Emma Reynolds: Rowing Into The Future
By Kenzee Hampton
Emma Reynolds, a senior at Owasso High school, has consistently learned from her sport and teammates. Reynolds has been rowing for four years now and has discovered the beauty within her sport.
She states, “There is a lot more involved with rowing than I thought; it is a lot more technical and team-based.”
Throughout her time as a rower, the sport has taught her not only skills within her sport, but life skills as well. Rowing is a very physically demanding sport, and through the rough practices, Reynolds has learned many life lessons.
Picture of the Tulsa Youth Rowing Team at a Practice; Photo Taken By Isley Steger
Reynolds asserts, “The hard practices have taught me perseverance and leadership.”
Learning perseverance has been a big factor in Reynolds’s rowing career, and her team and coaches have helped her grow to the point of understanding that in everything she does, she has to keep pushing, not just to help herself improve but to better the team also.
Reynolds declares, “Being a team-based sport helps me because it makes me want to be fast for my team since we are rowing in the same boat. If I am not doing my best, it affects everybody.”
Reynolds has just recently hit an obstacle. In mid-November, she was injured and could not row for around four months. She had a hip flexor injury. Even though she is facing troubles, she is not lowering her standards for herself. She plans to jump back into the sport and get back to where she was before her injury or even better than before.
While injured, Reynolds has had a great support system, her team.
Reynolds continues on by saying, “[My team has helped me] mentally and physically. [Mentally by] being there for me and cheering me on, and physically by encouraging me to do my physical therapy and at-home workouts so I can get back with the team as soon as possible.”
Picture of the Tulsa Youth Rowing team, Photo Taken by Tuesday Guthery.
With Tulsa Youth Rowing being a club team, it has brought new people into Reynolds’s life.
She states, “It’s nice because I would have never met any of the people on my team if it wasn’t for rowing since most of them attend other schools.”
Reynolds describes her team as a family, especially after seeing them five days a week due to practice. She loves how the team always makes exercises fun and regatta (rowing competition) trips memorable.
As her senior year continues, she realizes she needs to start planning for college. Reynolds plans to take a gap year for athletic scholarships for rowing. She wants to major in veterinary science.
She states, “The University of Texas is my school choice. I am in contact with them, but I will not be recruited till next fall because of my gap year.”
Reynolds encourages others to look into joining Tulsa Youth Rowing if you are looking for a sport with a family atmosphere and a group of hard workers. You can check them out by going to their website atokrowing.org or check out their Instagram page @tulsayouthrowing.