowest score at the end of the competition wins. Its past successes and dedication have made Team 7 a favorite to medal. According to Howe and Bodie, England, Germany, Russia and Spain should also compete for medals, while Finland, the Netherlands and Norway are possible dark horse contenders. “We have very high expectations,” Bodie said. “They’re certainly capable of being on the podium and even winning the gold.” Howe said she and her teammates are excited to compete and hopefully finish out their journey on a high note. “It’s such a great feeling when you can put a close to a goal that you make,” Howe said. You can reach Sports Writer Jon Malavolti at jmalavolti@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1040. |