Youth Pavilion, Sky Trail & Zip Line at the Oklahoma River

Oklahoma City-area youth will soon have access to a variety of adventure activities at a new youth pavilion planned for the Boathouse District. SandRidge Energy is donating funds for construction of a youth pavilion and adventure attractions in the Boathouse District on the Oklahoma River. The SandRidge Youth Pavilion is designed to provide adventure activities that include a Sky Trail™ course, a zip line across the Oklahoma River, an outdoor climbing wall and indoor surf park.

The project was first unveiled in December, 2011, with the announcement that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma would provide the initial $500,000 donation for the multi-phased project. Blue Cross and Blue Shield also provided funding for the new “KaBoom” playground adjacent to the pavilion.

Read more at the links below:

Oklahoma River Youth Pavilion will be Named for Sandridge Energy

Youth Pavilion, Sky Trail & Zip Line at the Oklahoma River

2012 OKCNHPC / USRowing Senior Men’s Pair and Men’s Double Camp

The goal of the M2- and M2x camp is to identify small boat combinations for National Selection Regatta #1 (M2-) scheduled for March 14-16, 2012, and the Non-Qualified Trails Regatta (M2x) scheduled for April 9-12, 2012.

The OKCNHPC / USRowing M2- and M2x Camp will take place February 10-March 8, 2012 (for M2-), and February 10-April 3, 2012 (for M2x), at the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center, a USRowing Training Center and US Olympic and Paralympic Training Site. The camp will have a rolling admission deadline through March 1, 2012.

Successful applicants will be provided with housing for the duration of the camp. Athletes are responsible for food and travel to Oklahoma City. All interested athletes should e-mail the following information to Bryan Volpenhein, USRowing coach, at volpenhein@gmail.com.

• Athlete Name
• USRowing Number
• Birthdate
• Height
• Weight
• 2k score and date
• 6k score or program equivalent and date
• Rowing preference (scull and/or sweep and side)
• Coach's recommendation

OKC Athletes Give Back to the Community

OKC National High Performance Center coaches and athletes spent the day on Saturday, washing and walking dogs, cleaning cages, and painting animal adoption rooms at the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division.  The group of 27 participated in a group volunteer day in an effort to give back to the city they've called home since it's designation as an Olympic training site in July of 2009.

"Oklahoma City has been so great to us, the people have been so generous and welcoming since we've moved here" said Chelsea Smith, OKC National High Performance athlete and 2 time 2011 Pan American Games bronze medallist. "The amount of support we've received is unbelievable and we want to take advantage of any opportunity we have to give back to the city".

The Oklahoma City Animal Shelter is open for adopting or reclaiming pets from 12:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. every day except holidays at SE 29 & Bryant, 1.5 miles east of I-35. The Animal Welfare Division is responsible for promoting public health and safety, for temporarily sheltering and providing humane disposition of unwanted or lost animals, and for promoting animal welfare so that pet ownership is a pleasure for owners without becoming a burden to the community.

Peszek and McEachern Conquer East Coast Speed Order

The selection process for the team that will represent the United States next summer at the 2012 Olympic Games in London is officially underway with the conclusion of this weekend’s fall speed orders.

At locations on both sides of the country, USRowing held events at the USRowing Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., and at the USRowing Training Center in Princeton, N.J.

Speed orders have traditionally been held to establish ranking among athletes currently training with the national team and identify potential athletes. For the men’s side this year, the event results helped determine selection camp invitations.

In Chula Vista, Will Miller clocked the fastest time of the men’s single sculls, completing the six-kilometer course in a 22:48.75. Rounding out the top four finishers were Warren Anderson in a 22:50.07, Sam Stitt in a 22:50.72 and Oklahoma City lightweight - Tom Paradiso in a 23:04.11.

On the east coast, GMS Rowing Center’s Mike Sivigny clocked the fastest time of the men’s single sculls, completing the 4.25-kilometer course in 17.19.757. Penn A.C. Rowing Association’s Stephen Whelpley finished second in 17:42.956, followed by GMS’s Seth Weil in 17:49.814. Oklahoma City's Pat Close finished 4th in 17:52.536, Martin Etem finished 5th in 17:52.646, Max Goff was 6th in 17:59.726, Ryan Shelton was 11th in 18:20.584, and Aaron Marcovy finished 16th in 18:41.467.

In the men’s pair, USRowing Training Center – Oklahoma City’s Tom Peszek and Deaglan McEachern finished first in a 16:31.148. Penn A.C.’s Steve Kasprzyk and Joe Spencer finished second in 16:40.761, while USRowing TC – OKC’s Ryan Monaghan and Andrew Melander finished third in a 16:52.656. OKC's Blaise Didier and Greg Ansolabehere finished 5th 16:54.791.

Andrew Campbell of Cambridge Boat Club clocked the fastest time of the lightweight men’s single sculls, crossing in 17:35.741. USRowing Training Center – Oklahoma City’s Will Daly finished second in 17:45.890, followed by Colorado Rowing’s Greg Ruckman in 17:48.656.

In the lightweight men’s pairs, USRowing Training Center – Oklahoma City’s Will Newell and Jimmy Sopko posted the fastest time of the day for all open and light pairs, completing the course in 16:28.314. Nick LaCava and Anthony Fahden finished 2nd in 16:28.585, Robin Prendes and Kenny McMahon were 3rd in 16:48.356, and Ryan Fox and Greg Flood were 5th in 17:08.565.

USRowing Training Center – Princeton entries swept the top spots in the women’s pair. Eleanor Logan and Caroline Lind won in a 16:47.750, followed by Jamie Redman and Amanda Polk second in 16:55.083. Erin Cafaro and Kady Glessner rounded out the top three with a time of 17:00.049. OKC's Meg George and Megan Smith were 9th in 17:44.366.

OKC Athletes Begin Olympic Selection Today at the East Coast Fall Speed Order

The selection process for the team that will represent the United States next summer at the 2012 Olympic Games in London officially began this week.

At locations on both sides of the country, USRowing will hold two fall speed orders beginning Thursday at the USRowing Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., and today at the USRowing Training Center in Princeton, N.J.

George and Smith

Speed orders have traditionally been held to establish ranking among athletes currently training with the national team and identify potential athletes. For the men’s side this year, the event results will help determine who will be invited to the selection camps where the crews that will compete in the eight, four and quadruple sculls will be chosen.

The top four finishers in the men’s single and top three men’s pairs at the Chula Vista event and the top two men’s singles and top two men’s pairs in Princeton will earn automatic qualification to the camps.

The majority of the Oklahoma High National Performance Center's athletes headed to the East Coast. In Princeton, indoor erg testing begins at 1:15 p.m. today. On-the-water racing will be held tomorrow on Carnegie Lake beginning at 8 a.m.

The east coast event features 106 crews rowing the men’s and women’s single sculls, men’s and women’s lightweight single sculls, men’s and women’s pairs and lightweight men’s pairs.

Participating in the women’s pair are 22 USRowing Training Center athletes. Among them, the women’s pair of Monica "Meg" George and Megan Smith will represent Oklahoma City. George and Smith recently captured a silver medal in the Women's Pair at the 2011 Pan American Games in October.

Peszek

In the men’s pair, eight OKC training center athletes are scheduled to compete including Tom Peszek, who rowed the event in Bled and qualified the boat for 2012. Peszek will be racing with Deaglan McEachern who was in the 2010 World Championship pair. A new combination of Greg Ansolabehere and Blaise Didier will be testing their speed. Didier placed 6th in the Men's Pair with Coxswain at the 2011 World Championships and won a gold medal at the Pan Am Games in the Men's Eight. Andrew Melander will be teaming up with Ryan Monaghan. Monaghan represented the US in the Men's pair in 2010.

Representing Oklahoma City in the Men's Single will be Pat Close, Martin Etem, Aaron Marcovy, Ryan Shelton, and Max Goff.

In the Lightweight Men's pair OKC training center athletes Will Newell and Jimmy Sopko, Nick LaCava and Anthony Fahden, Ryan Fox and Greg Flood, Kenny McMahon and Robin Prendes will compete for the top ranking going into winter training. Fahden, Prendes, and Fox represented US in Bled in the Lightweight Men's Four. Newell, Sopko, LaCava competed in the Lightweight Men's Eight.

OKC will have 2 representatives in the Lightweight Men's Single, Will Daly and Austin Meyer. Daly is a 2008 Olympian while Meyer raced in the 2010 World Championship Lightweight Men's Eight.

Relive the Pan American Games

Click on the links below for videos of OKC athletes competing at the Pan American Games in Mexico:

Women's Pair Final (George/Smith)

Men's Eight Final (Gennaro/Otto/Didier/Johnson)

Women's Quad Final (Smith/Sechser)

Lightweight Women's Double Final (Sechser/Smith)

Men's Pair Final (Gennaro/Otto)

Lightweight Men's Double Final (Paradiso/Duff)

Men's Quad Final (Paradiso/Duff)