Dundas Inducted as Builder into Row Ontario Hall of Fame

Lynda Dundas became the fifth person to be inducted as a builder into the Row Ontario Hall of Fame on Monday for her outstanding contributions in the Ontario rowing community.

Born in Toronto, Dundas started rowing at the Don Rowing Club in 1989. She has since worn many hats in rowing, including coach, umpire, race director, volunteer, board member, and President.

“I am truly humbled to be recognized by Row Ontario with this prestigious award,” said Dundas. “Never in my dreams would I ever thought I would be considered for this recognition when what I was doing was having fun! I have had many great mentors and coaches over my years of involvement and have developed many great friendships. Thank you to all for your guidance and camaraderie.”

With over three decades of involvement in rowing, Dundas’ contributions to the sport of rowing in Ontario at the regional, provincial, and national levels are plentiful. Soon after joining the Don Rowing Club as a competitor, she became a volunteer for the club off the water. Her first major accomplishments at the club were starting the recreational rowing program and learn-to-row program along with fellow club member Nancy Sweete. She also helped in establishing the masters women’s rowing program after recognizing the need to provide a competitive platform for rowers of mature ages. She spearheaded the creation of a welcoming and supportive environment for masters rowers, that has empowered many individuals to continue their passion for rowing well into their later years. Through this initiative, she has made a positive impact on the lives of countless rowers. Dundas remains involved with the club and has served as Club President on multiple occasions.

At the provincial level, Dundas spent 17 years on the Row Ontario Board of Directors which included stints as President (2006-12), VP of Events and Umpires (2004-2008), Director (2013-19) and Chair of the Awards Committee (2012-19). She is also a past board member with Rowing Canada Aviron (2006-12) and currently sits on the RCA Awards Committee and Safety and Events Committee.

Dundas has been very active as a coach with the DRC as well as in the Ontario coaching community as a coach, developer and mentor for other coaches and is fully certified as LTR Coach Facilitator and RCA Coach contexts. She’s coached the DRC recreational program for many years and has also been involved with the junior and high school introductory programs.

She’s a level three umpire and has umpired at regattas throughout Ontario and Nationally for many years. She has served as Chief Umpire at several events including in the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships and 2017 Invictus Games. She’s also been a member of the organizing committee for many events including the Invictus Games, many Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships, and most recently the 2023 World Rowing Indoor Championships.

On the regatta course, she’s also an accomplished masters rower, and has either won or medalled at many events nationally and internationally over the years, including the Head of the Charles Regatta, and the FISA Masters.

Throughout her involvement in rowing, Dundas’ strong leadership skills have been instrumental in guiding and inspiring those around her and her ability to unite teams and foster a sense of camaraderie has created a positive and encouraging atmosphere for all involved in the sport. Her tireless efforts and remarkable accomplishments have left an indelible mark on the world of rowing.

Row Ontario will be announcing the inductions of the 2023 Hall of Fame class throughout the week as part of ‘Hall of Fame Week’. Earlier this year Nancy Storrs was announced as the first member of the 2023 Row Ontario Hall of Fame Class. Stay tuned the rest of this week for more announcements on the 2023 induction class of the Row Ontario Hall of Fame.

Visit Row Ontario Hall of Fame for more information.