Rowing team recieves funding for boathouse
Jaqueline Malleo, Staff Writer
The University of Tulsa Women’s rowing team recently received a generous donation from James Bird that will allow the team to build a new boathouse.
Bird, an alumnus of Yale, is also a successful engineer, businessman, retired U.S. naval officer, and Tulsa supporter. Previously, he contributed a boat to the team, which was a key factor in TU’s development so far.
The members of the Bird family have been citizens of Tulsa for a long time; they have helped with many projects in the community, and have taken on a supportive role at TU.
The team previously shared a boathouse with the Tulsa Rowing Club on the Arkansas River, but it became problematic when the Arkansas River continued to get drier each year. The team was barely capable of maneuvering around the river, so Tulsa head coach Kevin Harris made an executive decision to move the team to Catoosa.
The move proved to be a successful change, where the women have more of an opportunity to practice for competitions.
Harris spoke about his team and how the structure has evolved over the years. This is his fifth year as head coach, and he has seen many challenges and improvements throughout his experiences here at Tulsa.
When he was asked about the team’s development over the years, Harris focused on the advances they have made.
“The team identity has changed a lot over the past years. The biggest change has been in the attitude of the rowers toward being a Division I sport. Rowing at TU was elevated from a club sport in the mid-90s but it wasn’t until 2000, after the team won the San Diego Crew Classic that people really started to take the team seriously in Tulsa,” Harris said.
“Even though I wasn’t here when that happened, I see that as the beginning of the team taking on the necessary attitude toward being successful at D-I.”
The team has taken great strides over the years and is now fortunate to have an indoor rowing facility and an erg room. Many rowing programs in colleges do not have the opportunity and facilities that TU now possesses. For the first time in TU rowing history, the team will now facilitate its own boathouse, which is planned to be completed in January.
“No way did I believe we would have a boathouse so soon,” Harris said. “I have to say that once our indoor facility was built, I thought it would be awhile before we could get people interested in helping us with another facility, especially one that was off campus,” said Harris.
“However, it was pretty obvious after last year that we needed to do something. The Arkansas was so dry that we could only practice on a quarter of our racing distance. I equate it to the soccer team only being able to practice from the goal to the penalty box or the basketball team only practicing within the key,” said Harris.
“Once people saw what the TU Rowers were dealing with, they wanted to help.”
The proposed structure of the boathouse is a simple steel building; it will occupy 500 square feet in Rogers Point Park in Catoosa. It will have electricity, heat, and plumbing for showers and restrooms. It will also be able to store all the current boats in TU’s fleet with room for expansion, as the team is always looking to grow.
There is also the possibility of supporting community and recreational rowing at the boathouse. The water can be maintained at a constant depth, so there is little threat of losing practice time on the Catoosa, as opposed to the Arkansas River.
“Luckily, we have a lot of people that support the TU Rowing Team and have worked hard to make sure that we can get things done. That is one of the things that makes TU such a great place, the people (alumni, community, staff, and professors) that support the students,” Harris said.
“What I have learned is that if there is a legitimate need for the students to be successful, people will find a way to help. All you have to do is look around campus to see that. Bayless Plaza, McFarlin Library, the new apartments, the Case Center, Reynolds Center. It goes on and on.”
The new rowing facilities have helped the team make great lengths in improvement. Without the support of the community and generous donations the team would not be able to be where they are now. The future of the team is only rising.
Tulsa’s Lightweight 4+ posted an eighth-place finish in a time of 19:36.08 on Sunday afternoon at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass. The Golden Hurricane also raced a Championship 4+, which tallied a 14th-place mark in a time of 19:22.30.
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