The Sammamish Rowing Association’s Varsity Junior Girls 8+ and Varsity Junior Boys 8+ teams flew to Oklahoma City on Sunday, Oct. 2 to compete in the 2.5-mile “Head of the Oklahoma” head race. Each crew took first place, and qualified for an intense 500 meter NightSprint final, with the girls winning their second first-place medal, and the boys taking second. Three of these athletes come from Mount Si High School: senior Avery Hamann, junior Sarah Williams and sophomore Austin Bolves.

Besides taking part in the race, the teams had a chance to mingle and talk with the U.S. National Team, and to hold the Athens gold and Beijing bronze Olympic medals.

Oklahoma City University’s Head of the Oklahoma, now in its fifth year, is part of the Oklahoma Regatta Festival, and has a reputation as one of the nation’s top collegiate rowing regattas.

The event attracts more than 1,000 athletes from 40 collegiate and club teams, including Stanford, Texas, and the U.S. National Team. The NightSprint final, which became part of the Head of the Oklahoma in 2006, was the first night race featured in the United States and creates an electrifying atmosphere for competitors and spectators.