FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Marlieke de Lange Eaton
401-683-0800
Yngling
Sailors Barkow, Howe and Capozzi
Qualify for U.S. Olympic Team
Portsmouth, R.I. (February 15, 2008) - For Yngling sailors Sally Barkow
(Nashotah, Wis.), Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Debbie Capozzi
(Bayport, N.Y.) it is official: after years of hard work, the team is bound
for China this summer to represent the USA at the 2008 Olympic Games.
"We're very excited to be on the Olympic Team," said skipper Sally Barkow
moments after getting off the water. "We have a long road ahead of us to get
ready for the tough competition in China, but we're looking forward to it."
After earning a fourth overall finish at the Yngling Women's World
Championship earlier today in Miami, Fla., the trio - also referred to as
Team 7 - successfully completed qualification for the U.S. Olympic Team for
Sailing. US SAILING's Olympic Sailing Committee will now officially nominate
the Team to the U.S. Olympic Committee.
"We're excited to have Sally, Carrie and Debbie on the 2008 Olympic Team,"
said Dean Brenner, Chair of US SAILING's Olympic Sailing Committee. "Their
record over the last four years speaks for itself, and they have earned the
right to represent the United States."
The competition at the Yngling Women's World Championship was fierce, with
several countries still hoping to qualify for a berth at the Games. Team 7
earned the Yngling berth for the USA last August after winning a silver
medal at the 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais, Portugal,
which was also the first event of two that would determine the USA
representatives to the Games.
"We had to fight hard to come back from behind," said Barkow, the 2007 US
SAILING Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, about the team's fourth place finish
at the Worlds. "It wasn't easy but we did a pretty good job."
The 2008 Olympic Games will take place August 8–24. The Olympic regatta will
be held in Qingdao, China, a coastal city located 430 miles east of Beijing.
The USA has qualified for a berth in all 11 Olympic and 3 Paralympic
classes. Athletes for the other Olympic and Paralympic sailing events were
named after the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials - Sailing were held
last fall.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams - Sailing are managed by US SAILING,
national governing body for the sport. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in
Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport
of sailing in the United States. US SAILING offers training and education
programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of
sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates,
and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the
country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and
Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit
www.ussailing.org.
(End)