The first of three Manitoba Rowing Association Training Camps in Austin, Texas occurred January 2 – 13, 2014. Six athletes travelled to Austin with MRA Head Coach, Brent Figg, for an intense eleven days of training. Athletes on average rowed two to three times a day, while dry-land training kept them busy while they weren’t on the water. Athletes cycled over 400 kms over the eleven days, seeing the sites of the beautiful city of Austin.
When speaking with the athletes upon their return, they are motivated now more than ever. Casie Gauthier explains, “My personal favorite moments included the volume of training, specifically when it came to spending a lot of time on the water since I wasn’t used to that having only started rowing in September”.
The training camps allows the MRA athletes to focus strictly on training and not having the additional worry about work and school during the camp. It allows them as both an individual and a team to grow, learn and train hard.
Kaelyn Gauthier says she learned a ton at the January camp from both her teammates and Coach Figg. “Everything from how to move the oars in my hand to when to get the blade ready before the catch, and really focusing on using my legs more than my arms to move the boat was really beneficial. I also was surprised at the amount of volume of training we did, between biking and rowing, and was excited to challenge myself and push myself to accomplish that!”
In an exciting development after the camp, Manitoba’s Loch Inglis and Riley MacCharles were selected to attend the Shawnigan Lake U-23 Winter Camp, Feb 24 – March 2nd. Terrific to see our athletes hitting the national stage. Unfortunately school commitments will not allow for Riley to attend. We are wishing Loch the best of luck at the upcoming camp, and we will be sure to keep the rowing community well informed of his, and the rest of MRA athletes, successes!