Alena US Rowing

  Alena's Rowing Story..... When Alena was 14 years old she asked if she could start doing Crossfit.  Without hesitation, I said sure!  She fell in love with the Smokey Hollow Crossfit family and all that Crossfit represents.  We all began to recognize how strong she was on the rowing machine.  She was presented with the idea of joining the Baldwinsville Girls Crew team.  She was not familiar with the sport or what it was about and said no.  A year later she decided to email the coach and give it a try.  When coach read what her 2k time was he thought the email was a prank.  He was thrilled to have her join the team!  But first she needed to learn how to row in a boat.  So that summer she joined the Syracuse Chargers Learn to Row program.  She quickly became familiar with the boats, oars, and was able to transfer her strengths and skills from the rowing machine onto the water.   The fall of her Junior year she joined the Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club where she was able to compete at Regattas.  She had the opportunity to row at the Head of the Charles in Boston, one of the world's largest Regattas.   After her first season with the Syracuse Chargers she was already getting emails and calls from Division I college recruiters.  She started her first season with the Baldwinsville Crew team the spring of her Junior year.  Her boat won NY State Championship title and placed 5th at Nationals.  That summer she received an invitation to the US Rowing High Performance Camp in Connecticut where she trained at the Coast Guard Academy.  This was quite an honor!  She raced in NJ for Club Nationals and won a Gold and Silver.  In the fall of her Senior year, Alena committed to rowing for the University of Connecticut.  Her senior year they again won NY State Championship title and placed 7th at Nationals.  She broke  the school record for best 2k time with a time of 7:14.  She was given the MVP award her Junior and Senior years.  She has now been invited to the US Rowing Selection Camp.  This camp is where they choose the team that will race in the Junior World Championships in Tokyo, Japan August 7-11.  Alena was 1 of 40 girls in the country invited to this camp.  24 of these 40 girls will be selected to represent the US.  Alena also has the opportunity to be on the US team for the CanAmMex (Canada, America, Mexico) race held in Sarasota, Florida.  She will train hard with some of the best rowers and coaches in the country!  Alena is so dedicated to this sport, her fitness,  and her health.  We are all so proud of all she has accomplished in such a short period of time.  Unfortunately, these great opportunities come with a big price tag.  Her first 3 weeks of training cost $3390.  If she is chosen to race in Japan it will cost an additional $2890.  If she races at CanAmMex it will cost $2350.  This is where we are asking for a little help from our family and friends.  We ask that, if you are able, please donate $1, $5, $10....whatever amount you are willing.   Thank you to all who have supported and encouraged Alena the past 2 years!  This is an amazing opportunity! *DUE TO NCAA REGULATIONS, UCONN STAFF MEMBERS, UCONN BOOSTERS, UCONN ALUMNI, AND AGENTS MAY NOT DONATE TO THIS FUND*