People: Jun. 2, 1986

“I started way back with equipment that now looks like it belongs in the age of dinosaurs,” recalls Sailboarder Kathy Steele. But in recent years the sport has been taking off, with Steele riding gorgeously on the crest. In training for the past seven years, Steele, 25, is the only female member of the U.S. boardsailing team and is ranked fourth in the nation. Last week at the Women’s Sports Foundation’s awards banquet in San Francisco, Steele was honored as one of ten up-and-coming women athletes. She appreciates the recognition, but would trade her banquet seat anytime for another 20-mile sailboard cruise down Chesapeake Bay like the one she recently took with Husband Scott. Says Steele: “Now that was a kick.”