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Burke named to U.S. team

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By NICHOLAS J.E. MURRAY nmurray@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 1, 2009

Hillsborough High's Katie Burke has been named to the U.S. Junior Rowing team's double sculls crew, and will compete for the U.S. at the World Junior Rowing Championships in France in August.

Burke, who finished third in the single sculls at the U.S. Junior Rowing Championships in June, said making the team meant a lot.

"I think last year, when I didn't make the U.S. team, it was a goal for me to work for a full year to get on the team," Burke said by telephone from the U.S. Camp at Mercer Lake, N.J. "This is a really big honor, because obviously a lot of people wanted it and tried out."

Burke was selected to the U.S. High Power team, the equivalent of the National "B" team, which competed in Germany last year. While in Mercer, she teamed with Abby Knight, from the Friends of Shenendehowa (N.Y.). Burke said the chemistry she and Knight, a fellow finalist at the U.S. Junior Nationals, were able to generate in a short space of time surprised her.

"Right when she got in the boat it felt pretty good," Burke said. "Usually it takes a while, especially being single scullers getting together and finding a rhythm, but we matched up really well."

The two will continue to train together in Connecticut over the next month to develop chemistry. Having begun sculling 18 months ago, Burke is still surprised how far she has come.

"It's pretty amazing," she said. "I don't think it's really sunk in yet, but it is pretty neat just to get this far."

Locals fall short at soccer regionals

RSL Florida's girls under-18 team had set a goal of reaching at least the semifinals of the U.S. Youth Soccer Southern Regionals in Dallas, but a 2-0 defeat to the Dallas Sting ended their hopes.

"We were good enough to advance," RSL coach Ben Strawbridge said. "But they were a good enough team to beat us. The two teams that beat us were certainly good enough to do that.

"We did very well in all the aspects of the game, but we just couldn't score, and they beat us."

RSL Florida's boys under-18 team and Hillsborough County United's girls under-19 team each fell in the group stage of the tournament, both teams losing out on goal difference after being tied on points with teams that ended up advancing.

Strawbridge feels players like Newsome's Ana Cate (Auburn), Tampa Prep's Paige Goodwin (UCF) and Plant's Lexi Rakestraw (Colorado) will be ready for their first year of college soccer.

"Most of the people on this team this year have received phenomenal club coaching at stages before they got to be around me," Strawbridge said of his squad. "Jason Streets had been with the for five years, and they all developed a lot of really good habits early on from some good coaches, so anybody who's had a part of thses kids lives should be proud."

Bloomingdale LL softball rolls on

Before his minor softball team played East Point for the District 13, Bloomingdale manager Steve Tarte took his players to see the plaques of the teams that have come before them.

Bloomingdale went on to win 10-2 in the championship game, advancing to the Section IV tournament in Bradenton beginning July 17. That win continued the success the league has seen since 2000.

Bloomingdale's minor team reached the state tournament a year ago, finishing third overall, and has five players returning to this year's team. Tarte said he expected his team to do "pretty well" this year, thanks in part to the support system provided by parents and coaches.

"There is a fundamental attitude with the various dads that are coaches," Tarte said. "They work very hard to coach well. A lot of us have kids that are getting hitting lessons or pitching lessons, and we take those tips and try to apply those to all the girls on the team."

Nicholas J.E. Murray can be reached at (813) 259-8243.

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