The Faces Behind Rowing BC

The Faces Behind Rowing BC – DAVID CALDER

In his own words:

I started rowing in large part because of my sister, Kim, who was one of the best coxswains in Canada at the time.  I was hanging around Elk Lake watching her races and realized that my size might make me compatible with the sport.  I started rowing for my high school in the fall of 1992 and never turned back.  I played league soccer, football and basketball, but once I started rowing no other sport could compare!

Once I retired from competitive rowing in 2012, I looked for ways to give back to the rowing community that gave me so much.  I joined the board in 2014 and co-chaired the Competition Review Working Group with Susan Wilkinson.  Seeing the progress the working group made was inspiring and galvanized my passion for the work Rowing BC took on.  I was excited to jump at the opportunity to become the Executive Director of Rowing BC in late 2017.  

I am inspired daily by my wife, who runs a 50-student, holistic, Independent School for young women and trans-gendered youth.  We have a 16-year-old daughter who is a strong student and excels nationally in both judo and rowing.  We have an 11-year-old son who is a passionate environmentalist and an engaged global citizen.  Together we recently adopted a 6-year-old Wheaten-Terrier/Poodle rescue into our family.

I was going to compete in my first Olympic-length triathlon last August but couldn’t due to COVID-19.  I am registered in a sprint triathlon in May 2021 though, and will hopefully complete in the Olympic-length event in August 2021.