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This summer I’ll be leaving Kingston to start a new job at Dalhousie University in Halifax where I first learned to row as a student in the 90s. I’m excited by this new adventure but will miss the rowing community in Kingston very much. The Kingston Rowing Club has been a big part of my life here, and the source of many positive experiences and supportive relationships. I began rowing in Kingston in the early 2000s in adult recreational programs, and with the encouragement of John Armitage began fumbling around in the club’s old Red Army single until I was able to tag along in the mornings behind more competitive crews as a masters rower. Summer sunrise workouts on the Cataraqui River and passing between Whiskey and Cedar Islands to row along the St. Lawrence River towards Milton Island are among my favourite memories of my time here. I feel privileged to have been able to row alongside so many talented and dedicated young athletes, and to have watched them grow and develop in their sporting and personal lives. I’m especially proud to have played a part in introducing my own son Will to the sport, and to have rowed with him in father-son events at the Head of the Schuylkill, Head of the Trent, and the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships. All of this was possible because of the countless hours our volunteer coaches spend in coach boats, erg rooms and at regattas, and like many readers of this newsletter I am deeply grateful to them for their time, skill, patience and mentorship. I’m also grateful to the many volunteer members of our Board of Directors who have made it a pleasure to serve as club President for the last 6 years. As I prepare to leave Kingston I want to encourage you all to consider ways you can contribute to our club, or to an organization in your community away from Kingston that depends on volunteers. I firmly believe that the time and effort put into organizations like the Kingston Rowing Club has a positive multiplier effect in our community and in the lives of young athletes, and that you will get back at least as much as you give through a sense of purpose, connection to a community, and the relationships you build. I wish you all the best, and will definitely keep an eye out for the KRC trailer at future regattas. -Michael Vandenburg, President, Kingston Rowing Club
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