By Francine Amaker
Correspondent
Article dated July 21, 1992

Anita Howard is not satisfied just being an alternate on an Olympic team. She wants to run in Barcelona and get a medal.

Howard, a rising senior at the University of Florida, finished sixth at the Olympic trials and earned an alternate spot on the 4x400-meter relay team.

Being an alternate puts Howard in an unusual position because only those running in preliminary or final rounds will receive a medal if they win in Barcelona. Howard said being an alternate means there's added pressure to prove herself.

``The coaches decide who runs,'' Howard said in a telephone interview from Narbonne, France. ``They make their decision based on times and experience. You have to run in one of the rounds to get a medal, so I want to get some good times and prove I'm capable of running a leg on the relay.''

Howard is brushing up on her times by training at the track and field camp in Narbonne.

Howard says there is one main thing she wants to do between now and Barcelona.

``Maybe I can run in one of the trials and qualify,'' Howard said. ``I just want to go out there and represent my country.''

Howard said her best time in the 440-meter dash is 51.01 seconds and that is slower than the other members of the U.S. team, but she thinks she can improve.

To do that, Howard follows a training regimen given by her coach, Barbara Kearney.

``I usually start out with a jog, a warm-up, stretching and some drills,'' Howard said. ``Then I run some all-out 200 and 300-meter dashes and call my coach and let her know the times.''

Howard said she has to make up for one day of practice she missed because her leg was sore.

Humphrey said the alternates have a good chance of running in Barcelona if they get good time trials.

``The coaches see how everyone's time and fitness is,'' Humphrey said. ``Then they decide who gets to run. So if their times are good, they could get a chance to run, but the coach makes the decision.''