Heart of an Olympian/S.R.’s Silas Stafford on Suffering, Joy

Click HERE to see a great article and video from pressdemocrat.com featuring 2012 London Olympian Silas Stafford!

Bryan Volpenhein Named Men's National Team Coach

USRowing has hired Lucas McGee and Bryan Volpenhein as men’s coaches for the United States National Team, the organization announced on Tuesday. Both men will be responsible for the men's high performance sweep squad and will work in concert to develop, select and prepare the team for international competition.

Volpenhein, a three-time Olympian and 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the men’s eight, led the lightweight men’s four to Olympic qualification and an eighth-place overall finish at the 2012 Olympic Games. He also coached the U.S. men’s pair that finished eighth in London this summer. In addition to his current role as Director of the Oklahoma City High Performance Center, he will coach the men’s four and the lightweight men’s four at the USRowing Training Center – Oklahoma City.

"I'm honored to have this opportunity and I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead,” said Volpenhein. “I have tremendous respect for Luke and I'm excited to work with him to build a strong, competitive team. With Curtis' leadership and vision, I think this new structure is a step in the right direction. It will engage more of the rowing community and provide multiple avenues for athletes to succeed. I can't wait to get started."

Gold at the Hooch for OKC's Kat Schiro

Representing USRowing Training Center - OKC, Kat Schiro competed in the Head of the Hooch this past weekend, finishing first in the Women's Lightweight Single. The Head of the Hooch Regatta in Chattanooga, TN is a 5000 meter head race on the Tennessee River.

Schiro won the event comprised of 16 competitors in a time of 20:10.7 ahead of second place Marissa Catalanotto of the University of Tulsa in 20:56.1. Full results are available HERE .

The next race for Schiro will be the USRowing Midwest Speed Order November 17 and 18 on the Oklahoma River in OKC.

Talent OKC: Shara Stafford

Stafford with Rower Jen Forbes

With the Rio 2016 Olympic Games less than 4 years away, an exciting opportunity is available for men and women to explore a new sport at the elite level. The Oklahoma City National High Performance Center has developed the Talent OKC: Olympic Athlete Identification Program with a mission to select and recruit potential medal winning athletes, and to ensure clearly defined development pathways exist for the transfer of talented athletes to the sport of rowing.

Former University of Missouri swimmer, Shara Stafford, traveled to OKC this past weekend to participate in the Talent OKC program. Stafford competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Trials for swimming. She was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2012, becoming just the second Mizzou student-athlete to earn a Big 12 postseason swimming and diving award. Stafford, a transfer from the University of Florida, earned three first team All-America honors at the 2012 NCAA Championships, where she finished fifth in the 50 free, sixth in the 100 free and was part of Mizzou's seventh-place 200 free relay team. She also claimed 100 and 200 free titles at 2012 Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships.

Stafford was invited to OKC for four days for the second stage of the program - Talent Confirmation. This stage consisted of rowing instruction on the Concept 2 ergometer, indoor rowing tank, and on the water. She also competed standardized tests used to identify potential rowing talent, including several flexibility and stability tests, and anthropological measurements. Most importantly, her strength was tested using the Concept 2 Dyno. The exercises which measure arm press, leg press, and arm pull produce an overall picture of the general body strength.

Take a look at the videos showing Shara's progress after only three days on the water:

Talent OKC: Olympic Athlete Identification

With the Rio 2016 Olympic Games less than 4 years away, an exciting opportunity is available for men and women to explore a new sport at the elite level. No experience required. The Oklahoma City National High Performance Center has developed the Talent OKC: Olympic Athlete Identification Program with a mission to select and recruit potential medal winning athletes, and to ensure clearly defined development pathways exist for the transfer of talented athletes to the sport of rowing.

Can you answer YES to the following questions?

·        Have you competed in sport at the collegiate or elite level?

·        Do you have a US Passport (or are you eligible for a US Passport)?

·        Do you have the desire, commitment and determination to win?

·        Are you up for a once in a lifetime opportunity? 

If so, OKCNHPC would like you to participate in the Talent OKC Program at the OKC National High Performance Center. The OKCNHPC is located on the Oklahoma River, a US Olympic & Paralympic Training Site.

Rowing takes strength, determination, focus and patience. Regardless of your rowing experience, if you have the physical and psychological qualities to be an elite rower, you could find yourself competing as an international athlete, representing your country. Could you have what it takes to represent your country at the next Olympic Games?  

Talent OKC: Where do I sign up?

The Talent OKC: Olympic Athlete Identification Program consists of three stages: 1) Talent Identification; 2) Talent Confirmation and 3) Talent Development. Each stage of the program allows OKCNHPC to identify those individuals who have exceptional physical and psychological potential to develop into a high-performance athlete.

Talent Identification: To apply, simply click on the link below to complete the online application.

If successful at this first stage, you will be contacted by a staff member of the OKC National High Performance Center, inviting you to attend stage two of the selection process, Talent Confirmation, at the Devon Boathouse in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The sport of rowing consists of four categories:

Open Men - Ideal candidates are 6’5” or taller

Open Women - 6’0” or taller

Lightweight Men - 5’10” or taller and in the 155lbs to 165lbs weight range

Lightweight Women - 5’5” or taller and in the 125lbs to 135lbs

Click HERE to start your Talent OKC journey.

OKC Rowers Head to Boston

Crews from all over the world will flock to the Charles River this weekend for the 48th Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. The two day event attracts approximately 9000 competitors and 300 000 spectators each year. OKC National High Performance Center will be well represented with several athletes competing in the 3.2 mile long head race that begins at Boston University's DeWolfe Boathouse near the Charles River Basin.

London Olympian, Tom Peszek, will be racing in the Men's Alumni Eights event for the University of Michigan on Saturday morning. The next race will feature OKC's Jen Forbes with the Northeastern University Alumni entry in the Women's Alumnae Eights event at 11:34 AM.

If you're near the banks of the Charles River at 2:49 PM, don't miss our very own Head Coach, Bryan Volpenhein, racing with in the Men's Masters Eights. The Olympic gold medalist and bronze medalist will be racing for Shannon Rowing Club.

In the Championship Men's Single at 4:14 PM, OKC athletes, Ryan Shelton, Will Daly, and Greg Ansolabehere will take on the best in the world including 2012 Olympic gold medalist, Mahe Drysdale.

Kate Bertko will be competing in the Championship Women's single at 4:23 PM. The event will feature Olympic gold medalist, Mirka Knapkova, from the Czech Republic and Olympic Bronze medalist, Kim Crowe, from Australia.

The first event on Sunday morning at 8:00 AM will be the Mixed Adaptive Four. OKC will be represented by Jason Beagle, Andrew Johnson, and Natalie McCarthy, who will be joined by Aerial Gilbert and coxswain, Anthony Chacon.

The crew of Max Goff, Blaise Didier, Peter Dwyer, and Jameson Harper will take on 19 other entries in the Championship Men's Four at 2:30 PM.

Oklahoma City's Ryan Monaghan will be competing in the Men's Championship Eight at 2:55 PM. He will be joined by Thomas Detlefs, Robert Munn, Ian Silvera, and 2012 Olympians Mike Gennaro, Steve Kasprzyk, Grant James, Ross James, and coxswain, Zach Vlahos.

In the Lightweight Men's Eight, London Olympians, Robin Prendes, Anthony Fahden, and Will Daly will compete with Greg Flood, Dan Kirrane, Christian Klein, Kyle Traub, Frank Petrucci, and coxswain Katelin Snyder at 4:38 PM.