We are now just one month away from Canada Games, and the last minute “to-do” items are high on
the agenda.
Mission Staff are busily arranging the final orders for pins and clothing, the registration process is almost
complete, and no doubt many parents of excited athletes are making their own travel arrangements to
get out and support their sons or daughters in Sherbrooke. The Games are a culmination of many years
hard work, not just for the athletes but their families who have likely given up a lot of time (and dollars)
to see their child as a participant at the Canada Games. It really is a big deal.
In some cases the confirmation to hear that you have made a team has already been decided, but others
are still going through a qualification process which will determine whether they get to participate or
not. It may seem unfair, and even a little callous that somebody who may have trained up to three years
for this opportunity may lose out at this stage, but this is the nature of competitive sport, and the
Canada Games is as competitive as it gets in this country.
One team still in the “training stage” is our group of rowers, led by coach Mike Gibson and who have
done fantastically well in a relatively short space of time.
Four years ago are rowing team consisted of just two athletes, this time the hope and expectation is that
ten rowers will make it once the final qualification regatta takes place July 20-21.
Gibson is hopeful that five, possibly six boats will be entered at the Games. The double sculls teams have
the most experience, with Colby Currie and Nathan Gibson representing the men, while the women’s
boat will have Lauren Murray and Brooke Currie. The Curries are brother and sister, with Colby rowing at
Queen’s University and Brooke at McGill, while Murray is training at St. F.X. Colby will also be rowing in
the single sculls, while Gibson will be joined by Jordan Rose, Travis Cheverie and Sam Mallet in the
men’s fours boat.
Jaime MacKinnon and Aleya Quilty will join Murray and Currie in the women’s quad, while another
possible entry will be Quilty and Veronica Smith in the women’s lightweight doubles.
By its very nature rowing is a hard and unforgiving sport. At the highest levels, the sport’s athletes are
amongst the fittest on the planet, and Canada has a great track record on the international stage. The
Canada Games has often been the breeding ground for our top Olympic rowers, so our Island athletes
are under no illusions that the competition will be severe.
To date, our team our team has done all that can be asked of them. They have undergone a rigorous
training regime which has meant indoor training at Holland College and 5.30am practices on the water
three times a week at the Charlottetown Yacht Club.
They have also done very well in their events, and just recently at the test regatta, our women’s quad
won a silver medal, and the men a bronze, an excellent achievement. They have also been helped by
Cooke Insurance, who provided two boats to the team to help them with their training.
Coach Gibson though is realistic in what he sees as attainable goals at the Games. It is a young team in a
sport that has only been introduced at the youth level for a couple of years, so the immediate aim is to
see Island rowing become established at the competitive levels. Some top half finishes, and some A
finals at Canada Games, should certainly raise rowing’s profile and encourage more youngsters to seek
out the sport.
The coach has been impressed with his charges, and has been delighted in what he has seen in a short
space of time.
“Rowing is a very technically challenging sport,” he told me recently, “and when you have a group willing
to take on those challenges, and overcome the obstacles we face here on PEI, such as the winds, tides
and cold water, you cannot underestimate what they can accomplish. Keep an eye on this group; they
will do great things both on and off the water.”
Rowing will take place on week two of the Games at Lac Magog, and will run from August 12-17.
Nick Murray is the Communications Director for Sport PEI and a fan of the Canada Games. He can be
reached for comment at [email protected]