From Aug. 18-24, an eight-person rowing crew, composed of six Vancouver Island athletes and two from Ontario, will represent Canada at the U19 World Rowing Championships in St. Catharines, Ont.
The 16- to 18-year-old rowers have been training together since they were selected to represent the country at the Junior National Trials in June.
They train at a number of facilities on the Island and row twice a day, six days a week, for two hours at a time.
“It’s a lot of volume, a lot of training, a lot of work,” said head coach Terry Paul, who added that the crew rows between 16 to 20 kilometres every two-hour session – which is about 200 kilometres per week.
Island rower Declan Blue’s dad, Fred Blue, said the rowers have embraced this hard work and are motivated to win.
“The crew has been training tirelessly for months, showing an unwavering commitment to their sport,” Blue said in an email. “Each member has sacrificed personal time and energy to ensure they are in peak physical and mental condition.”
Paul says he thinks the crew is up to competing in the World Championships.
“They’re learning to row better together, and they’ve had good prognostic times relative to gold medal standards,” he said. “If everything goes well, they’re going to be competitive, and the hope is they challenge for a medal.”
But first, they have to get to St. Catharines. Rowers are expected to cover their own travel expenses and lodging fees. To help offset these costs, the crew created a campaign on GoFundMe that has received almost $4,000 in donations.
Those interested in helping the crew reach their $36,000 donations goal can do so here: https://gofund.me/9f6aaa99.
“It is not lost on any of the boys that representing Canada on the world stage is a significant honour,” said Blue. “The crew is determined to make their country proud.”
