Five OKC Athletes Named to 2011 US Adaptive World Championship Team

Four adaptive crews have been named to the U.S. National Team that will compete at the 2011 World Rowing Championships to be held August 28-September 4 in Bled, Slovenia.

Three crews – the men’s and women’s single sculls and mixed trunk and arms double sculls – earned berths by winning their respective finals at the 2011 Adaptive World Championships Trials, held in conjunction with the Junior and Under 23 World Championships Trials on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J in June.

 Final-only racing was contested over 1,000-meters. In the double, USRowing Training Center – Oklahoma City’s Anthony Davis and Jacqui Kapinowski crossed the finish line 15.1 seconds ahead of Louisville Rowing Club/Greater Louisville Rowing Foundation’s Oksana Masters and Augusto Perez for the win.

Davis and Kapinowski posted a time of 4:17.16 to Masters and Perez’s 4:32.17.

“We had a really good start,” said Davis. “When we got past the red buoys, we kicked it up and brought our stroke rate up to 35 (strokes per minute) and we just held that.

“It seemed like we were just flying. The 250-meter mark came, then the 500, and then the 750. With 250 left, I remember looking at (Masters and Perez) and thinking, there’s no way that they can beat us; this is our race. We just kept going and it felt good.”

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” said Kapinowski, a 2010 Paralympic curler. “I’m very excited. It’s a phenomenal feeling. Tony and I have worked our butts off since April on the water and it paid off today. We believed in each other. The water was quite rough, but we’re very used to rowing every day in strong winds in Oklahoma.”

In the women’s single, USRowing Training Center – Oklahoma City’s Tricia Downing also raced unopposed to earn a spot on the U.S. National Team. Downing, a Denver-native and first-time national team member in rowing, clocked a 7:04.40 at the line.

“It was a really good experience for my first time racing,” said Downing. “I think I got exactly the time I was hoping for. I think I gave it a good effort and was pretty psyched with my finish. It was a little bit nerve-wracking, not because there were all these people competing around me, but because I wanted to make sure I did the proper procedures and knew what was going on. It was nice to have Ron sitting next to me as a good role model.”

Downing is a multi-sport athlete, having competed for the U.S. National Triathlon Team prior to taking up rowing just a few short months ago.

“I was a little burnt out on triathlon and wanted to try something new,” said Downing. “I had some shoulder issues and over-use issues with being in a hand cycle and pushing the racing chair. I was looking for the ways to strengthen my shoulder muscles. I came to rowing to kind of balance out my body, but I’m always a competitor and I’m always looking for competition.”



Preuschl



In addition to the trials crews, the camp-selected adaptive mixed four with coxswain crew has been named. The lineup of Alex Stein, Eric McDaniel, Eleni Englert and Oklahoma City's Emma Preuschl and Andrew Johnson will represent the U.S. at the 2011 World Rowing Championships.

Four of the athletes – McDaniel, Paralympic silver-medalist Preuschl, Englert and Johnson – finished sixth in the event at the 2010 World Rowing Championships in New Zealand.