Growing rowing in BC’s Interior through collaboration

Growing rowing in BC’s Interior through collaboration

Rowing BC umpires, staff, and coaches headed up to Vernon this past weekend to support the Lap the Lake Regatta and annual Rowing BC Development Camp. Since 2019 (with a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic), Rowing BC has been hosting an annual Development Camp in Vernon on the weekend of the Lap the Lake Regatta, creating an extra incentive for clubs to consider attending the regatta by making a full weekend out of combining the two events. The Development Camp is intended for Junior/U23 and Masters athletes from across BC who are looking for additional chances to be coached by experienced coaches from outside of their home training environment, and to learn from other athletes while training alongside them. In addition, the camp creates an opportunity for local coaches to be mentored by experienced coaches who are regularly based outside of the region.

Back in 2019, the Lap the Lake Regatta was attended by 28 entries from 10 clubs and the Rowing BC Development Camp the next day had 18 athletes in attendance. Now, six years later, the regatta has grown to 41 entries from 10 clubs and Rowing BC’s camp attracted 36 athletes from 7 different local rowing organizations, with many participants returning after positive experiences in past years. The growth hasn’t only been in attendee numbers, rather, it almost seems like you can tangibly feel the growth of the Interior rowing community in the vibe around the venue. Throughout the regatta day coaches and athletes from different clubs collaborated to ensure everyone had the equipment they needed, encouraged each other during the lunchtime rowing trivia, and cheered for each other as loud as possible as the afternoon sprint races came down the course. Rather than being independent entities, it is clear that the Interior rowing community is exactly that – a collective whole that enjoys these opportunities to come together for both competition and fun.

During the awards component of the Lap the Lake Regatta, Rowing BC had the opportunity to present David Miege with this year’s Sport BC President’s Award. The Sport BC President’s Award is given by each Provincial Sport Organization in BC to one member of their community who has in some way stood out over the past year. David has been instrumental in building bridges between members of the Interior rowing community over the past many years, and continuously leading the development of the Shuswap Rowing and Paddling Association, now transitioned to a new name as the Salmon Arm Rowing Club. Thank you and congratulations to David!

During this year’s Development Camp, 26 Juniors/U23s and 10 Masters each had the opportunity to take part in a structured technical on-water session in small boats, and partake in a flexibility and mobility session on-land. Following the lunch break, all participants headed back out to the water for a big boat row that began with building a technical foundation in each boat and, of course, ended with some racing! 

A huge thank you to the Vernon Rowing and Dragon Boat Club for hosting both the Lap the Lake Regatta and Rowing BC’s Development Camp. Thank you to all of the volunteers and umpires involved in the delivery of a smooth and successful regatta day. And a thank you to the coaching team – Terry Paul (Rowing BC), Glen Stiven (VRDBC), Sonja Lonne (Rowing BC), Elena Masyte (VRDBC/UVIC/VCRC), and Naomi Fandrich (FLYRS/GNRC) – who supported the Development Camp. 

See you in Vernon again this time next year!