Youth Rowing Is Back in Tulsa
With the opening of Zink Lake, Tulsa Youth Rowing Association returns to the Arkansas River.
On Labor Day Weekend, the city celebrates the long-awaited opening of Zink Lake and the new Williams Crossing Pedestrian Bridge. For Tulsa Youth Rowing Association (TYRA), the event signals the program’s return to the Arkansas River after several years training on the Verdigris River in Catoosa during the construction of the dam, lake, bridge and associated infrastructure.
“We’re super excited about getting back on the Arkansas and being right there in the downtown-midtown area with accessibility to potential athletes and their families,” says TYRA president, Joe Pace.
The youth rowing program began in 1989 under “Tulsa Rowing Club,” which was created by Tulsa philanthropist and former rower, Dr. Charles Oliphant. TYRA became its own independent organization in 2013. The nonprofit teaches youth (ages 13-18) rowing fundamentals, while providing opportunities to compete in races, or “regattas,” as they’re known in the boat-racing world.
In addition to improving physical fitness, the sport of rowing can teach kids life skills like teamwork, resilience, self-management and accountability. Pace and his wife, Jenny, TYRA’s vice-president, have two sons who both participate in the program. They believe the rowing program and its community has been a positive influence on their kids.
“One of the reasons Jen and I have such a heart for it and why it’s been such a blessing for us is that we love that both of our boys are part of the team,” Pace says.
Before discovering rowing, the Paces’ eldest son had tried a number of sports.
“We looked at everything, and when we came across this, he connected with it, and he just thrived,” Pace says. “It’s a place where all these kids come together, and it’s inclusive and close-knit.”
Beyond the immediate benefits to the rowers, Pace sees the sport as an investment in their future.
“The college opportunities are absolutely phenomenal. We graduated five last year. Three had offers of full-ride or partial collegiate rowing scholarships,” he notes. “The success rate and the opportunity to continue rowing past high school at a collegiate level and help advance your career and life – that assistance is just huge for some of these kids. If we can create a pathway for future success in in these kids’ lives, that’s really what we’re excited about.”
During a normal season, which basically matches the school year, the program’s two-hour practices can be as frequent as six days a week. The extra time required to commute to Catoosa to train while the dam and bridge were under construction on the Arkansas River reduced the average number of program participants by half. Pace anticipates plenty of growth once TYRA returns to its base this month at the boathouse it shares with Tulsa Rowing Club, near 21st St. and Jackson Ave. Both Pace and his wife are looking forward to helping rebuild the program.
“I feel frazzled sometimes, but you know what? It’s worth it for these kids,” he says. “And not just my kids, it’s about all these kids. I love watching them grow and progress and develop.”
For more information, visit okrowing.org.
Big Dam Party
Celebrate the opening of Zink Lake and Whitewater Flume and the Williams Crossing Pedestrian Bridge at the Big Dam Party August 30-September 2. The free, all-ages Labor Day Weekend event takes place in and around the Gathering Place’s expanded riverfront lawn and includes the Big Dam Run, a one-mile fun run, and a concert from Hanson (8/31), along with the return of the Great Raft Race (9/2).
Arts and crafts, additional live entertainment, the world’s largest rubber duck, kayaking competitions, sailboat races and rowing regattas are all on the agenda for the weekend. Actor and musician C. Thomas Howell, who played “Ponyboy Curtis” in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 movie adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s 1967 novel, The Outsiders, will participate in “The Outsiders Experience,” providing live commentary during a screening of the movie. Food trucks will be onsite, and commemorative merchandise from Mythic Press is available for purchase. Although there is no cost to participate in the scheduled events, RSVPs are encouraged.
Visit bigdamparty.com for more information.
Julie Wenger Watson is a freelance writer who’s worked in all aspects of music promotion. She’s also Co-Director of “Live From Cain’s,” a public radio show pilot.
