RowOn Virtual Coaching Conference

The RowOn Virtual Coaching Conference will take place from Nov. 28 – Dec. 5.

The Conference features five lecture sessions, as well as four limited participation ‘fireside chat’ sessions (see descriptions and dates below). 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?
The cost of registering for the five lecture sessions at the Conference is $60+HST. (All four fireside chat sessions have now sold out).

What is the registration deadline?
The registration deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 23. Registration has now closed.

RowOn Virtual Coaching Conference Sessions

Lecture Session 1: Mental Performance. How to Help Athletes Develop Mental Strategies to Approach Training and Competition

Date: Sunday, Nov. 28
Time: 1pm
Presenters: Kiri Langford (CSIO) & Susanne Grainger (Olympic Gold Medalist)
Description: The coach can have a significant role in helping athletes develop the mental side of their sport. Learn practical mental performance tools, why you might want to use them, how to seamlessly integrate them into your practice—supported by real-life examples from Susanne.

Presenter Bios:

Kiri Langford is a former member of the York Lions hockey program as well as the New Zealand national hockey team. Following the conclusion of her competitive career, she transitioned into coaching and completed a Masters in Strength & Conditioning in 2016 before becoming a coach with CSIO in 2017. She is currently completing a Masters in Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa with a concentration in Intervention & Consulting, Mental Performance.

Susanne Grainger is an Olympic Rower originally from London, Ontario, Canada. After graduating from the University of Virginia where she rowed on athletic scholarship, Susanne moved back to Canada to train with the Canadian Senior National Team and complete a master’s degree at Western University. Susanne has competed in 23 international regattas, medaling in 17 of them. She placed fifth at the 2016 Olympics was a member of the Canadian Women’s Eight that won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics!

Lecture Session 2: Demystifying Critical Rigging Concepts

Date: Monday, Nov. 29
Time: 7pm
Presenter: Dan Bechard
Description: Selecting the right boat and choosing appropriate rigging numbers for the crew and individual are important for both learning and performance. Boats and oars are becoming increasingly adjustable making alterations to cockpit geometry easier than ever before. In this session we will demystify some critical rigging concepts and discuss the effect on learning, performance with comparisons to numbers found at the elite level.

Presenter Bio:

Daniel Bechard is a current Research Associate with Hudson Boat Works and Head Coach of the Men’s Rowing Team at Western University in London Ontario Canada. He earned a Ph.D. in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences specializing in biomechanics and coached at three U23 World Championships and FISU Games.

Fireside Chat 1: Effective Drills and Skills to Implement Technique Changes with Athletes (SOLD OUT)

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 30
Time: 7pm
Presenter: Carol Love

Presenter Bio:

Carol Love is currently Rowing Canada’s NextGen Coach and Athlete where she is responsible for delivering world class athlete development practices to coaches and athletes in the high performance pathway. Over her coaching career Carol has had a significant impact in athlete identification and development in Canada working domestically, provincially, and internationally. A trail blazer in rowing, Love was a member of the 1976 Canadian Olympic rowing team in Montreal, the first Olympics to feature women’s rowing.

Lecture Session 3: Tips and Ideas for Young Coaches

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 1
Time: 7pm
Presenters: Kris Korzeniowski & Al Morrow
Description: Hear from coaches who were innovative in creating training programs and about the staples of their programs that have survived the tests of time. Learn some tips and take aways from Kris and Al that coaches can use to enhance their own programs.

Presenter Bios:

Kris Korzeniowski has coached with several of the top national team programs in the world including Canada, Poland, USA, Italy, China, and the Netherlands. His crews have won several Olympic medals and many world championship medals and he also started the USA rowing coaches certification program in 1989.

Al Morrow became head coach of the Canadian women’s national team in 1990 and would lead the program to unprecedented success until 2004. He coached at nine Olympic Games and under his leadership, Canadian rowers won a combined 15 World Championships and eight Olympic medals (4 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze).

Fireside Chat 2: Identify Core Values and Principles to Operate By. Establishing Vision and Mission for Your Team (SOLD OUT)

Date: Thursday, Dec. 2
Time: 6pm
Presenter: Michelle Darvill

Presenter Bio:

Michelle Darvill has been a successful coach at all levels of the sport, most recently as a national team coach with Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA), where she coached the women’s eight to a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She got her start rowing at the University of Toronto and went on to become a three-time World Champion for both Canada and Germany. She was a world champion in the LW1x (1993) for Canada and a world champion in the LW2x (1997) and WL4x (2000) for Germany. Darvill was also a member of the German Olympic team in 1996.

Fireside Chat 3: How to Communicate Challenging Issues with Your Athletes (SOLD OUT)

Date: Thursday, Dec. 2
Time: 8pm
Presenters: Katie Brugelling & Dave Leger

Presenter Bios:

Katie Bruggeling is currently the head coach for Queen’s University Men and Women’s Rowing. Prior to this role, Katie spent three years as the rowing team’s first full-time assistant coach. In addition to her Queen’s experience, Katie brings years of coaching experience at the junior and senior club level as well as experience in university varsity rowing.

Dave Leger began rowing in high school at the Brockville Rowing Club before rowing in the varsity Mens 8+ at the University of Guelph. In 2009, he began coaching University Novice crews at Guelph and was named head coach of the varsity rowing program in 2012.

Fireside Chat 4: Caring for the Body: Practical Recommendations for Injury Prevention and Staying Healthy (SOLD OUT)

Date: Friday, Dec. 3
Time: 7pm
Presenter: Dr. Jane Thornton

Presenter Bio:

Dr. Jane Thornton is a Canada Research Chair and Sport Medicine physician at Western University specializing in long-term athlete health, female athlete health, and physical activity in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. She is also a former National Team rower, becoming both a World Champion in 2006 and an Olympian in 2008.

Lecture Session 4: Sustaining Success: How to Keep a Physical and Mental Edge for Performance (Keynote Address)

Date: Saturday, Dec. 4
Time: 3pm
Presenter: Eric Murray
Description: Having an unprecedented run of success, while incredible, does not come without its ups and downs, and many challenges along the way. Eric Murray’s belief was that he had to train harder and smarter than anyone else so that even on a bad day they could still win. This philosophy drove them to the success they experienced which included setting two world records and several indoor rowing machine records. Hear from Eric on how he kept his physical and mental edge during his career.

Presenter Bio:

In addition to winning Olympic gold medals in the men’s coxless pair in 2012 and 2016, Eric Murray is also an eight-time World Rowing champion. He was the bow member of the famous New Zealand pair along with teammate Hamish Bond, and the Kiwi duo went on an unprecedented run of 69 unbeaten races from 2009 to 2016.

Lecture Session 5: Critical Thinking By Design

Date: Sunday, Dec. 5
Time: 1pm
Presenters: Abhi Ahluwalia & Lakhdeep Singh Dhaliwal (Unlearn)
Description: This session will challenge participants to think critically about bias, stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. Participants will be guided through activities designed to highlight the bias we all have and to better understand how we can use this awareness to create a safe, caring and inclusive work environment promoting dignity and respect for all.

Unlearn Bio: Unlearn is a social enterprise with a passion for inspiring critical thinking by design, whose mission is to educate, elevate and inspire everyone to create positive change in their communities.

Presenter Bios:

Abhi Ahluwalia is the founder of Unlearn. Abhi is also the co-founder and past president of YOUCAN, Youth Canada Association. YOUCAN is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to building a culture of peace among youth. He was the recipient of the Lincoln M. Alexander Award and the Anne and Ed Mirvish Achievement Award which recognizes individuals that have made a significant and innovative contribution towards eliminating racial prejudice and discrimination in our society.

Lakhdeep Singh Dhaliwal (VP of Equity Education) has a passion for front line leadership in the field of Human Rights, Equity & Diversity. He has worked with YMCA Canada, Halton Multicultural Council, Citizenship and Immigration Canada. His servant leadership approach is inclusive and culturally aware and he is also the recipient of a number of awards in the classroom and community arenas.