A Message from the Row Ontario Chair

Dear Ontario Rowing Community,

At Row Ontario, our vision is clear: to inspire excellence in individuals and organizations throughout the rowing community. Our mission is to advance the growth, development, and delivery of rowing across the province. But this mission is not ours alone—it belongs to all of us. Together, we are shaping the future of rowing in Ontario.

To guide our journey, we’ve embraced four foundational principles:

• Quality Before Quantity: Growth is not about doing more—it’s about doing better.
• Know Your Why: Purpose drives progress. Understanding our motivations strengthens our impact.
• Pace Over Place: The process matters more than the podium.
• Accountability Over Ego: We succeed when we prioritize collective well-being over individual gain.

These principles are not just words—they are reflected in the work we do every day. Let me share a few examples of how they come to life:

• We are reimagining how newcomers experience rowing, making first contact with the sport more welcoming, accessible and based on best practices from around the world.
• We’ve launched Club/President Connect meetings to foster collaboration and leadership.
• Our governance webinars and on-line club governance resources [Coast Library] continue to support clubs and administrators.
• Coach Connects and coaching cohorts are building stronger, more connected coaching communities.
• Through the Ontario NextGen Performance Centre, we’re strengthening athlete-coach relationships with personalized support and ongoing dialogue between the ONGPC and club coaches, while providing athletes with enhanced training opportunities to excel at the next level.
• We’re innovating competition formats—like the restructured RowOn Champs time trial–to–seeded final racing; and the new promotion/relegation style regatta format —to provide a better-quality experience for all athletes.
• Beach Sprint Cups and “come try it” events are bringing rowing to new cohorts across the province.
• We’ve made regatta timing equipment available to member clubs, supporting high-quality event delivery.
• Coach development efforts continue—this year, we welcomed a record 22 newly certified coaches.
• We continue to provide professional development opportunities to our coaches, through initiatives like our annual RowOn Coaching Conference – this year on Dec. 6-7, in Thorold, Ontario. We’re proud to welcome keynote speakers Louise Kingsley, Director of Performance at GB Rowing, and Arshay Cooper, award-winning author and motivational speaker. More details on the Conference schedule and registration will follow soon.
• We’re making significant progress in growing the number of umpires across the province to support the current and future expansion of our sport. Over the past two years, 13 umpires have retired, but we’ve successfully licensed 22 new ones. Encouragingly, we now have 12 umpires under the age of 50—up from just 3 in 2023. While much has been accomplished, this is only the beginning. To sustain and grow our regatta calendar, we need even more umpires. The work continues.
• We’ve piloted short-term membership fee reductions to increase accessibility and allow clubs to invest more in this important first contact opportunity.
• We’re working with Rowing Canada Aviron to expand National Team opportunities closer to home, leveraging Ontario’s world-class talent and infrastructure.
• We’re growing our Hall of Fame to honour and preserve Ontario’s legacy in rowing. Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2025 Hall of Fame Class during Hall of Fame Week – Nov. 17 – 21, 2025.
• And we continue to manage Safe Sport cases with diligence and care, ensuring a safe environment for all.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am honoured to extend our deepest appreciation to the sport leaders, administrators, educators, coaches, regatta volunteers, umpires, and athletes across Ontario. Your commitment, passion, and tireless efforts are the heartbeat of rowing in Ontario. You are the reason our sport continues to evolve and inspire.

To the Row Ontario Board—thank you. Your dedication, strategic leadership, and tireless advocacy continue to shape the future of rowing in this province. You serve not only as stewards of our mission, but as champions of our community.

I also want to recognize our committee members. Much of your work happens quietly, behind the scenes, but its impact is profound. You bring expertise, thoughtfulness, and care to every initiative, and we are deeply grateful for your contributions.

A heartfelt thank you to our staff. You are the engine of Row Ontario. Day in and day out, you work on behalf of our rowing community with professionalism, resilience, and heart.

This past year brought significant change. Our organizational restructuring meant saying goodbye to exceptional colleagues and friends. For those who remained, it meant stepping into new roles, taking on new responsibilities, and navigating new expectations. None of this was easy. And yet, you showed up—with grace, with grit, and with unwavering commitment.

Looking ahead, I’m thrilled to announce that next week we will be launching our new 2025/26 – 2029/30 ‘Building Community – Providing Opportunity’ Strategic Plan, which speaks to the crucial areas where we feel we can make the most impact on the sport of rowing in Ontario.

As we navigate the future together as the Ontario rowing community, I encourage us to reflect on our past—not as an anchor, but as a compass. Let us learn from experience but remain open to new approaches. Progress requires courage, collaboration, and sometimes, uncomfortable conversations. But I believe that in this community, we are ready.

Thank you for your continued dedication to rowing in Ontario. Thank you for your leadership, your service, and your belief in what we can achieve—together.

Yours in Rowing,

Peter Van Rooijen
Chair, Row Ontario Board of Directors