Row-A-Thon demonstrates love for river sports

The Tulsa Youth Rowing Association held its 11th Annual Row-A-Thon at the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks on Saturday.

Many of Saturday’s rowers have also been actively attending town hall meetings about raising the river water in Tulsa, and pushing for Arkansas River development.

Caroline Hughes, girls’ varsity captain and Edison High School senior, is one of them.

Hughes recalled asking the City Council if they considered how a lack of a river might affect recreational activities like rowing.

“They said that was one of their main goals and that they had put a lot of thought into that,” Hughes said. “So that was definitely an uplifting moment.”

Tulsa City Councilor GT Bynum stopped by Saturday’s event, to show his appreciation for an involved community of young people.

“I just love that there are young people in Tulsa that are thinking about how we can improve our city for the long haul rather than thinking about their future in some other community,” City Councilor GT Bynum said.

Bynum says it’s not just Tulsa but Jenks, Sand Springs, Bixby, Tulsa County working together to put a river proposal forward.

“We have engineers right now developing the cost estimates they’ll have those to us by the last day in April and then we will spend May and June using that information, holding town hall meetings, to put together a proposal,” Bynum said. “My hope is that by the end of the summer we’ll have voted to put that on a ballot for a vote this fall.”

Connor McLellan, also an Edison High School senior, said when he began rowing six years ago, there was water in the river.

“I don’t remember anyone telling me we didn’t have water,” McLellan said. “I just remember after a few days they were like we’re going to start going to Catoosa because we don’t water here to row on.”

McLellan said the idea of water returning to the Arkansas River makes him happy because a lot of his fondest memories in rowing were here in Tulsa.

Saturday’s Row-A-Thon hopes to raise $25,000. Team rowers from high schools and middle schools across Green Country will row as much as possible within eight hours, using indoor rowing machines.

“The goal is for every athlete in the program to row at least 30 kilometers on the rowing machine,” Head Coach Neil Bergenroth said. “They garner support from friends, family and other friends of the club.”

Rowers can be sponsored per kilometer or for a flat rate.

Bergenroth says the funds raised will be used for a new club boathouse.

“We’re looking for this fundraiser to help the next stage of our story,” Bergenroth said. “To find a new home, to find a place on the river and to continue to provide and serve the community as best we can with these types of rowing opportunities.”

The club has a busy month next month ahead of its Spring season. TYRA is offering an introductory course for people who are interested in rowing, as well as traveling to Dallas for a rowing competition.

More information here.