By: Alyssa Pittman
On June 23rd, at the end of the first full day of the Governor’s Scholars Program, scholars filed into the Curris Center unsure and exhausted. It was unknown how interesting and compelling the following hour would be. Comments such as “I just want to go to bed” and “What even is this for, I don’t want to listen to someone talk for an hour.” were shared. Although the scholars lacked interest at first, Tori Murden McClure–a woman that “is adventure”–would not only surprise, but inspire everyone by the end of the night.
Known as the first woman and American in history to row unassisted across the Atlantic Ocean, Tori Murden McClure is also:
-The former president of Spalding University
-Chaplain at a Boston hospital
-Director of a Louisville women’s shelter
-Policy assistant in the Louisville Mayor’s Office
-Former Board Chair of the National Outdoor Leadership School
-Former Vice Chair and Interim Chair of the NCAA Board of Governors.
-The Author of her book, A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean, about her journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
As McClure took the stage decorated with dozens of medals, the room was dead silent; filled with scholars anticipating what would happen next. She gave her inspiring story of her first attempt to row the Atlantic Ocean in 1998. McClure did not complete her first mission across the North Atlantic Ocean due to the hurricanes she endured. She was faced with rough waters and strong winds, causing her boat–“Pearl”–to capsize many times. On her first mission, she lost complete contact with anyone on land for 78 days. However, she continued to row twelve hours a day–from sun up to sun down–and even had to fight to stay in her boat as it capsized. She described how terrifying it was to see the fish swimming beneath her, but said that if she got out of the boat there was no way she was coming back up. McClure is the definition of an indestructible woman. Even though she did not complete her first mission, McClure explained how failure motivated her to keep trying and attempt the journey once again. She shared a story about one of her supporters–and employer–Muhamad Ali. While she worked for the Muhamed Ali center in Louisville, he pushed and encouraged her to try again. Ali said to her, “You don’t want to go through life as the woman who almost rowed across the ocean,” This motivated Mcclure the most. So exactly a year later, she set out on her second attempt to row across the Atlantic Ocean. This journey was done across the Mid-Atlantic Ocean, a much calmer part of the ocean compared to the North Atlantic. McClure succeeded in her second attempt of rowing across the Atlantic Ocean, and while this is a huge milestone in her life, she told the scholars her favorite memory of the journey was asking her now husband, Mac McClure, to marry her, and falling into his arms once she got off the boat.
McClure did not only speak about her rowing success, she was determined to enlighten the young scholars about how failure is a part of growing. She shared that medals and trophies don’t matter as long as you learn from your experiences. To emphasize this lesson, she threw all her medals to the floor, causing scholars in the audience to gasp. McClure faced a lot of doubters–the main one being herself–especially in the period of time she had failed her row. But after overcoming this, she stated it is important to, “Be a lightning bolt or a lighting bug, it doesn’t matter, just bring light”. This quote came from a place of love because she hates how mean the world can be and any positive light you can bring is helpful. McClure left some scholars speechless as she answered questions similar to “How can we change the world?” and she answered, by surrounding yourself with the right people who will believe in you. Mac, her husband, and her brother were two of the most important people in her life because they helped keep her motivated. Tori Murden McClure became a true inspiration to the scholars, and changed perspectives on life all throughout the room. Her message causing the scholars to ponder for the evening, McClure left with advice on people who do not uplift your spirit:
“Do not associate with these people, do not marry these people, do not even bother to have lunch with these people”
-Tori Murden McClure