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April 2, 2003
Contact: Don Callahan
Phone: 508-358-5993
Team Psycho™ Announces Winners of Elite Development Program Sponsorships
Triathlon team to sponsor three New England-based Olympic-hopeful triathletes
Boston, MA (April 2, 2003) - Team Psycho, the Boston-based elite triathlon team, today announced the winners of the 2003 Team Psycho Elite Development Program (EDP) sponsorships. The three winners were selected from among dozens of talented applicants based on their potential to achieve the EDP goal of developing New England-based athletes who will someday represent the United States at the Olympic games. Sponsored athletes will receive significant financial support as well as advice, mentorship, and coaching from professional triathletes Karen Smyers and Michael McCormack and 2000 USA Olympic Trials competitor Josh Dapice.
The original goal of the Team Psycho EDP was to sponsor two athletes in 2003, its first year, but the program received such strong financial support from members of the triathlon community and such a high caliber pool of applicants, that it added a third athlete. Seeing the potential for this type of program to "continue to build the exploding interest in our sport and cultivate the talent that will help the US continue to compete at the highest level internationally," Tim Yount, Deputy Director of USA Triathlon, said, "We at USAT hope it serves as a model that teams in other regions throughout the country will adopt."
Applications for the 2004 season will be accepted in the fall. More information about the EDP, including how to contribute to the program, is available at http://www.teampsycho.com/program.
About the Selected Athletes
Christoph O'Donnell, a 24 year-old resident of Cambridge, MA, started his athletic career as a standout high school wrestler and collegiate cross-country runner. He has been a professional triathlete since late 2001. Notable results in 2001 include a 2nd place 20-24 age group finish in the 2001 ITU World Championships, and a 12th place overall finish in the Boston ITU race. In 2002 he was the 19-24 national hour swim champion and finished the season with a 191 world raking. In 2003 he has already won the 20-24 New England Short Course Yard Swimming Championships and finished 5th in the Amatique Bay ITU International Triathlon.
Amory Rowe of Middletown, RI was a collegiate all-American in both field hockey and lacrosse. She achieved international success as a member of the US Women's Lacrosse team from 1993-1997, winning the World Cup Championship in 1997. She then ran for Reebok Boston from 1997-2000, before transitioning to triathlon in 2001. In 2002 Amory won the Triathlon de Montreal, finished 3rd in her age group in the Lake Placid World Championships qualifier and 6th at the World Championships in Cancun.
Gia White of Lebanon, NH has excelled at the increasingly competitive levels of triathlon since 1997 when she was a member of the collegiate national champion team. Over the next four years she posted impressive snowshoeing, running and triathlon results, including 2nd place overall in the 2000 Ultimate Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. In 2001 she competed as a US World triathlon team member before becoming an Elite triathlete in 2002 when she finished 3rd in the US Pro Championships in NYC and received Rookie Triathlete of the Year Honorable Mention. She is currently a national team member and resident athlete at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center.
About Team Psycho
Team Psycho was founded in 1991 as an informal group of four triathlon training partners in suburban Boston. Team Psycho has since become recognized as one of the most elite triathlon teams in the world, with an invitation-only membership of 75 triathletes. Members include multiple age group and professional world champions. To learn more about Team Psycho, visit http://www.teampsycho.com.
