Newfoundland update

By Domestic Development Officer-Sport Development

Jennifer Parfitt 

My final stop in the Atlantic was Newfoundland where everyone was so friendly, hospitable and welcoming (come to think of it…so was the rest of the Atlantic!). The coaches and volunteers were quick to offer a tour of Signal Hill or to see any Newfoundland sites! Rowing Newfoundland even took me out for a Lobster dinner (unfortunately I still have not been Screeched in yet!! ☺)

Newfoundland/Labrador has three different clubs, Goose Bay, Labrador City and St John’s Rowing Club. It became very apparent to me upon arrival that access to the one rowing club on “The Rock”, St John’s Rowing Club, is limited to the rest of the country and vice versa. In fact even Goose Bay and Labrador City Rowing Club in Labrador itself are not that accessible to the rest of Canada (incidentally I did not make it there). St John’s Rowing club row on Quidi Vidi Lake and it takes this club 17 hours to get off the island by vehicle…and I thought I had it bad on Vancouver Island! This travel makes it really difficult to get to regattas and rowing events for Newfoundland. John Smythe, Rowing Newfoundland’s new provincial coach met with me. He is enthusiastic and energized (can you bottle that please?) and very keen to help not only get Newfoundlanders rowing fast but also develop the sport.

After learning a bit about fixed seat rowing and the club itself, John drove me to Placentia Bay, which has a potential 2000m racecourse site with possible funds to install it. The small community of Placentia has a very active Mayor looking to grow the community. Currently fixed seat rowers use the site but with a little help John and I think there could be some fantastic potential for slide-seaters here too. Another club on the island would mean easy access to competition for St John’s RC which would be fantastic!

Paul Power, past provincial coach and current part time executive director for Rowing Newfoundland met with me too. Paul was as passionate as ever to keep growing rowing in Newfoundland. It was becoming more and more clear to me after visiting these different clubs in the Atlantic that Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are all very unique and separate entities even though we have a tendency to clump them into one…”The Atlantic”.

St John’s Rowing Club was hard at it with training when I was there. A dedicated group of juniors were going on the water with John coaching. One thing that the slide seat rowers have over the fixed seat rowers is a tremendously good coaching staff that rigs the boats, coaches the athletes and of course provides on water safety.

Rowing Newfoundland definitely has a very dedicated and sound bunch of volunteers helping to keep the sport moving forward. Andrew Osbourne, president of St John’s Rowing Club put a tremendous amount of effort into keeping this club up and running and in excellent shape. Doreen Hamlyn, president of Rowing Newfoundland also puts a tremendous amount of effort into the provincial association. Andrew and Doreen along with Paul and John were very keen to met with me and look at ways we can continue to grow the sport of Rowing. Thanks so much Newfoundland!

Newfoundland was my last stop…it was sad to leave the Atlantic but so incredibly informative and exciting to see what’s happening and the potential for rowing. Look for the photos of the entire trip to come posted here on the Domestic Development web page.