4/4/2007

Holland Hall has added rowing to its athletic programs.

Steve Heldebrand, athletic director at the school, said rowing will be an exhibition sport for 2007 and 2008 as officials determine whether the school can support a crew.

"There is a financial commitment to the crew, and we want to see if there is an interest in the sport," Heldebrand said.

Seven Holland Hall students are rowing for the Tulsa Rowing Club Juniors, which practices and holds regattas along the Arkansas River, near River West Festival Park, 715 W. 21st St.

Neil Bergenroth, an eighth-grade teacher at Holland Hall, coaches the club.

He also coaches the students from Holland Hall when they represent the school.

Since 2003, Bergenroth, a former collegiate rower at Boston University, has seen the popularity of rowing among area youths increase from 10 students to 36.

Area high schools with rowers in the club include Jenks, Union and Booker T. Washington.

The club's recent success in the water is keeping pace with its increase in members. In the past several years, 10 students have gone on to row in college.

"It's gotten to the point that our athletes are ready for college," Bergenroth

A rowing team at Holland Hall would give its students another opportunity to receive a college scholarship, he added.

Hunter Wagner, a senior at Holland Hall, and a member of the Tulsa Rowing Club Juniors, feels the school will have enough students who want to row.

"It's one of the best sports out there, and it's one of the most intense and enduring," Wagner said. "It's also very competitive. … (It's) a thrill to race out in the water."

Sophomore Evan Gates said he likes rowing because it keeps him in shape.

Rowing has not only improved students' overall fitness, but it has given students who are not exceptional athletes an opportunity to participate.

Freshman Hannah Newman admits she is not highly athletic, but as the team's coxswain, she does not have to be a strong rower, because her role is to steer and lead the crew.

In March, Wagner and Jayson Williamson placed fourth among 16 crews in the Heart of Texas Regatta, which was held in Austin.

"It was nice knowing after all this hard work, we were now doing something for our school," Williamson said.

Crews from Holland Hall will compete in the Southwest Preparatory Conference, which already has schools from Texas with rowing crews, Heldebrand said.

Other members of the Holland Hall team include Nick Johnson, Geffrey Mosely and Anna Royce.

A regatta has been scheduled for April 28 along the Arkansas River near River Fest West Festival Park to give members of the Tulsa Rowing Club Juniors an opportunity to display their sport. Area school administrators will be invited to the event, Bergenroth said.

Williamson said he hopes other area schools will consider starting a rowing program so some of his teammates on the Tulsa Rowing Club Juniors can represent their schools.

For more information about the regatta, call 599-8115 or visit www.tulsajuniorsrowing.org.

By David Schulte World Staff Writer