By Reporter Staff

The Sammamish Rowing Association’s varsity juniors team traveled to Oklahoma City recently to attend the Head of the Oklahoma regatta and came back with gold.

The association’s Women’s Youth 8+ team won the 2.5 mile race and 500 meter sprint with times of 12:20.871 and 1:43.354, respectively. The team featured two Bellevue athletes: Becky Kinchen, a senior at Interlake High School, and Allie Struzyna, a senior at Bellevue Christian.

The Men’s Youth 8+ team also took first place in the 2.5 mile race with a time of 13:49.077. The team took second in the 500 meter spring, finishing with a time of 1:30.058. Andy Altig, a junior at Bellevue Christian, is the only Bellevue athlete on the team.

The Oklahoma Head was the first regatta in the U.S. to feature night racing, as stadium lights illuminate the river once the sun goes down.