Getting to Know the Haldimand Grand River Rowing Club
To honour the history, dedication and current initiatives of each rowing community, Row Ontario will be producing a series of profiles on member clubs across Ontario. Today we get to know more about the Haldimand Grand River Rowing Club!
Haldimand Grand River Rowing Club
Established: 2004
Location: Cayuga, Ont.
https://haldimandrowing.ca/
The Haldimand Grand River Rowing Club was founded in 2004 by a group of rowing enthusiasts on the Grand River in Cayuga, Ont.
In a typical year, the club will get on the water in mid-May once the strong current on the Grand River has slowed down and they’ll row throughout the rest of the spring, summer and early-fall until they come off the water around Thanksgiving. The club’s operations are housed on a private property, where the owner graciously allows them use of the land on the river flats to store their boats and equipment.
There were several founding members who first started the club in 2004, including Greg Schmidt who was the first President and Sandy Mathieson, who owned the property at the time. One of the hallmarks of the club since its beginning has been their successful learn-to-row program, which has introduced the sport of rowing to many in Haldimand County and the surrounding area.
“Most years we get new members through our learn-to-row program and they stay on for our recreational rowing program,” said Claire Gillyatt, a former President and a member at Haldimand since 2006. “We’ve had up to 32 participants in our learn-to-row program, which was a challenge, as we had to divide participants into staggered groups. We like to take up to 24 each year, that’s good number for us, considering the limited number of shells at our club.”
Another standard at the club for many years was a rowing tour they organized on the Grand River called the ‘Gourmet on the Grand’. They ran the tour for about 12 years up until 2018 and invited both members of the HGRRC and other Ontario club members to attend. At the outset, the tour featured a 10km row towards Dunnville where the group took a break and had a big meal at a restaurant before they made their way back. On the way there the boat was always with the current, so on the way back they were against the current, which combined with the big meal, made the second half a little more challenging. They changed it up for the last few tours they ran, so that they had a snack in the middle of the tour, and the dinner once they returned, which worked out better for participants.
While the club hasn’t been able to run their learn-to-row program for the last two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have still been making progress. They were recently awarded an Ontario Trillium Grant, thanks in large part to board member Jo-Ann Sheppard who spearheaded the application. The club had been using touring quads, which are heavy and difficult to transfer to and from the dock, so they used the funding from the grant to purchase a newer and lighter quad for their members to enjoy.
In addition to Sheppard, the club has had many key contributors, who fulfill many roles at the club, which is entirely run by volunteers, including their coaches. The members of HGRRC have fostered a culture of everybody pitching in and an ‘all hands-on deck’ mentality that helps accomplish projects and tasks whenever they need to be done.
“I can’t say enough about our executive board,” said Cathy Vermeltfoort, the club’s current President. “They are just wonderful. Everybody works together and makes things happen. I’m the President but it’s really a team effort, everyone fulfills the leadership role.”
While the club is based in Cayuga, they draw members from many surrounding communities such as Caledonia, Dunnville, Hagersville, Selkirk, Simcoe, Grimsby and Hamilton. The Grand River is a very picturesque waterway to row on, which may explain why a small, recreational club draws members from quite a distance away.
“We enjoy seeing a lot of wildlife on our rows, all kinds of birds, like the bald eagle, blue heron, osprey, cormorant, as well as beavers, deer, coyotes, and raccoons,” said Gillyatt. “It’s very picturesque, there are also islands that we can row around. It’s never too busy with speed boats, and usually a very peaceful type of row. Our rows are typically around 10km there and back if the time allows. But we do have the option of going all the way to the Dunnville dam, not far from the mouth of Lake Erie, so we have quite a large area to row on.”
The Haldimand Grand River Rowing Club is for all ages, with members starting out as young as 14 years and right up to 70-plus. The club’s members always display a good team camaraderie, and they accept all different skill levels. They come for the love of fitness and the enjoyment of the sport of the rowing.
Thank you to Claire Gillyatt and Cathy Vermeltfoort for their generous contributions and help in completing this profile. Photos are property of the Haldimand Grand River Rowing Club.
