Come Try Success!

Come Try Success!

In the follow-up to Invictus Games 2025, Rowing BC worked in three locations, with two clubs, to run inclusive Come Try events.

Come Try events in Vancouver, Victoria, and Duncan were supported by Rowing BC through sanction and registration organization, adaptive equipment use, and expertise. Vancouver Rowing Club and Maple Bay Rowing Club provided volunteers and equipment as well. In Victoria, Rowing BC ran the event out of the Next Gen Performance Centre (with some equipment borrowed from Victoria City Rowing Club.)

Over the course of the three events, more than 70 new rowers started their rowing journeys including 9 people who needed physical adaptations to row or to get in and out of the boat, and many people who were able to identify what types of coaching work best for them to learn. This inclusive environment created a supportive atmosphere where everyone had fun and took strokes.

The registration form that was used for these events asked the participants to describe any physical or processing support they needed. This seemed to allow people to feel safe, not only participating, but sharing what works best for them. If you would like help creating a more inclusive space for your Come Try events, reach out to Lisa Tschannen, Rowing BC’s Manager of Education, Innovation, and Inclusion, or take a look at the Para Toolkit and Equity and Inclusion Toolkit on the Rowing BC website.