While his fellow seniors were throwing their caps in the air during graduation Saturday, South Whidbey’s Kenny George was far away in Ohio.
George participated in the U.S. Youth National Rowing Championships on Harsha Lake outside Cincinnati, crewing with his teammates at the Everett Rowing Association, where he’s rowed for four years.
Only the three top teams in each region advance. George competed against 13 other top rowing teams in four-man shells, called “quads” and placed fourth overall.
That’s fourth in the nation.
“There are always regrets,” George said Monday following his return. “I would have liked to be at graduation, but it was an amazing experience, and I felt compelled to be there for my teammates.”
George was joined by fellow oarsmen Jorgen Anderson,
Samuel Helms and Chad Andrews in the men’s youth Lightweight 4 Division.
George’s team was second on Friday in a time of 6 minutes, 39.9 seconds, then placed first in Saturday’s heat at 6:32.3 over the 2,000-meter course.
“There were six shells in the race, and we just gave it all we had,” George said.
In the final race on Sunday, George’s team bettered their time to 6:30.3 but lost as Seattle’s Pocock Rowing Center took the gold in 6:21.31.
Everett coach Marty Beyer said George is an incredible scholar-athlete, like most of his oarsmen.
“Oarsmen are perhaps the most dedicated and disciplined athletes in the high school sporting world,” Beyer said.
“For Kenny, it is even a greater sacrifice due to the fact that he lives on the island. The normal three hours for practice sessions stretches to five with the round trip. To make the 7:30 a.m. session on Saturday, he has to catch the 5:30 a.m. ferry.”
Beyer said that, as for missing graduation, that’s a commonplace experience for rowers.
“Choosing between graduation or row at nationals? We have had only one of hundreds not choose nationals for exactly the reasons Kenny mentioned. These athletes live, breathe and sleep rowing. To be as good as Kenny takes thousands of miles of water time; he’s an athlete, not someone involved in a sport.
Beyer said that what sets George apart is that he qualified as class valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average.
“That was a first for our program,” Beyer said.
Not surprisingly, George’s senior project revolved around the water. He acted as coach for a youth learn-to-row session run by the Island Rowing Association in Freeland, then made a presentation to a panel of community leaders on what he learned.
“He was a pleasure to have with us,” said association president Carl Fjelsted. “He put his knowledge of rowing technique to best use, making it a fun and safe experience for the younger kids.”
In the fall, George heads off to landlocked Utah on a full-ride scholarship to Brigham Young University.
“Well, they have lakes, so I imagine there’s a rowing club of some sort,” George said. “It’ll be a new world for me, and I’m excited.”
