Rowing BC 2023 Nominated Team List In a review following the 2022 BC Summer Games,…
#MomsGotGame
Research shows when mom is physically active, coaching or playing sports, everyone wins. Children are more likely to be active; girls are less likely to drop out of sports; while moms cope better with the increasing demands of motherhood and are more likely to feel better about themselves.
Canada’s Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC) first launched the Mom’s Got Game initiative in the spring of 2021. The campaign is back this spring, starting March 8, 2022, leading up to Mother’s Day (May 9th) and into the summer!
Learn more about it and read some inspiring stories from moms across the country HERE.
Rowing BC is excited to support this campaign, and promote the benefits to kids and communities that come from moms being physically active. Financial support from SIRC will also be helping to ensure that our BC Summer Games and Canada Summer Games coaches this summer who have young children will be able to have funds available for child care at the Games. This helps to remove a barrier from excelling in these performance coaching environments – a win for coaches with young families, and a win for the athletes who benefit from their coaching!
Join us in celebrating, encouraging and supporting all moms to play sport and be physically active.
Get to know some Moms who definitely have game!
Brenda (Victoria City Rowing Club & OARCA)
Did your participation in sport change when you became a mom? What challenges did you need to work around in order to stay involved to the extent that you wanted to?
While the kids were young I had to take a break from rowing. It just took too much time and was hard to fit into the schedule. Running was just easier and more flexible (and i could run with the Baby Jogger when they were babies). The biggest challenge was figuring out how to fit workouts in around baby/toddler/preschooler schedules. I put a lot of kms on our “Baby Jogger” with kid #1. It got harder when there were 2 kids, though I was still able to fit in runs with kid #2, while kid #1 was in preschool or on a playdate. We also did a lot of hiking, kayaking and xc skiing with them (carrying them) when they were babies and toddlers . As they grew, we adapted our activities to fit. Sometimes I would do activities WITH them, sometimes my husband and I, or friends, would spell each other off so we could get a “real” workout. Then there was the stage when we could actually do workouts WITH them (and now, they are both too fit and too fast for us).
What’s one of your favorite stories about enjoying sport with your kids and family?
Too many! Weekly runs in the Dean Park trails with my son’s Grade 3 class – especially the day the pack of “Wild Boys” took off on their own, blasting down the trails; kayak trips and hiking trips with another family starting when they were babies and continuing to now (they are in their 20’s). Watching them both run xcountry races. Watching my daughter’s face in her first track meet, (age 8) seeing the look of determination and realising “she’s a racer”. Trail runs with my 16 yr old son in Hawaii (when just the 2 of us travelled to Hawaii so he could race in the Xterra race). Rowing a 2- with my daughter this summer. Impromptu “races” when they were little – skipping, hopping, running, obstacle courses….whatever.
How have your roles in sport changed over time as your children’s ages and stages have changed?
Exercise and sport were just part of their lives and our lives from the time they were born. My role has changed and evolved constantly, often in abrupt steps, and often overlapping roles. Coach, event organizer, cheerleader/spectator, support crew. I stayed active, but didn’t compete much at all. We exercised with them when it made sense. I also tried to help them navigate and understand the sport world: selection, team dynamics, coach-athlete relationships. I tried to really emphasize and focus on the FUN and satisfaction of being fit, training, racing, doing your best (rather than results and performance). It was/is a tricky balance: they are both competitive by nature and I was worried about the external pressure to do well that they might feel. I tried to actively create/protect a space for them to be athletes in their own right, in their own way, while still actively supporting them and sharing my experiences. I started rowing again regularly and racing a bit once they were in their late teens.
What’s one message you want to get out there for other moms?
Fit exercise in whenever and however it works. Exercise WITH your kids. Just make it part of your life. Have fun.
Who are some active moms that inspire you?
I am amazed by mums who are able to train and compete at a high level. I don’t know how they fit in the training and have the mental energy to train and compete and be a mum. It was really interesting listening to a podcast (Don’t Tell Me the Score) with Helen Glover (UK rower).
Katie (Victoria City Rowing Club)
Did your participation in sport change when you became a mom? What challenges did you need to work around in order to stay involved to the extent that you wanted to?
When becoming a mum my main challenge was making sure I had enough milk for my daughter to drink after a workout. When ever I trained I felt like I did not have enough milk for her to drink. Besides that the main challenge was to find someone to look after her while I would go away to row.
What’s one of your favorite stories about enjoying sport with your kids and family?
Most fun has been to go on a row/kayak camping trip with the kids it was great to spend the day on and around the water with the both of them.
How have your roles in sport changed over time as your children’s ages and stages have changed?
Not really, my main involvement when I became a mum was coaching and that is still what I do. When I was pregnant people asked me if I was ready to change my lifestyle… I did not plan on changing it and don’t think I did. I planned on bringing my kids along and have them experience and be part of what I love which is being active and on the water. Obviously there is more planning needed to make sure the kids have someone to look after them when I’m doing something else but in general they often come with me and are fun to have around. I think they can lighten up some stressfull situations.
What’s one message you want to get out there for other moms?
Don’t overthink things and make sure you keep doing what you love as it will keep you happy and fun! There are a million different ways to be a good mum and you will be at your best if you being a mum fits you!
Who are some active moms that inspire you?
Kate Sauks – she’s a rock star and super mum!
Pamela (Burnaby Lake Rowing Club & Inlet Rowing Club)
Did your participation in sport change when you became a mom? What challenges did you need to work around in order to stay involved to the extent that you wanted to?
I’m incredibly fortunate, as my role hasn’t really changed. I was less focused on regattas while pregnant, and had an erg to help gradually get water-ready after delivering each of 2 babies. Otherwise, it has been all systems go, with rowing 3-4 times per week. The challenge is always finding the time. Having a set commitment to myself and fellow rowers, early in the morning (when no one else can need you!) worked for me. That, and having an incredibly supportive partner. The attached photos illustrate how important “the village” is… my rowing buddies definitely had to put up with a short, less balanced stroke, but I was incredibly happy and we all had heaps of fun.
What’s one message you want to get out there for other moms?
Don’t “should” on yourself! I hear a lot of women say they should be in better shape before they come back to rowing. But if rowing is what you love, it’s the best way to GET into shape. Find a welcoming rowing community, and see yourself get stronger and more fit while having lots of fun. Also, doing something you love and being active will help you be the amazing mom and role model you are meant to be.
Rachel (Gorge Narrows Rowing Club)
Did your participation in sport change when you became a mom? What challenges did you need to work around in order to stay involved to the extent that you wanted to?
At that early stage of motherhood I was coaching rowing, instructing fitness classes and teaching Physical Education at high school. I needed to nap! Getting adequate sleep so that I could function throughout the day was paramount. I napped whenever I could, on car rides, on buses, in between classes, I was a champion at being able to fall asleep anytime anywhere and 15-20min was all I needed as a refresh,
What’s one of your favorite stories about enjoying sport with your kids and family?
I once took my three children on a training camp and competition in Italy and Germany for 3 weeks. It was awesome to have my kids around and to have what I thought was work/life balance. The athletes came to appreciate the skill set that being a Mom brought to my coaching philosophy. They saw how I applied the same care and regard for their overall well-being as I did to the growth and development of my children. They saw first hand how important striking a balance between working hard and focussing on the task at hand needs to be balanced with appreciating the moments of being with friends in an beautiful environment and having fun…. I remember so many moments of laughter and play immersed in the seriousness of a training environment!
What’s one message you want to get out there for other moms?
Don’t stop doing what you are passionate about because you think your kids are too young to be involved or won’t understand. I firmly believe that my children are achieving sport/life/school balance now due to the early exposure to role models doing the same.
Who are some active moms that inspire you?
Ekaterina Karsten or Katya as we knew her is a rower from Belarus. She is a seven-time Olympian a two-time Olympic champion and six-time World Champion in the single scull. She was the competition for the athlete I was training in 2012. I learned at that stage she was a mother to a teenager! I took inspiration from her! She shared the story of how she had given birth in May and in December of that same year (1998) she returned to training and in 1999 she won another World Championship in single sculls and set a world-best time.
Roberta (Rockies Rowing Club)
Roberta has been a longtime coach in Cranbrook, becoming “mom” to her own kids as well as many youth rowers along the way. She has dedicated her time to multiple iterations of the BC Summer Games, ensuring young athletes from the Kootenays have a strong female mentor coach to look up to as they prepare for their first multi-sport Games experience. She has been instrumental in ensuring the sustainability of the Rockies Rowing Club by giving her time and expertise to both the on-water and off-water components of keeping the club as healthy as possible. Staying active and giving back to the community through sport is part of how she lives life.
What’s one of your favorite stories about enjoying sport with your kids and family?
In 2020 I went on an adventure with my adult children. Jared and I went to the coast where the other two, Jordan and Thea live. In Nanaimo, with Thea, we went on hikes in the moss filled forests and on beaches and in Victoria with Jordan, we went to Pender Island where we ocean kayaked and near Victoria we went zip-lining. I had not done this activity at such a scale, up in the tops of trees. It was challenging and exhilarating and a bit scary even though you are tied in to the lines. It was a most excellent opportunity to push my comfort limits. Recently I spent Easter with grandchildren and we as a family climbed Giant’s Head Mountain (Summerland) near Penticton. Next generation getting active. It was just the right challenge for a nearly 5 year old and a 67 year old.
What’s one message you want to get out there for other moms?
Be active when your children are young. Help out at ski days, coach soccer even if you never played yourself (take a coaching course and you are set), get them involved with sports/activities even if they are not ‘sporty’ because somewhere along the way they find their own voice and choice.
Sonja (Rowing BC)
Did your participation in sport change when you became a mom? What challenges did you need to work around in order to stay involved to the extent that you wanted to?
I’m still pretty new on this mom journey. Instead of focusing on performance right now, I’m focused on the experiences. My little guy comes with me to do just about everything – biking, hiking, skiing, skating, snow shoeing, swimming, running, walking – you name it, we’ve probably tried it! Sometimes he needs to be carried or helped, but it is also very exciting to see him begin to be able to do some of it completely on his own. I’ve found the two most helpful things are the right gear (we do live in Raincover afterall) and friends who are willing to go at toddler pace when needed. Getting outside makes me feel better no matter what else may be going on in life. It helps me to reset and refresh. It seems to work just as well on my toddler. I want to teach him to enjoy the great outdoors as much as I do so that he can be part of protecting it as a great resource, and one day be the one challenging me to ski faster, hike higher, or bike further.
Who else should be on this list?
Let us know so we can feature their story! Email [email protected]
