ARION Development: U23 and beyond
ARION offers summer training opportunities to a select group of up to 4 men and 8 women
Up to 6 athletes will be accepted in preparation for U23 Selection Camp and/or Trials
up to 8 athletes will be accepted in preparation for Summer training at ARION
ARION is committed to developing the next generation of high level rowers
Whether you are a post collegiate athlete with national team aspirations, or a U23 just beginning your journey into elite rowing, ARION offers a summer experience to assist you on that journey.
Camp Options
SUMMER ARION Program (Full program): June 3rd - Aug 4th
The full program is for up to 8 athletes training to participate in the entire 9 week ARION summer program, including racing at the ERA regatta and the Canadian Henley. The Program is for the high potential athletes who are interested in taking their rowing to the next level. Preference will be given to athletes who were near to Selection Camp level or who have proven success in small boats or have physical metrics associated with rowing success.
CAMP Phase I (Prep Camp): June 3rd - July 7th
The first part of camp is for up to 4 athletes training to prepare for a U23 selection camp or U23 trials. These athletes should have already been invited to Selection Camp, or been identified by the ARION coaching staff as competitive for U23 trials. Athletes in Phase I will be expecting to head off to U23 selection camp or race in the U23 trials. Should any athletes win the U23 trials they will be invited to continue training at ARION. It is also possible that Phase I athletes may race trials and then head to Selection Camp. Phase I athletes are not excluded from continued training at ARION - but the commitment is only through July 7th.
CAMP Phase II (Trying out ARION Elite): July 8th - Aug 4th
The second part of camp is for up to 4 athletes who would like to consider ARION as a full time High Performance Program. These post collegiate athletes should have some proven level of success and a desire/capacity for full time training. Athletes can be new to the high performance scene, or just looking to find a new training environment. ARION encourages a trial period for any athletes who are considering full time training. While some may choose to sign up for the full summer program, there is an option for a shorter trial period, should any aspiring high performance athlete look to try ARION.
NOTES:
This program is open to men as well as women.
These phases run concurrently with the full program (meaning there will be up to 12 athletes at any given time). The first half of the summer allows for a group of the athletes to be focused on preparing themselves for Selection Camp. The second half of the summer allows for new athletes to try ARION and get to know the program before any commitments are made.
Cost is inclusive of coaching, equipment and trailering, regatta fees, weight training fees and gear. Athletes responsible for room and board apart from regattas (see below) and transportation to/from regattas.
Anyone winning U23 trials will be responsible for their own fees associated with the trip to Worlds.
The Water Training
Most of the on the water training happens 6 mornings a week in coached sessions. Athletes spend significant amounts of time in singles, doubles, and pairs. The athletes train together and practices are sometimes combined with the elite team. A competitive piece day may include the elite team in singles and the U23 team in doubles, or the elite in doubles and the U23 in quads. It is not required for an applicant to be super accomplished in a single, but some familiarity with sculling and a willingness to train at a high level are required. Follow "The Training" link above in the navigation bar to see more information regarding training with ARION.
The Cross Training
Along with the water meters, the ARION program incorporates a lot of cross training. Most cross training sessions are done on the afternoons and weekends and include running, biking, erging, lifting, and hiking. Saratoga Springs is just outside the Adirondack Park and has very easy access to fantastic country riding and running through farm land as well as hiking the peaks of the Adirondacks. It is encouraged that the time spent in Saratoga includes outdoor athletic adventures off the water as well as on. Lifting and Erging are done in the new Saratoga Rowing Assoc facilities. Follow "The Training" link above in the navigation bar to see more information regarding training with ARION.
The Pricing
The ARION Summer Development program has the following costs:
Program Costs:
Full Program is $425/week for 9 weeks = $3825
Phase I is $425/week for 5 weeks = $2125
Phase II is $425/week for 4 weeks = $1700
Housing and Food: A limited number of beds are provided on site at Saratoga Rowing Assoc. These beds are available for $50/week payable in addition to the Program Costs. If you are finding housing elsewhere, that is the responsibility of the athlete and not payable to Saratoga Rowing. We do suggest that athletes reserve $125/week as a rough budget for housing during the time in Saratoga. You are free to search for housing that fits any budget, but we try to help find housing in that range.
Training: Program costs will cover all training, coaching, and lifting fees. Rowing shells will be provided if needed. It is encouraged to bring a road bicycle and a single if you have them, but it is not required.
Racing: Program costs will cover the hotels, trailering, coaching, and race entry fees for ERA regatta and/or Canadian Henley and/or U23 trials, but getting to and from the regatta will be at your own expense.
Gear: Program costs will cover a gear package including a racing uni and a few other items.
The Coaches
The ARION Summer Development program is coached by a team of coaches.
Eric "Cat" Catalano: ARION Elite Head coach. In addition to coaching the ARION Elite program, Cat was a member of the 2023 Sr. Team coaching staff, assisting with the Women's 2x and Women's Lw 2x at the 2023 World Champs. Cat started the ARION program in the summer of 2016 and has built the program into one of the top performing high performance clubs in the country. In 2023 the ARION program had 8 of its 12 members representing USA. (5 members and one coach of the PanAm team and 3 members Sr. Worlds Team and 1 coach). While most of his time is spent with the Elite team and Team USA, when appropriate the Dev groups and the Elite groups will mix, and the Dev groups will be rowing on an adapted version of the elite training plan.
Stacey Apfelbaum: Stacey is the assistant coach of Radcliffe lightweight women and was previously an assistant to the ARION elite program. She was also named the 2021 NYS HS Coach of the year.
Steve Bohler: As Technical Advisor, Steve specializes in rowing technique, biomechanics and the use of data to optimize performance. As a certified Sports Psychology Coach, Steve also helps athletes enhance their "mental strengths" in practice and racing. In 2023, Steve coached the Women's 2x and Women's 4x to PanAm Gold.
Maureen McAuliffe: Mo is a former ARION athlete and National Team sculler. She represented the USA in the quad in 2017 and 2018. Mo also coaches at Saratoga Rowing and Skidmore College.
Sam Warren
The Racing
The ARION Dev/U23 program is dedicated to the development of elite small boat skills. If applicants are new to small boat rowing, the ARION program will establish those skills and build confidence to race in small boats. For those who have some experience in small boats, the ARION program will help prepare you for finals level competition at the U23 trials, ERA regatta, and Canadian Henley levels.
Physiological Testing
New for 2024: In cooperation with USRowing and Skidmore College, ARION is pleased to add a battery of physiological tests to the summer programming. These tests will be performed at Skidmore College by the exercise Physiology Department and will follow the protocols generated by the USRowing High Performance Director. Among other tests, the Lactate threshold test is a metric that USRowing is gathering across the full developmental pool of potential elite rowers. This test will provide the athlete specific guidelines to help define the training zones that they can take home and employ at home programs.
ARION Expectations
ARION athletes should maintain a growth mindset over time to achieve the desired results. It is expected that athletes complete all the prescribed work within the confines of physical and mental health. It is also expected that athletes understand the training program is designed to be a path to a destination. Deviations from that path, regardless of the reason, are still deviations from the path and may not lead to the same result. One should expect to grow as an athlete, a coach, an employee, and a human during the time at ARION.
It is also the case that sport in general is not a democracy, but often a meritocracy, that is to say that results matter in sport. The same can be the case in an elite training program: results and trajectory matter. This may affect some decisions on residential spaces, training trips, funding, and equipment. Athletes are given time to grow and flexibility to learn and fail and learn more, but one should always maintain a growth mindset and remember that the program is focused on international competition at the highest levels.
Athletes at ARION should also embody and endeavor to live the mottos of "good friends in the extra mile" and "gratefulness and vulnerability". We believe that the rising tide raises all boats and we celebrate the successes of our team and teammates.
