2019 Tulsa Rowing Foreign Tour – Blog Entry #6
6/27/2019 3:43:00 PM | Rowing
The Tulsa rowing team is on an 18-day foreign tour to Venice, Italy, Bled, Slovenia, and Henley on Thames, England. The team will have some fun, as well as practice and compete in the Bled International Regatta (June 14-16) and Henley Women's Regatta (June 21-23). To document their adventure, six different rowers will blog about a three-day time period.
Today's final entry is from Nicole Workman, a junior from Bartlesville, Okla.
Sunday, June 23, 2019:
On Sunday morning, most of the team found itself along the banks of the Thames, preparing to cheer on our last remaining boat as it raced down the course. The boat, our Lightweight Double comprised of Sarolta Papp and Sophia Camara-Py, went off for its first head-to-head race at 10:19 am, Henley time, against a double out of Upper Thames Rowing Club. The competition included a rower who had won the Lightweight Double event back in '98, and also happened to be hosting several of the crew during our stay in Henley. Long story short, the Tulsa Double handily won their first semifinal, which put them in the final for their racing category. After what was hopefully a relaxing few hours, the Lightweight Double backed into the stake boat again, ready to face their final opponent: a young crew out of Nottingham University. The race went off at 2:30 pm, and the Tulsa fans were soon cheering loudly as our boat raced passed us at the halfway point with at least a half a boat length up on Nottingham. At that point, we were confident that neither Sarolta nor Sophia would cede to their opponent, but it was still a bit of a nail biter as we waited for the official result of the race. Sarolta and Sophia won! The trip had been worth it on its own, but seeing our teammates win at Henley Women's made the experience that much more special.
Just as special for me personally, was having my family at the regatta with me. I was able to spend the time in between races with them, and they came out to support the team on our last day of racing before they travelled back to Oklahoma the following morning.
All-in-all, Sunday was a fun and exciting day. After the regatta, many team members celebrated the end to a successful few days of racing, and others additionally started their journey home or departed with family.
Monday, June 24, 2019:
Monday was the first of two days per year we get to enjoy off from training. (Just kidding – we really get four days off!) The team broke into small groups to venture into London, Oxford, or other nearby towns to explore what - besides rowing - the UK has to offer. My group travelled into London to check out some of the tourist destinations: Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. On the way, we walked through Hyde Park. Afterward, we visited to Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, and Piccadilly Circus (thanks to my host, Nicolaus Edwards, for the recommendation!). Within the various squares, we saw street performers (mostly mediocre ones, although one did juggle flaming batons while standing up and popping a wheelie on a bicycle) and beautiful architecture. We also stopped at the M&M super-store and Hamley's Toy Store, because why not? Sometime during all the site-seeing, we managed to visit a hair salon so one of our entourage could get a senior chop. After walking for nearly 6 hours, we welcomed the break! We then found some pasta for dinner and walked back to Paddington to start heading home.
Final steps tally: 25,604
Walking distance: 11.5 miles
Tuesday, June 25th, 2019:
On Tuesday, we decided to return to London, this time taking a more northern route around the city. Once we had seen all we wanted to see, we planned on leaving London through the London Bridge Station instead of Paddington, where we arrived, as this would have required the least amount of doubling-back through the city. A foolproof endeavor, no? Anyway, we started the day off by walking to Abbey Road, where we of course had to recreate the iconic Beatles album cover. Next, we visited 221B Baker Street before walking through Regent's Park, where we found Queen Mary's Rose garden. We "stopped to smell the roses" for a while before continuing our trek to Camden Town and Camden Town Market. The area had a cool grunge vibe, and the shops were interesting, to be sure. After wandering through the market's merchant stalls, we walked along Regent's Canal to King's Cross Station. There, we stopped by platform 9 ¾ (it was a tourist trap – I was disappointed) before getting on the tube. (Or is it called a subway? Or underground train? You tell me.) Arriving next at London Bridge, we confidently strode out onto the massive structure. We quickly realized that we actually wanted to be on Tower Bridge, instead, which is about a 10-minute walk down the Thames River. It was at this point we decided we needed some fish and chips (and a hamburger and a pizza) before travelling back to Henley. Unfortunately, someone (me) did not fully research our return route, so instead of the trip home only taking an hour and a half, the trip ended up taking 3 and half hours, including 4 separate train rides and a few sprints between platforms. On the plus side, we made it back before midnight!
Final steps tally: 28,734
Walking distance: 12 miles
Players Mentioned
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Tuesday, May 07
ROW | Brandon Campbell ESPN+ Halftime Interview
Monday, February 26
ROW | Eye of the Hurricane Podcast | Progress on Spring 2023 Season
Friday, April 14
ROW | Sports Report with Brandon Campbell
Wednesday, September 28