Paralympics
Athlete Reflections: Allie Reilly
USA
PR3 Mix4+ / Placing: Silver
Ididn't know what to expect. I’d heard stories about previous Games but who knew what a Paralympics would look like when held during a global pandemic?
My teammates are from all over the US. John, our stroke seat even spent a chunk of time studying in Ireland. We stay connected through Zoom calls.
When Covid allowed we came together for mini-training camps, and from June 2021 we trained together in Boston, Massachusetts.
USRowing doesn’t have the means to create a centralised program but we are trying to create more opportunities to train out of Boston. I live in Boston, and it is the de facto team hub.
Before Japan, we spent three days in Hawaii. Our hotel was on the beach, and it was great to do some beach workouts together while adjusting to the time zone and heat differences. Hawaii helped us dissociate from daily life and solely focus on rowing. Our goal was to win a gold medal; we weren’t gunning for silver.