2024 RowOn Coaching Conference Presented by Filippi Canada

The RowOn Coaching Conference Presented by Filippi Canada takes place on Nov. 30 – Dec. 1 in Burlington, ON. The Conference will be hosted at the Holiday Inn Burlington Candlewood Suites.

The Conference features two keynote speakers, two streams and a selection of lecture and practical sessions on Saturday, and the choice to attend two limited-participation fireside chat sessions on Sunday. Breakfast & 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? (*Prices listed do not include HST.)

Saturday Sessions – $150
Group Tickets (5-10 tickets) –  $130/ticket
Newly Certified Coaches – $130
Sunday Fireside Chats – $35

Coxswain Stream Only – $75
Coxswain Group Tickets (5-10 tickets) –  $65/ticket

Note: Group Ticket Purchasers must have the names and contact information for all members of the group at the time of purchase.

Conference Location:
Holiday Inn Burlington Candlewood Suites
3063 S South Service Road
Burlington, ON L7N 3E9

Accommodations: 

For those requiring over night accommodation it is recommended you stay at the Holiday Inn Burlington. By calling the Hotel directly at 905-639-4443, individuals can make their own reservations. For individuals to receive the established Group rate, they must identify themselves as members of the Row Ontario group initially when making the reservation. All reservations must be received by the group’s cut-off date of Tuesday, Oct. 29 to receive the group rate.

Schedule:

Conference Schedule (Session descriptions below)

Registration is now closed.

Sponsors

Filippi Canada is the presenting sponsor for the 2024 RowOn Coaching Conference.

HUDSON Boat Works, the official boat supplier of Row Ontario, is sponsoring the keynote speakers for the 2024 RowOn Coaching Conference.

Lite Boat is the Lunch Sponsor for the 2024 RowOn Coaching Conference.

RegattaSport is the Breakfast Sponsor for the 2024 RowOn Coaching Conference.

Swift Racing is the Afternoon Break Sponsor for the 2024 RowOn Coaching Conference.

RegattaCentral is the Morning Break Sponsor for the 2024 RowOn Coaching Conference

RowOn Coaching Conference Sessions

Keynote Speech – Coaching in High Performance and High Performing Environments Presented by HUDSON

Keynote Speaker: Paul Thompson
Session Description: Comparing and contrasting coaching across 3 different nations, systems and cultures coaches will discover whats important, whats not and how to apply these to their environment.

Lecture Session – Effective Sculling Technique

Presenter: Paul Thompson
Session Description: This session will delve into principles of effective sculling technique, how to apply them on the water as well as the land to build a training program that underpins, builds and develops effective sculling technique. Coaches will come away with an understanding of effective sculling principles, how to develop technique as part of the training program as well as some handy exercises on and off the water to develop their crews.

Speaker Bio: Paul Thompson MBE is currently the Performance Director for Rowing Australia. Paul has coached and led crews to be World and Olympic Champions in three countries, Australia, Great Britain and China, amassing 22 Gold Medals at World Championships or the Olympic Games. Paul personally coached medal winning crews at seven consecutive Olympic games. He coached Australia’s first female Olympic rowing gold medal and as chief coach his squad contributed to GB topping the Olympic medal rowing table in Beijing, London and Rio. In Tokyo Paul was the Chinese Rowing Teams Head coach them to their most successful Olympic Rowing Regatta, he was Rowing Team Leader for Australia in Paris.

Keynote Speech – Fostering a Supportive Atmosphere to Form a Thriving Rowing Community Presented by HUDSON

Keynote Speaker: Michelle Darvill
Session Description: Based on her experiences as coach and athlete, Michelle will discuss some of the elements that can create a positive environment to benefit both athletes and coaches and that can improve the chances of being successful.

Lecture Session – Key Elements of Success: Lessons from Pathways to Olympic Gold in 2021 and 2024

Speaker: Michelle Darvill
Session Description: Among many of the elements that contribute to success, some are not so obvious. In this session, Michelle will explore several facets of the approach that lead her athletes to success in the Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games.

Speaker Bio: Michelle Darvill got her start rowing as an athlete at the University of Toronto and went on to become a three-time World Champion for both Canada and Germany. Her first World Championship gold came in the LW1x (1993) for Canada and later won gold in the LW2x (1997) and WL4x (2000) for Germany. Following her athletic career, she turned to coaching where her success continued at the development levels of the sport, including coaching three women’s U23 crews to World Rowing Championship gold medals, before she began coaching with the Canadian Senior National Team in 2016. Following the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, Michelle was named both the Canadian Coach of the Year by the Coaching Association of Canada and the World Rowing Coach of the Year. Most recently Michelle was a national team coach with the Netherlands, coaching the Dutch team at the 2024 Olympics.

Lecture Session – Rethink How People Discover Rowing

Presenter: Gavin McKay
Session Description: Join Filippi Canada’s president Gavin McKay for this inspiring interactive presentation as we re-think the way we help people discover rowing. This session is a hands on opportunity for coaches, managers and club administrators. We’ll develop strategies to expand your rowing community, enhance connections between clubs and schools, and improve participant retention. Don’t miss this real world exercise of how to revolutionize your approach to growing rowing!

Presenter Bio:

Gavin McKay, President of Filippi Canada, is a 31-year industry veteran . A seasoned club operator, and professional rowing coach with International experience, including Junior Under-23 and Senior teams at the World Championship level. Gavin specializes in program development, operations, athletic programming delivery, and distribution of the world-leading brand of Filippi rowing shells. A keen innovator with relentless quality standards, Filippi boats win more medals worldwide than all other boat manufacturers combined. With Filippi Canada, Gavin’s passion, extensive experience, and knowledge of the sport builds upon the excellence of the Filippi brand with programs he develops and offers here in the Heart of the Eastern Townships and with consulting services for clubs and associations across Canada.

Lecture Session – Coaching Junior Rowing: My Top Ten Tips

Presenter: Chris Chase
Session Description: Chris Chase will draw on years of experience Coaching Junior Rowing at the Saratoga Rowing Club and now as the USRowing Director of Youth Rowing and Coaching. He will review the 10 most important things he has learned over many years. His topics will include technique, training, working with different individuals and more. His presentation will be relevant to the personalities of present day youth.

Presenter Bio: Since 2019, Chris Chase has served as the Director of Junior and Masters Rowing and Safety for the United States Rowing Association. The creator of the American Development Model for the sport, Chris oversaw the development and training of the U19 National Team, as well as Masters and Olympic Development programs. In 1996, Chris founded the Saratoga Rowing Association, and served as its Co-Director until 2019. Under his guidance, the Saratoga Rowing Association grew into one of the largest clubs in the country, and his competitors have won 36 gold medals at National Championship events over the years. Additionally, more than 200 of Chris’ rowers from the Saratoga Rowing Association have earned opportunities to continue their careers at the Division I level.

Lecture Session – Recruiting and Retaining Coaches

Presenters: Mark Williams, Katie Bruggeling-Lavoie, Dan Bechard
Session Description: One of the most important challenges in rowing is the recruiting and retention of Assistant Coaches. This session will offer several tips from three successful Rowing Coaches on how to recruit and retain Assistant Coaches.

Presenter Bios:

Mark Williams joined the Toronto Varsity Blues in February, 2018. Since arriving at U of T, Williams has guided the Varsity Blues rowing program to Top 5 finishes at both the Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC) and the OUA championships, along with 14 individual OUA medals. In that time, six Varsity Blues have gone on to compete at the Senior World Championships, U23 World Championships, Pan American Games, and FISU Games; five representing Team Canada and one representing Team USA. Prior to arriving in Toronto, Williams served as head coach and director of rowing for the Ohio State University Crew Club (OSUCC). There, Williams was in charge of the program development, recruitment and fundraising, while also leading the team to top results.

Katie Bruggeling-Lavoie is the Head Coach for Men’s and Women’s Rowing at Brock University. She has an extensive coaching background that includes positions at the University of Oklahoma and Clemson University, Kingston Rowing Club and Queen’s University. She served as Head of the Queen’s Gaels for three seasons, which included coaching the Gaels women’s rowing team to its first OUA Championships since 2012 last year, before joining the Badgers as head coach in April 204. Katie has a wealth of experience and a strong track record of leading crews to numerous conference, provincial, and national medals. She is RCA Performance Coach certified and holds a Master’s in Education in Intercollegiate Athletics. Most recently, she coached Canadian crews for the FISU World University Rowing Championships and 2024 World Rowing Championships.

Dan Bechard has been part of the Mustangs program since 1999 when he first joined the team as a novice rower. In 2006 he turned his focus to coaching as he completed his PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and in 2017 took on the role of Men’s Head Coach. Since 2006, the Mustangs have won nine OUA Titles along with six Canadian Titles. Bechard is also the only Canadian university coach to be named both the men’s (2008) and women’s (2010) Coach of the Year by the Canadian University Rowing Association. Along with his experience at Western, Bechard has an impressive international coaching resume, spending time as an assistant coach with the Canadian under-23 women’s national team on three occasions, a coach with Rowing Canada’s talent development program, and as the team lead and women’s head coach for the 2015 World University Games.

Lecture Session – What’s Happening in Ontario?

Presenters: Phil Marshall and Sandra Farwell
Session Description: Phil and Sandra will provide information on the development system in Ontario and discuss practical approaches to developing the whole athlete.

Presenter Bios: 

Phil Marshall has over 30 years of high performance rowing experience, which started at his hometown Brockville Rowing Club. He’s coached at many different levels during his career including the club, university, provincial and national levels. At the university level, Marshall coached at Western as an assistant coach and was also the first full-time head coach at Queen’s University (2016-18). After coaching with the Olympic women’s team in 2016, Marshall was hired in a full-time senior coaching role with the women’s national team by Rowing Canada Aviron in 2018. In 2021, Marshall coached the Canadian women’s pair of Caileigh Filmer and Hillary Janssens to a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Sandra Farwell was a member of Canada’s National Rowing Team from 2006-11 and turned to coaching following the close of her National Team career. Her club coaching experience includes stints at Hanlan Boat Club, Argonaut Rowing Club, and Don Rowing Club. Additionally, Sandra has coached at the high school level, and in 2019 was an indoor rowing instructor with Scullhouse. From 2012-17 she served as a Strength and Conditioning Coach where she implemented programming with an emphasis on technical proficiency and injury rehabilitation/prevention. Sandra has obtained her Learn-to-Row Coach and RCA Coach Certification and is an RCA Performance Coach in training. She joined Row Ontario in January 2024 as Talent ID and Development Coach.

Lecture Session – Deepen Your Understanding of Beach Sprints

Presenter: Iain Wilson
Session Description: Deepen your understanding of beach sprint rowing by learning the fundamentals, practical skills and strategies for making informed decisions about competition, training, and safety. Learn how to incorporate the beach sprint discipline into existing programming and discuss upcoming beach sprint events and coach development opportunities.

Presenter Bio: Iain Wilson has extensive experience as a rowing coach and has worked with a wide range of athletes as a coach, administrator and coach developer at the club and university levels. He previously served as Head Coach of the Toronto Varsity Blues rowing programs and has coached at several clubs and programs including the St. Catharines Rowing Club, Niagara Rowing School, Hanlan Boat Club, Brock Badgers and Kingston Rowing Club. Most recently he has been one of the leading coaches in Canada for the discipline of beach sprints/coastal rowing, working as a learning facilitator for coastal coaching workshops and coaching several RCA National Teams at World Rowing Championships events.

Lecture Session – Building a Training Plan

Presenter: Mary Rao
Session Description: Coming Soon 

Presenter Bio: Mary Rao began her coaching career in 2008 has coached with the Brock Badgers rowing program since 2017. 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 in 2023.

Lecture Session – Rowing Technique Panel

Presenters: Katie Bruggeling-Lavoie, Connor Elsdon, Carol Love, Volker Nolte
Moderator: Al Morrow
Session Description: Moderated by AMP Rowing’s Al Morrow, this panel session featuring rowing coaches Volker Nolte, Carol Love, Katie Bruggeling-Lavoie and Connor Elsdon will cap off the RowOn Coaching Conference with an interactive discussion on rowing technique.

Presenter Bios:

Katie Bruggeling-Lavoie is the Head Coach for Men’s and Women’s Rowing at Brock University. She has an extensive coaching background that includes positions at the University of Oklahoma and Clemson University, Kingston Rowing Club and Queen’s University. She served as Head of the Queen’s Gaels for three seasons, which included coaching the Gaels women’s rowing team to its first OUA Championships since 2012 last year, before joining the Badgers as head coach in April 2024. Katie has a wealth of experience and a strong track record of leading crews to numerous conference, provincial, and national medals. She is RCA Performance Coach certified and holds a Master’s in Education in Intercollegiate Athletics. Most recently, she coached Canadian crews for the FISU World University Rowing Championships and 2024 World Rowing Championships.

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.

Carol Love has spent decades supporting Canada’s next generation of athletes and coaches. A graduate of McMaster University and NCCP Advanced Coaching Diploma, Carol has coached a wide range of athletes from those taking their first strokes to working as a National Team Coach and leading the Canadian Women’s Eight in securing their Olympic qualification. Upon retirement Carol has enjoyed reclaiming her life with family and with partner Brian. Together they took off on a three month trip on bicycles in Europe from Greece to Paris. Carol has reengaged with the Canadian Coaches Association Women’s High Performance Coaching as a mentor coach.

Dr. Volker Nolte (Professor Emeritus) coached on the Canadian National team from 1992 to 2000 and from 2012 to 2016. His teams won several international medals, including two gold medals at the World Championships and an Olympic silver medal. At the University of Western Ontario, he was Professor from 1993 to 2019 and Rowing Head Coach from 1993 to 2017, securing 19 Ontario and 10 Canadian university rowing championships for the Mustangs, as well as multiple international championships and medals. He retired in 2019. He has recently published several rowing books, the latest “Rowing Science” are among the most recognized books on our sport. Volker is a world-renowned expert in the field of rowing biomechanics, where his work on technique, rigging and rowing mechanics. He is still a keen competitor at Masters events today.

Lecture Session – From Lab to Lake: Bridging Physiological Principles to Practical Rowing Training

Presenter: Ben McKellar (CSIO)
Session Description: Coming Soon

Presenter Bio: Coming Soon

Practical Session – Boat Repair by HUDSON

Presenters: HUDSON Staff
Session Description: At some point during their coaching career, every coach will need to repair a boat. Whether it’s a small issue or something bigger, having boat repair skills is an essential part of a coach’s toolkit. This important practical session on boat repair will be run by HUDSON, Row Ontario’s official boat supplier.

Practical Session – Introduction to Rigging

Presenters: Paul Beedling, Scott Anderson, Mary Rao, Connor Elsdon
Session Description: This practical session on basic rigging 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.

Paul Beedling has more than 30 years of coaching and involvement with rowing at national and international levels. He has been a member of the St. Catharines Rowing Club for over 50 years, and has coached at many different levels including Brock University, junior national team and was the coach at 2014 Youth Olympic Games. He is also one of the busiest learning facilitators for coaches in Ontario.

Mary Rao began her coaching career in 2008 has coached with the Brock Badgers rowing program since 2017. 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 in 2023.

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.

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.

Practical Session – Advanced Rigging

Presenter: Volker Nolte
Session Description: This session on advanced rigging session is geared towards coaches already have basic rigging hands-on experience. This interactive session in a group setting will feature a discussion on advanced rigging principles.

Presenter Bio: Dr. Volker Nolte (Professor Emeritus) coached on the Canadian National team from 1992 to 2000 and from 2012 to 2016. His teams won several international medals, including two gold medals at the World Championships and an Olympic silver medal. At the University of Western Ontario, he was Professor from 1993 to 2019 and Rowing Head Coach from 1993 to 2017, securing 19 Ontario and 10 Canadian university rowing championships for the Mustangs, as well as multiple international championships and medals. He retired in 2019. He has recently published several rowing books, the latest “Rowing Science” are among the most recognized books on our sport. Volker is a world-renowned expert in the field of rowing biomechanics, where his work on technique, rigging and rowing mechanics. He is still a keen competitor at Masters events today.

Coxswain Stream #1 – Lessons I’ve Learned to be the Most Effective Coxswain Possible

Presenter: Kristen Kit
Session Description: Kristen will go over lessons she’s learned during her national team career that has made her a better coxswain and helped improve team performance.

Presenter Bio: Kristen Kit is the world’s first athlete to win both an Olympic and Paralympic medal in rowing. She sees sport as an opportunity for social change. Kristen cares deeply about achieving gender parity in sport and believes there is an opportunity to redefine what it means to be an athlete. Kristen began her rowing career in St.Catharines, Ontario in 2002 and earned her first Maple Leaf in 2009 with Canada’s Under-23 Women’s eight. Since then, she has coxed for Canada at 2 Under-23 World Championships, 10 World Cups, 9 World Championships, Pan American Games, 2 Paralympic and 2 Olympic Games— bringing home a total of 17 international medals for Canada in both able-bodied and para-rowing events. This includes Canada’s first-ever medal in rowing at the 2016 Paralympics, Canada’s win in the women’s eight at the 2020 Olympic Games, and most recently Canada’s silver medal in the 8+ at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Coxswain Stream #2 – A Review of Coxswain Recordings

Presenter: Katie Bruggeling-Lavoie
Session Description: Coming Soon

Presenter Bio: Katie Bruggeling-Lavoie is the Head Coach for Men’s and Women’s Rowing at Brock University. She has an extensive coaching background that includes positions at the University of Oklahoma and Clemson University, Kingston Rowing Club and Queen’s University. She served as Head of the Queen’s Gaels for three seasons, which included coaching the Gaels women’s rowing team to its first OUA Championships since 2012 last year, before joining the Badgers as head coach in April 2024. Katie has a wealth of experience and a strong track record of leading crews to numerous conference, provincial, and national medals. She is RCA Performance Coach certified and holds a Master’s in Education in Intercollegiate Athletics. Most recently, she coached Canadian crews for the FISU World University Rowing Championships and 2024 World Rowing Championships.

Coxswain Stream #3 – A Coxswains Preparation & Execution

Presenter: Brian Price
Session Description: As rowers we spend hours and hours on the water practicing.  There are plenty of videos out there of a cox racing but a coxswain’s ability to run practice efficiently and effectively can take your crew to a higher level. What should the cox be saying in practice?  What does that sound like?  What things should they be doing to prepare for practice which leads to success in racing? Brian will explain all the things he did to prepare for practices and races to help the crew have the best possible chance at winning.  There will be video examples to make this even more clear.

Presenter Bio: Brian was a coxswain in the Men’s Program on the Canadian National Rowing from 1998 – 2012. During that time he was a three-time Men’s Eight World Champion and was part of crews that won 16 World Championship and World Cup Medals. He reached the pinnacle of his sport when the Men’s Eight won Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Brian and two others from that crew went on to win Silver in the Men’s Eight at the 2012 London Olympic Games. He now resides in Orangeville, Ontario with his wife and two high school aged daughters. He remains active in sport coaching rowing at his local Island Lake Rowing Club and also coaching Girls Rep Hockey in Orangeville and Mississauga.

Learning to Navigate The Para-Rowing System

Presenters: Mike Petrychanko and Abbygayle Durliat
Session Description: This session will cover how Abbygayle and Mike have learned to operate in the para-rowing system. Abbygale spent 3 years rowing before she was introduced to para-rowing; since last November, Abbygayle has gone from a high school rower to being named to Canada’s national para-team for the 2024 World Championships. Mike will discuss how curiosity and a willingness to find solutions have helped him work with Abbygayle as she strives to reach her high performance goals.

Presenter Bios:

Abbygayle Durliat is now in her fourth year of rowing as well as her final year of high school. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of 2. While choosing to have a positive outlook, Abbygayle worked hard to participate in sports and find the sport she felt was inclusive. She went into high school wanting to keep her disability to herself and to use it as her own motivation, while she found her love for the sport of rowing. When in grade 11, her new coach, Mike Petrychanko, became the first coach to notice her disability, but she didn’t disclose her Cerebral Palsy. When mentioned again a few weeks later, Abbygayle decided to tell her coach she had cerebral palsy. Quite quickly, things changed from high school rowing to para rowing. A few months later, Abbygayle and her coach became recipients of the 2024 Petro Canada FACE Grant, and then named to Canada’s National Para Team for the 2024 World Championships.

Mike Petrychanko is a Chartered Professional Coach and a certified RCA Performance Coach. He began his coaching career at Thorold Secondary School in 2000, and since then has taught and coached at schools in Vancouver and St. Catharines, coaching many crews to CSSRA Championships. As a long-time coach with the St. Catharines Rowing Club, Mike has coached their U17, U19, U23 and Senior Men’s program to numerous Canadian Henley wins. Mike coached for Canada’s Under 19 National Team in 2022 and 2023 and in 2024, Mike coached Canada’s Under 23 Lightweight Men’s Double to a 4th place finish at the World Championships. In 2024, Mike and para rower Abbygayle Durliat were selected as recipients of a Petro-Canada FACE grant.

Fireside Chat Sessions: Michelle Darvill & Paul Thompson

Date: Sunday, Dec. 1
Time: 9am – 11:15am
Description: Two limited participated fireside chat sessions with keynote speakers Paul Thompson and Michelle Darvill. These sessions will be interactive and allow for dialogue within the group with Michelle and Paul. Those who register for the Fireside Chats will be able to attend both sessions, as Michelle and Paul will individually present to two different groups for approximately one hour each.