USRowing centres on Oklahoma

Oklahoma City, in central USA, is on track to develop the next round of their country’s Olympic rowers. Last month the city was named as USRowing’s new High Performance Centre and the first High Performance Camp has just been completed.

Executive director of the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, Mike Knopp, talked to World Rowing about the new centre.

World Rowing: Why was Oklahoma chosen?
Mike Knopp: “Oklahoma City is a growing rowing community that has shown tremendous commitment to becoming a premier rowing location. We hope that this will become the model for what is possible and will lead to the development of further rowing centres in the US.”

WR: How will Oklahoma differ from Princeton (the venue of the current national training centre)?
MK: “The primary function of the Oklahoma City centre will be to provide a location for aspiring national team athletes. This could include recent graduates of the US collegiate system or athletes training on their own in other areas of the United States. The goal is to provide a platform for athletes to gain small boat experience in sculling and sweep rowing that will allow these athletes to develop into candidates for future US senior national teams.”

WR: How were the athletes for last weekend's camp chosen?
MK: “Most of the student-athletes came from the East Coast and several of the athletes came from last year's under-23 selection camp. Coaches from this area were contacted and asked to recommend candidates for this camp. USRowing will be running additional identification camps throughout the year
in other locations.”

The centre will include a full-time residency programme for under-23 “development” athletes. A recent press release stated, “As part of the programme, OCU (Oklahoma City University) will provide housing for the athletes and scholarships for those wanting to complete an undergraduate or graduate degree while pursuing their Olympic aspirations.”

The centre will also cater for senior and junior national team training camps and selection camps and facilities will be available for all the necessary elements for elite training including coaching, sports medicine, sports psychology, strength and cardiovascular conditioning and sports nutrition.

Knopp said that by the summer of 2009 the centre will be up and running for aspiring national team athletes. “Our goal is to have athletes in residence by next September.”

The World Rowing team values feedback .