TYRA is proud to announce that Halee McMahan represented our club at the USRowing Olympic Development Camp this past summer. The camp took place from June 20 to July 18. Halee was selected among all of the applicants to attend this first-class camp environment. The camp took place in Jacksonville, Florida for the first three and a half weeks and then concluded in Sarasota, Florida with racing between 400 athletes in the Summer Cup at Nathan Benderson Park.
The goals of the camp were manyfold:
- Developing each athlete and developing relationships between athletes of an age group.
- Instruction from some of the best coaches in the nation.
- A quality competition at the end of the camp, which allows athletes to apply all they have learned.
- Exposure to college and national team coaches.
- The ability to represent one’s region in a competitive environment.
- Preparation for international competition, rowing collegiately, or fulfilling lifelong participation.
The athletes were divided up into teams that represented six different geographical areas in the nation. Halee ultimately raced with the Northwest girls team due to logistical reasons. She was successful in racing many different boat types and placed 4th in the B final of the women’s junior single.
Of her experience, Halee said: “I was excited to find out that I was going to ODP. I was happy to get a chance to improve my technique and get stronger over the summer. I was nervous and unsure what to expect when I got there, but I quickly made long-lasting friendships. I got lots of one-on-one training with the coaches in and out of the boat. I was given a great opportunity at this camp and I made sure to get the most out of it. I hope that more athletes from TYRA can go someday because it was definitely worth it.”
“Going to ODP is such an awesome accomplishment, and I am so glad Halee got to experience it! The focus on individual training at ODP is definitely a huge plus, and it seems that Halee has capitalized on that so well. Seeing Halee’s improvement on the erg, on the water, and mindset is so awesome, and I hope that we can continue improving with the same momentum that was on display at ODP. The result from her finals race in the women’s junior 1x is so inspiring and needless to say, Halee was a great ambassador for TYRA. Go Halee!” Said TYRA Head Coach Valentino Angelini.
For more information on the USRowing Olympic Development camp please visit this link.
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