View Full Version : USRowing announces OKC as the site for new performance center



soonerfan21
10-03-2008, 12:44 PM
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.

metro
10-03-2008, 12:49 PM
Excellent news in an otherwise gloomy news week. Keep it coming OKC, let's just hope construction loans won't be affected on these projects.

OKCMallen
10-03-2008, 01:35 PM
WOW! That's amazing!!!!!!!!!!

warreng88
10-03-2008, 01:43 PM
[QUOTE=soonerfan21;173620]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.[QUOTE]

So they will train in OCU's boathouse when it gets built? Is that right?

metro
10-03-2008, 02:41 PM
Devon/Oklahoma City University will share a boathouse, this will be the High Performance center for junior and senior athletes.

UCO's boathouse will house additional training/classroom space for the program as well as be the training site for the paralypic training.

mburlison
10-03-2008, 07:42 PM
Amazing that OKC can be so new yet so prominent in this sport so quickly. Get ready... OKC is ready to take off.

gmwise
10-04-2008, 02:02 AM
I am happy for the boathouses coming here.
It gives my nephews more reasons to come vist the old guy.

Pete
10-04-2008, 10:10 AM
Fantastic news.

I wonder when the OCU, UCO and OU boathouses are going to start construction? Last I heard it was fall of this year but having heard anything recently.

okcustu
10-04-2008, 10:21 AM
i think the ocu will break ground this year.

LIL_WAYNE_4_PREZIDENT08
10-04-2008, 11:08 AM
Great News

OKC Rowing capital of the world

warreng88
10-05-2008, 09:58 PM
i think the ocu will break ground this year.

Right and it should be completed by the end of next year. As will the finish line area.

sroberts24
10-06-2008, 06:47 AM
i saw on one of those digital billboards it said some thing like Devn boathouse under construction or underway or something like that

metro
10-06-2008, 08:52 AM
Right and it should be completed by the end of next year. As will the finish line area.

According to the article posted the other day, it won't be finished until 2010. To clarify, OCU/Devon is the same boathouse.

Luke
10-06-2008, 09:26 AM
Very cool!

Guy Noir
12-19-2008, 09:29 PM
I wonder when the OCU, UCO and OU boathouses are going to start construction? Last I heard it was fall of this year but having heard anything recently.

Can someone in OKC give an update on any construction that is happening now?

Thanks

dmoor82
12-20-2008, 11:26 PM
This is right up my alley i used to watch rowing off the Charles river in Boston, and it seems to be we (OKC) are on an even par with the Charles! so this is very big new's for OKC!From mowing the Canadian to U.S. Olympic rowing this says something about OKC!

jbrown84
12-21-2008, 01:59 PM
Can someone in OKC give an update on any construction that is happening now?

Thanks

No construction yet, I don't think.