2023 RowOn Coaching Conference

The RowOn Coaching Conference takes place on Dec. 2-3 in Thorold, ON. The Conference will be hosted at the Four Points by Sheraton St. Catharines Niagara Suites.

The Conference features two keynote speakers and a selection of lecture and practical sessions on Saturday, and the choice to attend two limited-participation fireside chat sessions on Sunday. Lunch will be provided on Saturday. This conference is a unique opportunity for coaches to gain valuable professional development knowledge.

Who can attend?
Anyone! The conference is NOT restricted to Ontario residents.

How much does it cost?

Saturday Sessions – $95
Sunday Fireside Chats – $30
Group Ticket Discount – 5-8 tickets for Saturday sessions for $85 per registration

Conference Location:
Four Points by Sheraton St. Catharines Niagara Suites
3530 Schmon Parkway
Thorold, ON L2V 4Y6

Accommodations:
For those requiring over night accommodation it is recommended you stay at the Four Points by Sheraton. Row Ontario has reserved a block of rooms at a discounted rate. Attendees can book a discounted room under the ‘Row Ontario Attendees’ block at the link below. The block of rooms and discount is on hold until Nov. 1 and will be given out on a first come first served basis.

Book Your Room
Four Points By Sheraton – St. Catharines Niagara Suites
3530 Schmon Parkway
Thorold, ON L2V 4Y6

Registration
Registration is now closed.

The schedule of the sessions may be subject to change. Row Ontario will send a confirmation of the schedule to each participant following the close of registration. 

Sponsors

HUDSON Boat Works, the official boat supplier of Row Ontario, is sponsoring the keynote speakers for the 2023 RowOn Coaching Conference. Thank you HUDSON for bringing the keynote speakers to the Ontario rowing community!

Liteboat is sponsoring the lunch for all the attendees of the 2023 RowOn Coaching Conference. Thank you Liteboat!

RegattaSport is a sponsor of the 2023 RowOn Coaching Conference. Thank you RegattaSport!

Swift Racing is a sponsor of the 2023 RowOn Coaching Conference. Thank you Swift!

Cold Break Brewing is a sponsor of the Friday Night Social at the 2023 RowOn Coaching Conference. Thank you Cold Break!

Rock Island Roastery is a sponsor of the 2023 RowOn Coaching Conference. Thank you Rock Island!

RowOn Coaching Conference Sessions

Keynote Presentation: How to Build and Sustain a High Performing Culture

Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 8:30am-9:30am
Presenter: Josy Verdonkschot
Description: Throughout his keynote Josy Verdonkschot will touch on his experiences working in countries around the world and what needs to be put in place to build a strong culture of performance.

Presenter Bio: Josy Verdonkschot’s coaching experience spans the globe, and he is the current Chief High Performance Officer at USRowing. Prior to joining USRowing, Verdonkschot served as the women’s head coach for The Netherlands from 2014 to 2021, where he coached athletes to three medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and helped the Royal Dutch Rowing Federation finish third in the medal table. He’s also coached at the national team level in Belgium and Italy, and from 2002-08 was a part of the FISA Development Program where he occasionally coached crews from development regions such as Zimbabwe, Tunisia and Vietnam. In total, he has coached crews to seven Olympic medals, including two golds, and 23 medals at the World Rowing Championships.

Keynote Presentation: Using a Training Programme to Build Team Unity

Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 10:05am-11:05am
Presenter: Gregg Hartsuff
Description: Learn how Gregg prepares the Wolverines to win the national championship each season. The session will have a particular focus on winter training and how using only ergometers, if done the right way, can bring a team together even before getting back on the water in the spring.

Presenter Bio: Gregg Hartsuff has been the Head Coach of the University of Michigan men since 1993. He is the all-time winningest collegiate club coach in U.S. history. Under him, the Michigan Men have won the ACRA Men’s Team Point Championship 14 straight years. Hartsuff’s crews have won over 250 medals at May championships in his career, two of those being at the IRA when clubs were allowed to attend.  Internationally he has coached several U.S. crews, the Men’s 8 winning gold at the World University Games in South Korea in 2015.

Lecture Session: Successful Aging as a Masters Rower

Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 11:20am – 12:20pm
Presenters: Volker Nolte, Lynda Dundas, Andrew Smith
Description: Masters rowing can be done in a variety of ways – from a late entry into the sport, to recreational rowing or even to competitive training. The panel of longtime masters rowers will discuss ideas how they manage to get the most out of our sport by staying healthy, having fun and continuing to row successfully for many years.

Presenter Bios:

Born in Germany, Volker Nolte was a competitive rower in his native country before he was a world-class coach in Canada. He became head of the Western University rowing program in 1993 and led the Mustangs to an unprecedented run of success during his 24 years with the school. In addition to his success at the University level, Volker also made his mark as a national team coach at the highest level of the sport. He was the lightweight men’s national team coach from 1992-2000 and his crews won an Olympic silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games, two World Championship titles in 1993 and 2000, and several more medals at World Championship regattas.

Lynda Dundas started rowing at the Don Rowing Club in 1989. In addition to many roles she’s held over the years including umpire, coach, race director and board member, she’s an accomplished masters competitor. Lynda has either won or medaled at many events over the years, including the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, the FISA Masters at Princeton, and many other national and provincial events.

Andrew Smith, better known as ‘Smitty’ in rowing circles, began rowing in 1977 in Woodstock, ON. He continued to participate through high school and college, and after a break picked the sport back up. He has stayed involved in the sport as an umpire, coach, and board member and continues to row as a competitive masters rower out of the London Western Rowing Club.

Lecture Session: Best Practices in High School and Junior Rowing

Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 11:20am – 12:20pm
Presenters: Connor Elsdon, Siobhan McLaughlin, Zak Lewis
Description: Siobhan, Connor and Zak are three coaches from different areas of the province who have coached thriving junior and high school rowing programs for several years. Find out what’s worked for them, what hasn’t, and best practices on how to grow and develop high school and junior rowing programs.

Presenter Bios:

Currently in her 11^th year as Director of Girls Rowing at Ridley College, Siobhan McLaughlin holds RCA Performance Coach certification and is a Coach Developer within NCCP RCA and MultiSport streams. Siobhan has over 25 years in experience coaching in club, provincial and national development team programs.

Zak Lewis is currently the Head Coach of the Ottawa Rowing Club where he supports the operations of nearly 800 rowers and leads the club’s Under-23 and Senior women’s competitive programs while synchronously coaching the University of Ottawa women’s varsity team. Zak holds an MSc in Sport Performance, is NCCP Performance Coach certified and has published several articles outlining performance related topics in rowing and other sports.

Connor Elsdon is the Head Junior Coach at the Argonaut Rowing Club has 14 years of rowing experience coaching athletes from age 8 – 82, at all levels of competition from local to international. He’s coached athletes to gold medal finishes at many regattas including the Brentwood International Regatta, BC Provincial Championships, RCA National Championships, CSSRA Championships, Royal Canadian Henley, and FISA World Masters Championships.

Lecture Session: How to Create a Successful Training Program

Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 11:20am-12:20pm
Presenter: Josy Verdonkschot
Description: Coming Soon

Presenter Bio: Josy Verdonkschot’s coaching experience spans the globe, and he is the current Chief High Performance Officer at USRowing. Prior to joining USRowing, Verdonkschot served as the women’s head coach for The Netherlands from 2014 to 2021, where he coached athletes to three medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and helped the Royal Dutch Rowing Federation finish third in the medal table. He’s also coached at the national team level in Belgium and Italy, and from 2002-08 was a part of the FISA Development Program where he occasionally coached crews from development regions such as Zimbabwe, Tunisia and Vietnam. In total, he has coached crews to seven Olympic medals, including two golds, and 23 medals at the World Rowing Championships.

Practical Session: Making the Most Out of Rowing on the Ergometer

Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 1:45pm – 2:45pm / 4:05pm – 5:05pm
Presenter: Volker Nolte
Description: Ergometer training is often associated with negative thoughts, such as that it causes injuries or that it is boring. But it doesn’t have to be that way if you keep a few things in mind. This session will present ideas on how to use this sports equipment with all its features properly and make the workouts exciting.

Presenter Bio: Born in Germany, Volker Nolte was a competitive rower in his native country before he was a world-class coach in Canada. He became head of the Western University rowing program in 1993 and led the Mustangs to an unprecedented run of success during his 24 years with the school. In addition to his success at the University level, Volker also made his mark as a national team coach at the highest level of the sport. He was the lightweight men’s national team coach from 1992-2000 and his crews won an Olympic silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games, two World Championship titles in 1993 and 2000, and several more medals at World Championship regattas.

Lecture Session: Women in Coaching: A Test in Flexibility

Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 1:45pm – 2:45pm
Presenter: Brett Gorman
Description: Coaching development and progress rarely occur in a straight line. This is especially true for career coaches whose path may include the twists and turns of parenthood/family life. This presentation will focus on the possible pathways to keep coaching long-term by being open-minded and balancing seemingly conflicting priorities.

Presenter Bio: After a successful rowing career, Brett Gorman made the transition to coaching and spent 9 years coaching collegiate women at Michigan and the University of Virginia. From 2017-2020 Brett served as the Director of Athlete Development for USRowing’s U23 Women’s Team leading the US to multiple podium finishes at the U23 World Championships including a gold medal in the 2018 Women’s 2-. Brett then made the transition to coach education as the Director of Coaching Education from July 2020 until August 2023. In September of 2023, Brett transitioned back to USRowing’s High Performance Team as the Director of High-Performance Pathways responsible for all U19 and U23 athlete development.

Practical Session: Hands-On Practical Rigging

Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 1:45pm – 2:45pm / 2:55pm – 3:55pm
Presenters: Mike Purcer with Mary Rao, Scott Anderson, and Zak Lewis
Description: The practical rigging session will give coaches hands-on experience measuring and adjusting the riggers, footstops and oars. Be prepared to get your hands dirty as you dive into adjusting the span, spread, oarlock pitch, oarlock height, footstop angle and height, and oar pitch, length and inboard. Coaches will work in small groups, moving through the various rigging stations. Instructors will review the rigging dimensions, and coaches will do the measuring with plenty of time for discussion.

Presenter Bios:

Mike Purcer has been coaching for over 40 years and has coached at all levels, from novice high school to crews at the World Championships and Pan American Games. His book RIGGING, first published in 1985, has helped coaches understand how to measure rigging dimensions and how the adjustments change the rowing stroke. He is certified as a Master Coach Developer by the Coaching Association of Canada. Mike is a regular presenter on rigging and rowing technique at clubs and conferences in Canada and the United States.

Mary Rao took over as Head Coach of the Brock University rowing program this year after being lead of the women’s program for several years. On top of working with a wide range of athletes and coaches from many clubs over the last 14 years, Mary has also coached provincial and national junior and U23 teams, including the U23 Lightweight Men’s 4x who won U23 World Championship Bronze this past summer.

Scott Anderson is the Open Men’s Coach at Brock University where he has coached since 2016. In addition to coaching at Brock University, Anderson has coached at the St. Catharines Rowing Club since 2008 and is the lead lightweight men’s rowing coach. He is a Certified Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) Performance Coach, as well as a Certified Coach Developer and Coach Developer for Row Ontario and RCA.

Zak Lewis is currently the Head Coach of the Ottawa Rowing Club where he supports the operations of nearly 800 rowers and leads the club’s Under-23 and Senior women’s competitive programs while synchronously coaching the University of Ottawa women’s varsity team. Zak holds an MSc in Sport Performance, is NCCP Performance Coach certified and has published several articles outlining performance related topics in rowing and other sports.

Lecture Session: Coastal Rowing – How You as a Coach Can Get Involved

Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 2:55pm – 3:55pm
Presenters: Sarah Pidgen and John Armitage
Description: Coming Soon

Presenter Bios:

Sarah Pidgen is a coastal rowing pioneer who first tried out Beach Sprints in 2019 after years of flatwater rowing. She has since represented Canada in several international regattas, including the recent 2023 World Rowing Beach Sprint Championships in Barletta, Italy. Sarah is also a past President of the Don Rowing Club and competed in the Versa Challenge at the 2023 World Rowing Indoor Championships.

Following a successful rowing career, John Armitage turned to coaching and in 1976 became head coach at Queen’s University, a post he would hold for over 40 years. He’s since coached at the national and international levels, while also coaching at the Kingston Rowing Club, a club he helped form in 1977. In the last several years John has become increasingly involved with coastal rowing and has led the KRC to develop one of the strongest coastal rowing programs in Canada.

Practical Session: Developing Power in the Drive Phase Through Targeted Winter Strength and Mobility Training

Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 2:55pm – 3:55pm / 4:05pm – 5:05pm
Presenter: Steve Di Ciacca
Description: The leg drive plays a pivotal role in rowing, serving as the powerhouse behind efficient and powerful strokes. Moreover, leg drive provides a strong foundation for the entire stroke, contributing to improved speed, endurance, and overall performance in the sport of rowing. Establishing a solid base of flexibility, movement patterns, and strength is essential for optimal performance on the water.

This session will provide participants with hands-on experience in best practices for developing appropriate and effective strength and mobility programing to enhance on water performance. Participants will leave with helpful tips and tools they can implement with their athletes.

Presenter Bio: Steve Di Ciacca earned degrees in Kinesiology, Physiotherapy and a Master’s degree in Health Science from Western University. He has over 20 years of experience in rowing, including Integrated Support Team (IST) Lead, Lead Therapist, and Strength & Conditioning Coach with Rowing Canada Aviron. Steve is currently the Program Manager for the Canadian Centre for Activity & Aging, and lecturer in the Sport and Exercise Masters program at Western University. He continues to travel and consult with RCA’s U23 and development programs. Recently, Steve joined the London Western Rowing Club Board and took on the roles of overseeing Coaching and Programming and coach of the LWRC’s master’s program.

Lecture Session: A Discussion on Coaching Integrated and Adapted Programs, with Para Athletes

Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Time: 4:05pm – 5:05pm
Presenters: Panel, featuring para-athletes Alex Martel & Mia Biancaniello, and moderated by Victoria Nolan
Description: When clubs are running at capacity, or near-capacity, with few resources to spare, the thought of accommodating para athletes can seem like a daunting task. This interactive session will see a panel of para athletes discuss their past experiences and provide ideas for how coaches and clubs can easily adapt existing infrastructure and resources to successfully integrate para athletes within a club’s current operations and programming.

Fireside Chat Sessions: Josy Verdonkschot and Gregg Hartsuff

Date: Sunday, Dec. 3
Time: 9am – 11:15am
Description: Two limited participated fireside chat sessions with keynote speakers Josy Verdonkschot and Gregg Hartsuff. These sessions will be interactive and allow for dialogue within the group with Josy and Gregg. Those who register for the Fireside Chats will be able to attend both sessions, as Josy and Gregg will individually present to two different groups for approximately one hour each.