Tulsa Youth Rowing Association Well Represented At The Dallas SWEAT Indoor Rowing Tournament.
On Saturday, February 4th, 2017 the Tulsa Rowing Club competed in the South West Ergometer Amateur Tournament held in Dallas, TX. The club performed exceptionally well in both the adult and junior categories. This indoor rowing event features events for different age and weight categories. Individual athletes compete over two thousand meters on Concept 2 rowing machines and try to record the fastest time possible in their age and experience categories. TYRA represented Tulsa well with many top finishes in different events.
Thomas Rex placed 2nd in the high school freshman event with a personal best time of 6:54.9. Of his efforts, Thomas said this –
“The real prize that you get from rowing, isn’t a medal if you win or if you don’t. It’s rowing a race, with every ounce of strength and power that you have in your body, and knowing that you left everything on that racecourse. Also, it’s fun to win. I mean who doesn’t love being praised for hours and hours of hard work? In the Dallas, SWEAT competition I think that I achieved everything that I wanted to. I set my personal record, ranked 2nd, and left everything on that erg. So, yes it was definitely worth almost 2 years of training for that honor”.
Read More of Thomas’s Story >>
Senior Iain Kazmierczak rowed in the men’s junior open category and placed 3rd in the region. Kazmierczak has been recruited by Cornell university and will be rowing against IVY league competition this fall.
“I am convinced that it is because of rowing that I will be attending an Ivy League university. In this time of ridiculously competitive college admissions, rowing truly set me apart. Thanks to TYRA, this transformational sport is available to middle school and high schoolers in the Tulsa area. Any 9th grader considering rowing at the collegiate level should start now. Even if you decide not to row in college, you will get in the best physical shape, join an incredible community, and enjoy a sport for life!”
Read more of Iain’s story >>
Booker T Washington senior Sydney McMahan rowed to a 7th place finish in the women’s junior single. This result was one the highest recorded by a Tulsa youth rowers in recent years. McMahon has been recruited to row in NCAA Division I for USC this coming fall.
Read More of Sydney’s story >>
Jordan Bollinger (BTW) rowed to an impressive 4th place finish in the women’s coxswain event. Gabby Orr (Jenks HS) placed 7th in the women’s high school freshman class.
Coach Tamara Clayton was pleased with the performance of her team. “Half of our athletes pulled personal best times, it’s a good indication that we are headed in the right direction”, said Clayton of the competition team performance.
The coaching staff also set a great example for their athletes. Varsity boys coach Micah Hartwell rowed to a 1st place finish in the men’s open lightweight category. Coach Tamara placed 4th in the women’s open category.
The club is currently recruiting 7th through 12th grade student athletes looking to try the sport for the first time. For more information, please visit the club website at www.okrowing.org or contact Coach Tamara Clayton at coacht@okrowing.org.
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