The goal of the Pocock Rowing Center's High Performance Team is to prepare athletes to qualify for U.S. National and Olympic teams. The program provides athletes with high-quality technical sculling instruction, rigorous and scientifically-based physiological training, and a holistic approach to an athlete's development.

Since the program's inception, 27 Pocock-trained crews have earned medals in international competition.

5 Pocock High Performance Alumni on U.S. Team for Beijing Olympics

Five athletes who trained with the Pocock High Performance Team during the last quadrennium recently represented the United States in Beijing.

Anna Mickelson Cummins, W2- and W8+ - Pocock 2005-2006

Anna is an eight-time senior national team member and two-time Olympian. In 2006, Anna was named US Rowing's Female Athlete of the Year. She was a walk-on to the University of Washington crew where her background from running track and cross-country and playing basketball helped her become a natural oars woman. Working for the National Rowing Foundation, Anna helps past and present athletes who pursue excellence in the sport of rowing. She was married in December of 2007 to former Husky rower and 1997 World Champion Bob Cummins. Her thoughts about the upcoming Beijing Olympics: “From 2005 through today, our squad rows in the small boats and takes what we learn from there into the eight. I believe our technical skills and strength have greatly increased as a result……..…the game plan will be the same as it is for any regatta, focus on doing what I have done every day in practice and in every race before. My teammates are incredible and I wouldn't be able to race two events without the solid depth on our squad. We are a seamless unit going for gold.”

Lia Pernell, W4x - Pocock 1997-1999 and 2004-2008

A Seattle native, Lia began training at Pocock under Emil Kossev when she was 17.  She was a junior national champion in the double in 1997, and the single in 1999, and represented the US at Junior Worlds in the single in 1999.  After a successful career at Princeton where she was a three time All-American, she returned to Pocock in 2003.  Since then she has been a fixture on the US National Team, competing in the women's four, women's double, and women's quad.  Her best result was a second place finish in the Women's quad in the 2008 Lucerne World Cup.  At the Olympics, Lia will race as the bow seat of the women's quad.  After she and her teammates won a silver medal at the 2008 World Cup race in Lucerne, Switzerland, they will be looking to land on the medal stand in Beijing.

In addition to Anna and Lia, former PRC HP athletes included:

Lindsay Meyer, W4x - Pocock 2005-2007
	Lindsay won the Junior Regional and National Single Sculling titles, and a Bronze in the Junior Worlds in 2006, and in 2007 the Regional Singles Title before she left for Princeton to earn a seat in the gold medal U23 boat. Lindsey now trains at Stanford University and in Princeton, NJ.

Julie Nichols, spare LW2x - Pocock 2001-2004, and

Warren Anderson, spare men's sculling - Pocock 2007

The Pocock Rowing Center is located in Seattle and currently 15 athletes train with the program. The program staff includes founder Emil Kossev (technical consultant), Julie McCleerey (program director and coach) and Carlos Dinares (coach). Coaches Bios.

Pocock Rowing Foundation High Performance Team Pages

For more information about the program, e-mail Julie McCleerey.