Three exhibition races are scheduled to be run on Saturday, May 12th, showcasing athletes from the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center. Several athletes who have represented the United States at the World Championships, will go head to head in the three events - the Men's Coxless Pair, Women's Single, and Men's Single.
Racing in the Men's Coxless Pair are Ryan Shelton and Max Goff. Goff represented the United States in the Men's Eight at the 2009 Under 23 World Rowing Championships in the Czech Republic. Also looking to test their speed is the entry of Greg Flood and Kyle Traub. This lightweight combination is stroked by Flood who raced in the Lightweight Men's Four at the 2011 Under 23 World Rowing Championships. The final boat racing in this event is Christian Klein and Frank Petrucci. Klein competed in the 2011 World Rowing Championships in the Lightweight Men's Eight and the Lightweight Men's Pair at the 2010 U23 World Rowing Championships, while Petrucci raced in the Lightweight Men's Four at the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico.
The next race will feature training center athletes Grace Luczak, Michelle Sechser, and Chelsea Smith. Luczak is a world champion in the U23 Women's Pair at the 2011 World Rowing Under 23 Championships and also finished third in the eight. She finished third in the four at the 2010 World Rowing Championships and won gold in the eight at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Michelle Sechser and Chelsea Smith teamed up to win a bronze medal in the Lightweight Women's Double and Women's Quadruple Sculls at the 2011 Pan American Games.
Blaise Didier, Anders Corbett, William Schnittman, Vincent Lepeltier, and Greg Ansolabehere will compete in the Men's Single. Didier is a gold medallist in the Men's Eight at the 2011 Pan American Games and finished sixth in the pair with coxswain at the 2011 World Rowing Championships. He also finished second in the eight at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships and won gold in the eight at the 2008 World Rowing Under 23 Championships.
The Men's Pair race is scheduled to take place at 12:16 PM on Saturday, while the Men's Single will take place at 12:22 PM followed by the Women's Single at 12:28 PM. More information will be available at okcbf.org.
