Row New Yorker Shannon McCann Attends Junior National Team Camp

In mid-November, Row New York junior Shannon McCann received an important email. She was asked by the senders to forward her most recent erg test scores, her height, and her weight. She obliged, since the senders were offering her an exceptional opportunity. She was being considered for selection to join twenty-three other girls from around the country for the Junior National Team’s Winter High Performance Camp. From December 9 to December 12, she would be out on the water in eights, pairs, and straight fours, and on land pulling erg tests. Shortly after sending in her scores, Shannon received word that she had been selected.

For Shannon, such opportunities were not unprecedented. Last June, she was selected for the US Rowing Junior National Team’s Summer High Performance Camp. She trained alongside other elite juniors at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. Another similarly rewarding experience was not to be passed up.

After being selected for the Winter High Performance Camp, Shannon said, “My initial thoughts were that I had a short amount of time to get into the best shape that I possibly could. At Row New York, the mid to late November stretch is pretty light so that there is almost a rest period before going into a long round of winter training. In order to be ready for camp though, I jumped right into winter training-style workouts.”

Shannon would need those workouts. The Winter High Performance Camp is designed to give rowers a window on the demanding levels of excellence expected of them if they seek a spot in the summer’s Selection Camp and on the Junior National Team. Shannon said this window was one of the most valuable parts of the camp. “This camp also gave me a chance to see where I am in relation to the level I will be expected to be. I was given some major changes to improve on, on both the erg and the water, and am keeping them all in mind as I train this winter.”

Shannon also appreciated the new environment, both the facilities – “We rowed out of the Austin Rowing Center, on a beautiful river much longer than Meadow Lake! It was definitely a nice change of scenery,” – and the social scene: “I met a lot of girls who had been on the Junior National Team this summer, as well as some girls who had never been involved in anything with the Junior National Team before. It was nice to meet a bunch of new girls, as well as some that I had been friends with this summer when I was on the High Performance Team.”
There were new rowing experiences that, for Shannon, lent the whole experience much more color. “I think the best part of the trip for me was having a chance to row in boats that we don’t have at RNY, like the pair and straight four.”

For those new experiences, Shannon said, “I’d like to thank all my coaches – both past and present – for providing me with all the workouts I would need and supporting me throughout my training.”

With her work ethic and dedication, Shannon has seemingly left little to chance, but as she moves toward accomplishing her future goals, Row New York wishes her the best of luck.