TYRA is pleased to announce two invites were earned to USRowing Youth Nationals in the men’s junior pair and the women’s under-17 single. Max Tucker (Booker T. Washington senior) and Luke Brightmire (Bishop Kelley junior) rowed to a third place finish in their time trial on Saturday morning, which earned them a place in the final race. Additionally, Booker T. Washington sophomore Halee McMahan finished third and earned a place in the final. Due to high winds on Sunday, though, final races were canceled, so qualifications for Nationals were issued to the top three places in selected events, ensuring bronze medals for the Tulsa Youth athletes.
Respectable Finishes
Supplementing the strong performances already mentioned, TYRA had respectable finishes from Emory Oakes (Lincoln Christian School) in the under-17 single, placing sixth (her first single race). The TYRA women’s youth four, a mostly novice crew, placed fourth in their time trial against varsity entries, just narrowly missing an invite to nationals (Julia Krutz, Lincoln Christian; Caroline Briggs, Holland Hall; Teagan Castleberry, Epic Charter Schools; Halee McMahan, Booker T. Washington; and coxswain Will Johns, Bixby).
“This was an awesome weekend for TYRA, even though it was filled with curveballs. Our men’s pair was the first race of the day, and the women’s under-17 single followed after that, so those boats really had ideal conditions,” said Head Coach Valentino Angelini. “Conditions started to deteriorate later in the day, however the boats we were racing still qualified for their finals on Sunday which was so cool to see! The winds ramped up considerably overnight making racing impossible on Sunday, leading USRowing officials to cancel races. Regardless, I’m really happy to see the kids race their time trials hard and made it to the finals, as well as qualify for Youth Nationals. All members of the team put in a solid performance over the weekend, sending all but three of our boats to the finals; it was a huge win for TYRA, especially this weekend when we raced the other powerhouse teams in the central district. I’m pleased to see that all of our training, dedication, hard work, and long hours at practice is paying off. Overall, it was a weekend to remember. Next up: Sarasota!”
Hard Work Pays Off
“I couldn’t have been happier with my results. They show how much I wanted it and how putting in the work will get me where I want to be. I’m so glad to be a part of a supportive team where we all push each other to improve. Next up, Florida!” said Halee McMahan of her success.
“It was all kind of a blur. One minute Max and I were rowing to the start, the next we were carrying our boat back and hearing we placed third. It was definitely a good feeling to be able to fall back on our training since during the race we just got out of our heads. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to race Sunday, but I am extremely excited to be going to Nationals,” said Luke Brightmire.
USRowing Youth Nationals will be in Sarasota, FL at Nathan Benderson Park, June 9-12.
Upcoming TYRA Events:
- Free Learn to Row Clinic, 10 am-12 pm, May 21, at the University of Tulsa. No experience is necessary. For more information and registration visit here,
- Summer Camps, June 6-July 1, Mon-Fri, 5-7 pm. For more information and registration visit this link.
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