Tulsa Rowing Club Juniors Medal at the Head of the Oklahoma Regatta

10/10/2008


TULSA OK - The Tulsa Rowing Club Juniors rowed their way to five medals against some of the nation’s best crews Oct. 4-5 at the Head of the Oklahoma regatta in Oklahoma City.

The Tulsa Juniors won gold in the Women’s Youth Four and Women’s Youth Novice Eight competitions. Silver medals were awarded for the Women’s Youth Novice Four and the Men’s Youth Four events, and bronze medals were awarded to the Women’s Youth Eight crew.

The Head of the Oklahoma is one of the nation’s top rowing regattas, where athletes compete in a 2.5 mile race on the Oklahoma River in downtown Oklahoma City. The crews start two at a time, vying for position as they go through a series of turns and bridges and ending with a straightaway to the finish line. Twenty high school crews competed in the 2008 regatta.

“Our results indicate one of the best starts to a season that we’ve ever had,” said TRC Juniors head coach Neil Bergenroth. “It promises to be a great year for the club if we can build upon these results from the Head of the Oklahoma.”

On October 19, the Women’s Youth Four crew will be competing in the largest 2-day rowing event in the world – the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. The race draws approximately 7,500 athletes and 300,000 spectators each year, as rowers navigate the Charles River, which separates Boston and Cambridge Massachusetts. The 3.2 mile course has many challenging twists and turns, including seven bridges. The crew representing Tulsa Rowing Club Juniors will include: Rachel Ellinor (coxswain)- Holland Hall, Gentry Klawitter (Stroke)- Booker T. Washington, Anna Royce (3-seat)- Holland Hall, Andrea Joyce (2-seat)- Holland Hall, Molly McSweeny (bow)- Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences, and Stephanie Ames (alternate)- Union.