Page 15 - July/August Kwasind

ORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tate Howell
This July I will be competing at World Sailing’s Youth World Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas. Honoured, excited and nervous are a few of the words to describe my feelings about this incredible sailing opportunity. I’m Tate Howell and I am 15 years old. I began sailing at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club when I was 17 days old (less sailing, more being rocked in a Baby Bjorn by my mom). I jumped out of my parents’ keelboat and into an Optimist when I was 6 years old participating in sailing lessons at RCYC’s Junior Club for the next three summers before joining the RCYC Optimist Race Team in 2012.
I loved the Optimist! I learned so much about tactics, boat speed and friendship! While racing Optis I attended four national championships as well as the Optimist North American Championship in Antigua in 2016, and I was coached by some of the best Opti coaches including RCYC’s Osvaldo Padron.
When I graduated from Optis in early 2017, I knew I wanted to switch to double-handed and was considering the 29er. I accepted an invitation to sail 420s with a friend from my Opti days, Elsie Gillis, who sailed out of RNSYS in Halifax. Soon after I arrived in Nova Scotia, Elsie and I tried out an International 420 and there was no comparison. The i420 is lighter, can be sailed in heavier wind, is more technical than the C420 and can be tuned more accurately for a variety of conditions. So we bought an i420 and committed to the class. By the end of the summer we placed third at the 2017 Canadian Youth Champs, as 14-year-olds we were the youngest and newest to the boat, so we were pretty happy with our result.
Last fall, I teamed up with Madeline Gillis with the goal of qualifying for the 2018 Youth World’s team at the target event in Miami this past winter. Being selected to compete for Canada at Youth Worlds is a true honour. Our goal for Texas is to have a strong showing in the female field with consistent top ten results. We have also qualified for 420 Open Worlds in Newport, Rhode Island this August. This event will see the best i420 sailors from around the world on the shores of North America. Our goal is to be the top Canadian boat and place in the top third in the female division.
Qualifying for these events is an achievement but it’s after qualifying that the hard work begins. We don’t want to just participate at these prestigious events; we want to excel! Living in different provinces has its challenges but after spending a lot of time in Florida together, regularly Skyping with coaches, fitness training independently, as well as spending weekends in Halifax, we are now ready for the final push which includes training and competing in Kiel, Germany this June. The exposure to a higher level of competition will be great training for Youth Worlds, including pacing with world-class athletes in a bigger fleet.
Along with Will Bonin, sailing in his second Youth World’s, I am excited and proud to be representing my country and my Club this summer and I couldn’t have done it without the support of my parents and coaches. I also truly appreciate the support I’ve been given by RCYC Staff, Members and its Athlete Development Fund, Ontario Sailing and Quest for Gold support, as well of course to Sail Canada for selecting me and supporting my sailing dreams. Los Angeles 2028 is just around the corner!
Left and Above: Tate Howell with crewmate. Photos: Courtesy of Tate Howell KWASIND • JULY/AUGUST 2018 15
SAILING
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