Tamara Clayton
Click
here for pictures
|
Somewhere in our hallways is an eighth
grade girl. She used to be shy, but lately she seems to have
opened up a lot. She took tennis lessons, but now only has
time for an occasional tournament and some recreational playing.
She's been on the front page of a local newspaper, and is
frequently seen in neighboring states wearing a blue shirt
with 20 other teens. She's a rower.
Tamara Clayton still likes to hang with friends
and go biking, but she's had less time for these simple pleasures
lately. Her interest in the sport of crew began with a trip
to a TU women's ball game, where she noticed the different
sports booths placed above the game taking place. Rowing caught
Tamara's eye, but because she was only thirteen she had to
wait a year before trying her hand at it. A week before her
fourteenth birthday she showed up at the boathouse, and she's
never looked back.
Tamara is a member of the Tulsa Rowing Club Juniors
team (juniors include teens 14-18 years of age). She competed
this fall at regattas in Austin, Texas and Wichita, Kansas.
In November, Miss Clayton rowed thirty-one miles in a single
day to help raise money for the team. On January fifteenth,
she went to Dallas for the southwest indoor rowing tournament,
where she shaved ten seconds off her previous best time for
two thousand meters. The spring rowing season starts in March,
and she's working hard to be ready.
So how do Tamara's parents feel about their daughter's
new sport? Her dad thinks it's great, saying, "Athletics help
improve your mind for a profession later in life. It gives
you the drive to be successful and sets a foundation for your
work ethic." Mom puts it more simply, "I like seeing my daughter
being committed in a sport." And committed she is. Says Tamara,
"Some days after school I feel like collapsing, but when my
parents pick me up and say, 'Are you ready for rowing?' I
feel like dying. But commitment is a big thing in my life,
so I go anyway."
Although the idea of a rowing scholarship or
a trip to the Olympics has appeal, Tamara is chiefly interested
in the exercise benefits and having a good time. Asked what
she would say to a friend who was interested in rowing, she
replied, "Its fun, you should try it! It's hard work and if
you're up for the challenge, go for it. If I can do it, so
can you!"
If you would like to learn to row, please visit
the rowing team's website at www.tulsajuniorsrowing.org.
A Learn to Row Week will be held February 14-19, so if it
sounds good to you, do like Tamara says, "Go for it!"
Story by Melanie Black |
