USRowing announces OKC as the site for new performance center
it just keeps getting better and better!
OKCBusiness Staff
10/3/2008
The national governing body for the sport of rowing, USRowing, announced today Oklahoma City will be the site of a new performance center.
Oklahoma City University and the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation will partner with USRowing on the National High Performance Center to be located in Downtown Oklahoma City. High Performance Center programming will be incorporated at all of the existing boathouses or those slated for construction.
“The High Performance Center is an emerging concept for USRowing, and this will be the first of its kind in the country,” Glenn Merry, USRowing’s executive director, said in a statement announcing the site selection. “We will focus on training the next generation of world-class rowers with an emphasis on the Under-23 athlete pool. We also see a future where Oklahoma City serves as the national center for coaching education for USRowing.”
The USRowing High Performance Center will include a year-round residency program for male and female Under-23 athletes. As part of the program, OCU will provide housing for the athletes and scholarships for those wanting to complete an undergraduate or graduate degree while pursuing their Olympic aspirations. In addition to the Under-23 program, the High Performance Center will host senior and junior national team selection camps, elite training camps and training opportunities for international athletes.
The center will begin operating at the Chesapeake Boathouse in November until the Devon Boathouse’s completion, scheduled for May 2010. In April, Oklahoma City University announced Devon Energy pledged $5 million to complete funding for the school’s boathouse where the rowing teams will train.
The Devon Boathouse will be a $10 million facility that includes more than 40,000 square feet of training, educational and boat storage space. The University of Central Oklahoma boathouse will provide additional classroom and educational facilities for the High Performance Center and will be the site for Paralympic training.
Plans for both the UCO boathouse and a University of Oklahoma boathouse are still under development. The boathouses are being built as part of a master plan development, which includes the three new boathouses, a finish line tower, permanent lighting and grandstands on the Oklahoma River.
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Originally Posted by okcustu
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