National Team Coaches

National Team Coaches

RCA's full-time National coaching staff

Mike Spracklen - Men's Coach

Mike Spracklen has coached at the national level in Canada, the U.S. and his native Great Britain. He has led the Canadian men's eight to wins at the World Championships (2002, 2003 and 2007) and was named 2002 FISA Coach of the Year.

In the early 1990s, he also coached the Canadian men's eight to a gold at the 1992 Olympics and was Silken Laumann's coach for both the 1992 and the 1996 Olympics. In 2000, he served as chief coach (women) in Great Britain - coaching the women's quad to a silver in Sydney.

Spracklen, who was recently named British Columbia Coach of the Year, is based in Victoria, and is currently preparing the heavyweight men for the 2008 Olympics.

Al Morrow - Women's Development Coach

For many years, Hamilton, Ontario native, Al Morrow, has been at the helm of Canada's women's rowing program - coaching World and Olympic medallists including Marnie McBean, Kathleen Heddle, Emma Robinson, Alison Korn, Lesley Thompson and many other talented women.

In 1999, the London, Ontario-based coach was recognized by the world rowing federation (FISA) as Coach of the Year. The women's eight brought home a bronze medal from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Morrow was recently inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame (2006). He is now concentrating on the development of the women's program.

Bent Jensen - Lightweight Men's Coach

Bent Jensen has been coaching since 1977, and was most recently the Head Coach for Denmark's Rowing Federation. Jensen joined RCA in 2006 as the National Coach - Lightweight Men, based in Victoria, B.C.

Jensen is acknowledged to be the foremost lightweight rowing coach in the world. He is best known for coaching the Danish lightweight men's four to World and Olympic medals including a gold in Atlanta in 1996, a bronze in Sydney in 2000 and a gold in Athens in 2004.

Jensen is part of an elite group who have been named Coach of the Year (1998) by FISA, the International Rowing Federation - an honour that two of Canada's coaches (Al Morrow in 1999 and Mike Spracklen in 2002) have also received.

Carsten Hassing - National Coach - Senior Women

Carsten Hassing is the latest addition to the RCA women's program. He worked for the Danish Federation for the last three Olympic cycles, qualifying crews for the finals in each Games, and has coached nine world-level medalling crews since 1993.

From 2000 to 2005, he worked with Bent Jensen in the successful lightweight men's program in Denmark, and before that he assisted in coaching women's crews.

Hassing, who coached the Canadian women's pair to a gold at the 2006 World Championships, is currently based at the London Training Centre.

Terry Paul - National Development Coach

As a cox for the 1992 men's eight, Terry Paul helped the crew bring home gold for Canada from the Barcelona Games. Since then, he has gained much experience as a coach in Canada with the men's program and with the Swiss National Team.

Terry coached the 2002 World Cup gold medallist lightweight men's four, and women's double, and is now in charge of the Under-23 and non-Olympic programs. In 2006, he coached the Under-23 men's eight to a gold medal and the senior coxed four to a silver medal at the World Championships.

Laryssa Biesenthal - Lightweight Women's Coach

Laryssa Biesenthal, who coached at the 2003 Pan Am Games, was in charge of the lightweight women's double for 2004, the only event open to lightweight women at the Olympic Games. Biesenthal was a member of the 1996 and 2000 Olympic rowing teams, winning a bronze medal in each Games.

Since retiring from the National Team, she has coached at the Under-23 World Regatta, the Commonwealth Regatta, the World University Games and the Pan American Games, guiding the rowers to several medals at these events.

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