Hello! Thank you for taking the time to read my rally! My name is Hugh McAdam, and I've been a competitive lightweight rower for the past 10 years or so. Lightweight means I compete at or below 159lbs against other athletes also in that weight range... like a weight class in wrestling. So far this year, I've qualified to represent the United States at World Cup 2 and World Cup 3 in Europe as the men's lightweight single; with a little luck, and the help of boosters like you, I will continue down the path of success this year and into the 2020 Olympic cycle.  

The goal of this rally is to raise at least $5500 to help offset the costs of racing World Cup 2 and World Cup 3 for the United States in the lightweight single. As the new quadrennial gets underway, being able to experience and compete at as many different international regattas as possible will give me the skills, knowledge, and understanding needed not only to qualify for the 2017 World Championships, but also to move towards the overarching goal of representing the United States at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The funds raised from this rally will go towards housing, training fees, and travel expenses while in Europe for the regattas. Rowing's national governing body does not subsidize these trips; they are entirely self-funded. Even though $5500 is the goal of this campaign, anything above and beyond will go a very long way to furthering the Olympic dream. I’d ask that you please donate whatever you can.

I started rowing in 2004 at Washington College... in Maryland for those of you trying to guess. While I was there the program was pretty small, but we saw some success, and more importantly, we had fun together as a team. The fun we had, and the joy I experienced from training with my friends is what has kept me in the sport since graduating. I began sculling in 2008, in Philadelphia, again with a great group of people. As I continued to train and put in the hours, I began to see success, little bits at first. Those small accomplishments, like intermediate national championships, decent showings at the Speed Orders, National Selection regattas, and other national events, slowly built up.

In September 2012, I was lucky enough to be accepted to Craftsbury's Green Racing Project; there I found new levels of training and success, which came quickly. That October, I would finish 3rd at the Head of the Charles, and win the 2012 Fall Speed Order, both in the lightweight single. 2013 began in a similar manor, with a win at the 2013 1st National Selection Regatta (NSR 1) in the lightweight single. This win led to qualifying for my first international regatta, 2013 World Cup 2 in Eton, England, where I would race in the lightweight single. The experience was spectacular. I would end up in the B final, racing against two British lightweight scullers, beating one of them to finish 2nd in our final, and 8th overall in the lightweight single for the regatta. At the conclusion of World Cup 2, I rushed home to race at US nationals, where I won my first national championship in the lightweight single. Sadly, my 2013 World Championships campaign was cut short do to food poisoning going into the World Championship Trials Regatta.

That experience marked the start of a challenging few months. Again I had a lot of success in the fall with a 2nd place finish at the Head of the Charles and another win at the Fall Speed Order. Despite these achievements, I developed a pretty sever forearm injury that took me away from rowing for most of the 2014 winter and spring racing season. Cycling became my sport during that time, and in some ways was kind of a nice break from rowing. I missed rowing, but I was also enjoying exploring the back roads of Vermont and raced a few times. I learned how to train effectively through serious injury, and found a new and different level of fitness from the bike. The summer's rowing season would turn out well, thanks in part to the time on the bicycle. I went on to win my second national championship. Additionally, I placed 2nd, competing for a spot for the 2014 World Championships, in an extremely tight finish among the heavyweight scullers; not too shabby for a skinny guy. You can watch the final here (the race starts around minute 11). The fall was also successful with my first win at the Head of the Charles in the lightweight single, and another good showing at the Fall Speed Order.

2015 was an interesting year. With the Olympics approaching, there was more pressure to perform and qualify. That year not only had World Championships, but also the Pan American Games. The racing was not what I would have hoped for, at least to begin with; I fell just short at NSR 1, NSR 2, and Pan Am trials. The other athletes were fierce; the top lightweight scullers were all fast and very competitive. After competing against each other all spring, we, the athletes, teamed up to row the lightweight quad and try to qualify for the World Championships in France. Austin Meyers, Collin Etheridge, Matt O'Leary, and myself (this happened to be 4 of the 5 fastest single scullers that year, and the top 2 lightweight doubles at Pan Am trials) did just that. We would go on to finish 5th in the A final of a very competitive lightweight quad event, beating out the previous year's World Champions, the Italians. That summer, I also won my 3rd consecutive lightweight single National title. After France, we parted ways, back to our respective home and singles to gear up for Olympic trials in 2016, which included the fall racing season. I finished my season strong with wins at the Head of the Charles and the Fall Speed Order.

With the Olympics looming ever closer, 2016 would prove to be a challenging year. As it turned out, I would not find a lightweight doubles partner for the Olympic trials. Once again, I would try my hand at rowing against the heavyweights in the single. I was met with more limited success this time than in 2014; it was a much more competitive event than in years past. I would end up being eliminated in the semi-finals of the regatta, one spot out of qualifying for the final. This finish was good enough to allow me to race at World Cup 2, in Lucerne, Switzerland, as a lightweight single sculler. The competition was ratcheted up even higher in Lucerne with the Olympics around the corner and athletes looking for Olympic berths. Over the course of 4 races (heats, reps, semis, and final) in 2 days, I found myself again in the B final, respectable. I would go on to finish 3rd, about 0.5 seconds behind the other American lightweight sculler, and finish 9th overall at the regatta. That would mark the end of my 2016 sprint racing season. The fall would once again see me win the lightweight single at the Head of the Charles.

Which brings me to this year; 2017, a wiser sculler. I was in the mix for most of the last Olympic cycle, but not quite at the top. The goal of this cycle is to not just be in the mix, but take what I learned, apply it, and become one of the best lightweight scullers in the country. With a successful 6 week training camp completed at Nathan Benderson Park (the home of the 2017 World Championships), in Sarasota, Florida, I went on to win the 2017 Spring Speed Order 1 in the lightweight single. This win qualifies me to race the lightweight single at World Cup 2 in Poznan, Poland and World Cup 3 in Lucerne, Switzerland. My goals are to break into an A final and hopefully qualify for the World Championships this year.    

None of the last 4 years would be possible without the support of: my parents, because you know; the Craftsbury Outdoor Center for providing a place to live and train, food to eat, and supporting the Green Racing Project; Concept 2, for supply excellent oars and indoor training equipment; JLracing, for supplying race day and training kit.

And of course, thank you to everyone who has donated to this campaign. Every little bit helps. 

Please share my rally with anyone you think may help.