Rowing in the North West: Richard Fergie’s Story

Rowing in the North West: Richard Fergie’s Story

When Richard and his wife were preparing for their move from the UK to Terrace, BC, Richard thought his rowing days were over. With the closest rowing club over 10 hours away, he figured he would have to find some new sports and hobbies once he arrived. He was looking forward to one final season of racing all his favorite races, and settling some old scores on some of the UK’s race courses before the move. An injury early in the season sidelined his rowing hopes, and he packed his things to move to Canada. Not having had a chance to finish the rowing chapter of his life the way he wanted, Richard started wondering what a continuation of rowing could look like for him at his new homebase in Terrace, BC. 

At first, the logistics weren’t coming together. Some boat manufacturers almost laughed at delivering a boat to such a remote location, but a chance connection with Mark Henry from Fluidesign made it possible for Richard to be reunited with a boat once again. The next challenge was figuring out the competition system in BC. Richard started with what was geographically “close” – a 13 hour drive to the 2023 Lap the Lake Regatta in Vernon. While there, Richard crossed paths with Rowing BC’s Director of Performance, Terry Paul, and asked for some advice on what other events to prioritize on the race calendar if he was looking for similar speed athletes to compete against. Having seen his rowing throughout that weekend, Terry suggested that Richard “wouldn’t embarrass himself” if he chose to race at the upcoming Rowing BC Provincial Championships Regatta. 

Fast forward to the 2023 Rowing BC Provincial Championships Regatta. Richard had been training and preparing, and was ready to race some fast times down the course. However, Terry’s words would soon be proved wrong when Richard unexpectedly flipped in the Time Trial and became the main talk of the regatta! How could this 6’8” athlete with so many years of rowing experience end up placed in Semi-Final K/L?!?! Despite this result, he had loved the atmosphere and friendliness at the event, and was determined to come back again. His wife told him that he just needed to be 1% better so that I could race at 99% and save the spare 1% for not crashing into buoys etc. and then he could do pretty well. 1% sounded like a manageable improvement!

For the next twelve months, Richard continued to get out on the lake in Terrace whenever it was safe to do so (there’s no one to drive a safety launch, so being careful with conditions becomes extra important!). He also put in many kms on the erg, sticking to the training plans he wrote for himself each season. It’s not always easy to be your own coach and competitor! Richard voiced great appreciation for the connections he has been able to build with rowers in Vernon, and the opportunities to travel to occasionally train alongside them in the on-water season, and race them on cross country skis in the winter season.  At the 2024 Rowing BC Provincial Championships, Richard was ready to meet his goals! With a 2nd place overall finish in the Men’s 1x, Richard was hoping that the gossip around the regatta site was starting to sound something like “Who is that guy? He’s almost 40 and he fights polar bears to row on a frozen lake somewhere in Northern BC?!?”. 

There are lots of things that stand out about Richard, but his great sense of humor and ability to motivate himself really stand out. However, being one of only a few rowers in North West BC can be a little lonely! If you’re a Masters rower in the Interior or North, Richard would love to hear from and connect with you for some training now and again. You can contact him at richard.fergie@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @northwest_sculler. Rowing BC is looking forward to scheduling some Masters Camps in 2025 where other Masters rowers, like Richard, can come together for a weekend of training with each other under the guidance of excellent coaches from across the province. Keep an eye out for these in Rowing BC’s communications in the coming months!