Tralee Rowing Club Junior Wins 1st Place at Muckross HOR Rowing Event
(TRC Press Release 04/12/17) A Tralee Rowing Club junior member won 1st place for the club at the Muckross Head of the River (HOR) on Saturday, only a week after another junior competitor achieved the same result in an indoor rowing championship.
Béla Winde finished in 1st place on the J16 x 1 (scull) after rowing 3000 meters in 12:27 minutes at the National Rowing Centre in Co. Cork, where the Muckross HOR is held every year.
Béla is originally from Berlin, Germany. He joined Tralee Rowing Club this season when he came to Tralee as an exchange student in CBS The Green. He thinks what helped him win this race were probably his “experience with windy conditions, doing a lot of sculling (rowing a single boat) in the last weeks and a high stroke rate which is important for me to compensate my weight”. Béla started rowing four and a half years ago with the RG Wiking Berlin rowing club, when he was just 12.
The Tralee Rowing Club Captain, Heidi Giles said that “winning takes exceptional dedication and single minded focus, Béla has demonstrated both and his win was well deserved”. Heidi added that “it takes time to build the endurance and strength required to race well and we have a number of rowers in the club doing steady progress, it’s a long game and their patience and determination needs support and nurturing”.
In total, ten Tralee Rowing Club junior members raced at the Muckross HOR, with two first-time racers among their crews: Emma Fitzgibbon and Matthew O’Mahoney, who enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to their next outing. “They received plenty of encouragement from their more experienced crew mates and it is truly great to see our young people supporting one another”, explained the Club Captain.
Tralee Rowing Club currently has 30 adult and 40 junior members. There are 17 juniors rowing competitively, 11 recreationals and 12 novices who joined only a few weeks ago. The club was founded in 2005 by Ed Sheldon and Mary Bonner, current Chairperson. It has grown in numbers and strength over the years thanks to the effort, skill and dedication of the rowers, coaches and families involved.