Train Alongside Olympic Athletes At Devon Boathouse

Dana Hertneky, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Olympic athletes are training there and now you can too. The Devon Boathouse has opened up for the public to use.

More than 40 elite athletes are already training for the U.S. team and the Olympics at the state-of-the-art facility. And the public can train right along side them.

The $10 million facility is equipped with the very latest technology and it's evident when you first walk in the front door.

To the left is the world's first dynamic propulsion rowing tank-- a rowing simulator where the rower and the water moves. For elite athletes it helps them perfect their stroke. For a first timer, it's a chance to learn without the risk.

"From kids to adults learning how to row, it really stimulates what it's like rowing down the river," said Mike Knopp, Executive Director of the OKC Boathouse Foundation.

And anyone can try it.

That's also the case for the Olympic style weight room, the high performance center and even the high altitude room, where you can train as if you're on top of a Colorado mountain.

"This is really some of the latest technology in terms of training for elite athletes," said Knopp.

And elite athletes are taking advantage.

"People move from all over the country to train here," said Greg Ansolabehere, who's at the boathouse training for the U.S. rowing team. "I'm from Bakersfield. We have guys from New Jersey. It's the place to be now pretty much."

The U.S. women's rowing team is in town training for the next couple weeks.

"I think it helps inspire you to go and work out and be part of that but it also puts a spotlight on these athletes too," said Knopp. "We think there's really a great synergy to that."

Bringing some of the world's greatest rowers and kayakers to Oklahoma City while bringing to Oklahoma City a new taste of a sport typically reserved for the coast.

"To have a centrally located training center like this is really going to help with the awareness of the sport of rowing," said Jeremy Ivey, a U.S. rowing coach.

A monthly pass is about $65. You can also purchase a day pass. Get more information about the Devon Boathouse.