Team Seven - Despite Deluge, Pewaukee Shows Olympic Spirit

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Despite Deluge, Pewaukee Shows Olympic Spirit

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Qingdao, China
June 24, 2008

As Team Seven continues training and acclimatizing in Qingdao we remain pumped up and energized by the great show of support we received in Pewaukee, Wisconsin right before we left the States to come here. The occasion was the Sail for Gold Gala at the Pewaukee Yacht Club, in Pewaukee, Wisc.

Rain, and more rain

In the worse rain storm in the history of Wisconson, nearly 400 supporters showed up at the Pewaukee YC for a joint benefit for Team 7 and John Ruf, Pewaukee’s paralympic 2.4R metre sailor. Altogether $85,000 was raised for our program and John’s. It has been reported that more rain fell during that storm and in the next three days, than Wisconsin has ever had in any month in history. Not everyone braved the horrendous conditions. In all there were 560 reservations which, however, we saw as an enormous vote of confidence.

America’s 1972 Olympic medallists Buddy Melges and Bill Allen were there to share their wisdom and enthusiasm and warm the crowd up for live and silent auctions that raised $39,000. Items for sale ranged from a skiing package at the Ski Lodge in Crested Butte to Harken Beer Coolers. There was something for everyone.

Tornado warning

Special items for sale included Sea Bags made from Team Seven’s used sails and signed posters from an original artwork by local artist, Lynn Casper, who portrayed us leading the fleet during a mark rounding, in anticipation of an Olympic Gold Medal win. More of these posters are still available for sale. Your purchase will help support the team.

Party time

Attendees also had an opportunity to buy official Olympic flags signed by Sally and John Ruf. Over 200 were sold and you can be sure that anyone visiting Pewaukee will become aware of our local support.

RW Baird & Company, an investment firm based in Milwaukee, underwrote the evening. The Band, 'Piles of Rhythm', was underwritten by the Inland Lake Yachting Association. Food for the evening was donated by five popular local restaurants – The Brewhaus, The Chancery, Kahunas, Mader’s and Qdoba. One thousand chicken wings were donated by Fox Brothers Piggly Wiggly. Volunteers from Pewaukee and Pine Lakes cooked the wings and made salads and desserts.

Pewaukee Sailing School donated the use of its tents and erected them. The Organizing Committee wishes to offer its special thanks to them and for putting them up a second time and a third in the terrible weather conditions. What a great group of volunteers.

The organizing Committee also wishes to thank the auctioneer Mike Gerlach, and his helpers, Jim Smith & Lou Morgan. Card Imaging provided the name tags while Russ Darrow Group organized the parking shuttles; HM Graphics printed the posters and Harken presented a great slide show of Team Seven and John Ruf that played throughout the evening. Norris Linens for donating the tablecloths, while Sir Speedy Buffalo Grove printed the programs. Local sailor Jeff LaBonte designed the logo for the occasion.

Team Seven wants to offer its own thanks to the Organizing Committee which included Dick and Leslie Barkow, Carl and Sarah Spencer , Fritz and Sally Ruf, Suzi Reese and ILYA Commodore Candace Porter. Thanks too to the Auction Committee headed by Dale and Nancy Roble and assisted by Tim O'Malley, Julia Rolfs and many, many more wonderful volunteers.

Please spread the word with your friends and fellow sailors to Join the Team to receive our regular updates and, if they wish, to make a donation. Our Join the Team page uses the secure Kintera support software which allows users to sign up for updates, make donations, and easily invite friends and fellow yacht club members to become involved. There is a live display showing a running total of all donations. You can even start your own fundraising team. The current top team is Bee Anderson’s Old Grands. Please check it out.

Carrie Howe

for Team Seven Sailing -
- Sally Barkow, Debbie Capozzi, Carrie Howe