Junior Development Camp helps to enhance development of up-and-coming athletes

Forty-seven enthusiastic athletes from 11 different clubs converged on the John M.S. Lecky UBC Boathouse for Rowing BC’s December U19 Development Camp on Sunday, December 14th. The day was packed with technical development, competitive work, and high-energy testing, leaving participants tired but satisfied.

The camp began with introductions upstairs in the event hall before athletes were grouped into crews and paired with coaches for the first on-water session. Rowing BC’s Director of Performance, Terry Paul, briefed the group on a critical technical focus: the transfer of body weight onto the seat during the recovery. This technique was emphasized to promote relaxation and accuracy leading into the catch. The first row saw athletes focusing on these technical elements in a variety of boats, including two men’s eights, two women’s eights, two quads, and two doubles.

Between rows, the athletes relaxed over lunch and listened to a presentation by Terry Paul on the effective transfer of body weight and its effects on acceleration and boat speed. The discussion stimulated numerous questions and comments from both athletes and coaches. The presentation also covered the development pathway for Junior rowers in BC, highlighting competitive opportunities such as club regattas, future Rowing BC Development Camps, the BC Championships Regatta, the BC Summer Games, and Canadian Henley.

In the afternoon, crews were created for a second rowing session, pairing up for side-by-side competitive work pieces to reinforce the techniques learned throughout the day.

The camp concluded with Rowing BC’s standard ergometer assessment, consisting of a 1000 meters at rate 24 test and a 3 x 3 strokes max watts test. The event hall was crowded with athletes completing their tests with their peers cheering them on. Many athletes achieved new personal bests.

Beyond the competitive and technical development, the camp fostered new friendships among athletes from different clubs. As a memorable takeaway, every participant walked away with a new Rowing BC winter touque to wear proudly during their winter training until the next camp. A team of coaches, including Mike Pearce (UBC), Craig Pond (UBC), Vince Amodeo (Thunder), Teena Schneider (Vancouver College), Jordan Henderson (UBC), Mark Henry (Delta), and Will Zu (Burnaby Lake), provided expert guidance throughout the successful day.

Find out more about Rowing BC’s Development Camps and support to Performance Athletes HERE.

Image credit: Masys Family