Once-shy teenager credits rowing with his transformation

Today, almost 16, Erik Wierenga is a talkative, slim, 6-foot-4-inch-tall high school sophomore who wants to tell everyone how much he loves the sport and the friends he has made since he began to row on the Oklahoma River.

Wierenga, a member of the OKC RIVERSPORT Chesapeake Junior Crew team, had hoped to participate in Saturday's Indoor Rowing Championship that's part of the Bart & Nadia Sports & Health Festival in downtown Oklahoma City, but he said he is still recovering from an injury a couple of weeks ago. He's back rowing with his team but doesn't want to risk reinjuring himself.

“I really like just rowing with your teammates, when you're all together and pushing as hard as you can,” said Wierenga, who attends Classen School for Advanced Studies, in a phone interview this week. “It's like the best feeling in the world.”

Wierenga said he loves a good practice on the river when he and his teammates and the coxswain are so focused and in sync they don't even notice what's going on until the session is over two hours later.