A Letter from CEO Amanda Kraus on USRowing
https://usrowing.org/news/2021/10/15/letter-from-ceo-amanda-kraus-on-usrowing-high-performance.aspx
Dear National Team Athletes, Hopefuls, Partners, Supporters and Friends,
Since March of 2021, USRowing has been taking a thorough look at our overall national team structure, staffing and support systems, and how they relate to our athletes' pathways to success. Since the conclusion of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, this review has encompassed:
Comprehensive athlete surveys and exit interviews.
A completed report from the High Performance Council, which met from March-June 2021.
A nine-month assessment of our high performance culture, selection process, and oversight by the USOPC and Arent Fox law firm.
And, invaluable discussions and input from leadership form multiple domestic and international National Governing Bodies.
As we prepare for 2024 and beyond, it is clear that meaningful changes need to be made in order to create an athlete-focused approach that maximizes USRowing's resources and those of the overall rowing community here in the United States. USRowing wants to enable our athletes to train and compete in sustainable environments that provide them with the stability and support they need to thrive over the long term. We are also committed to creating a system of high performance that will drive unprecedented success in our sport. In order to accomplish this, USRowing will be restructuring our national team's staff, selection process, and training centers.
Chief High Performance Director
USRowing has opened a search for a Chief High Performance Director (CHPD) who will be charged with owning the strategy, vision and culture of the national teams. This person will manage the ambition behind high performance including staffing, athlete care and sport performance support. The CHPD will serve as the spokesperson for high performance and reflect the shared values of fairness, communication, respect and excellence. Several qualified candidates have already applied, and we expect to have a CHPD named before the end of 2021 and in place by early 2022.
The search committee includes David Baker Banks, Reilly Dampeer, Lori Dauphiny, Kevin Sauer and Emma Twigg, as well as advisors Dr. Kate Ackerman and Zach Weatherford.
Selection Process
USRowing's 2022 Senior National Team Selection Process has been posted for public review and comment, it can be found here. Significant changes have been made to better support our athletes and provide opportunity to control their pathway.
These procedures were developed based on athlete feedback with a shift to an emphasis on small boats and an orientation designed to fund athletes with Direct Athlete Support (DAS) based predominantly off of performance, instead of boat classes.
Athlete Feedback: This process has been designed in direct response to athlete feedback gathered in our 2021 athlete survey, 2021 athlete interviews, and the USOPC Arent Fox Investigation Report. Athletes have asked for more control within their performance journey and a more objective selection process.
Small Boat Emphasis: This plan is built to provide a cascading trials and camp process that allows the best performing athletes the opportunity to make boat classes in an organized timeline. Participation and performance at trials events will be used to earn positions on the team and to earn funding. This effort will reward small boat skill, which we believe will contribute to the improved performance across all boat classes. For those boat classes with selection camps, they will be run on shorter time frames, earlier in the year. In addition, 75 percent of these camp invites will be performance-based. Selectors will be chosen to run the camps, and the athletes named to the boats will get to nominate a lead coach in consultation with the new CHPD. Athlete performance at the National Team Trials will be the predominant pathway to selection and/or invitation for these boat classes.
Fund Athletes, Not Boat Classes: While an emphasis on small boats is a cornerstone of this process, we are outlining a system where funding (DAS) will follow athletes through their performance at trials and selection camps, and not necessarily the final boat class they make. This allows our top athletes to decide which boat classes they would like to compete in, rather than forcing athletes into boats for which they may not be best suited.
The specific changes made to our 2022 selection process include earlier selection, FISA World Cup progression at trials, and automatic placement for the quads and fours. For the full details regarding these changes, see our Selection Procedures Process, which were posted on October 15, 2021.
Collaborative Training System
USRowing is focused on creating a much more collaborative pathway for athletes to find the best training environment possible. USRowing High Performance Partner Clubs will be key pieces in our mission to train, support and develop the elite-athlete talent pool that will represent the United States in international competition. These clubs will place an emphasis on training athletes in small boats for selection and development of senior athletes on the U.S. National Teams through trials and selection camps.
Starting in 2022, USRowing will consolidate to one performance center in Princeton, N.J. This center will be smaller in size with a maximum of 12 female and 12 male athletes as full-time residents and will encompass both sweep rowing and sculling. The focus of this center will be to prepare athletes for the small boat trials. Specifics of the performance center will be announced once finalized.
In the past, USRowing has run training centers that have been central hubs for the development and selection of the larger boat classes. With the number of athletes involved, USRowing has struggled to support and maintain the necessary environment to meet the needs of the athletes. In addition, the selection process has made it difficult for athletes outside of the training centers to have legitimate pathways to these boat classes.
HP Partner Clubs will work in coordination with USRowing's Chief High Performance Director on the national training program, monitoring of athletes, and events. HP Partner Clubs will give elite athletes the opportunity to utilize national team resources (medical, nutritional, additional sport performance, coaching education and development), while providing support for the athletes in locations that best suit their long-term training and needs.
A link of current HP Partner Clubs can be found here and will be updated as information becomes available.
There are many details that are being finalized as we transition into this model, but our focus is on providing performing athletes with the resources and access they need to develop long-term sustainability for their training, competition and well-being in the location of their choice.
As we move forward in this process, additional information will be provided in upcoming newsletters and athlete Zooms, the first one to take place on Wednesday, October 20th at 7 p.m. EDT. A link will be provided.
Sincerely,
Amanda Kraus
CEO, USRowing