LaSalle Rowing Club Making Big Strides in Para Rowing
Community News/ Feb 8

LaSalle Rowing Club Making Big Strides in Para Rowing


The LaSalle Rowing Club is proving that a small club can do big things in the world of para rowing.

A project that started last April with a leap of faith from the club’s Board of Directors is starting to pay dividends now as para programming was introduced by the club in December.

“The club has been around for 52 years, but for the most part we’ve only had junior and masters programs and some competitive programs,” said Doug Diet, current President of LaSalle Rowing Club. “We’ve had a few para rowers in the past, but we didn’t have dedicated para rowing programming. The club made a huge leap of faith in myself and a few other members to start a para rowing program. One of the first things we did was start a Development Committee to try and plan and get the program off the ground.”

After some initial planning by the Development Committee, they applied for a few grants to help establish a base of funding for their para program. They received $8,000 from the Windsor Essex Community Foundation, a local community group that predominantly funds art projects. The LRC was the only sports organization whose application was successful in this round of grants, a proud moment for the club that speaks to the hard work of those involved on the Committee. They plan to use the grant money to purchase some para equipment for the club, such as fixed seats and pontoons.

After careful planning, the club started their para programming in earnest in December, running ‘Come Try-It Days’ every Wednesday. The thought behind the December start date was to start the new athletes on the erg and teach them the proper stroke, while introducing them to the coaching staff and getting to know their abilities while showing them the ropes at the club.

“The response to our Come Try-It Days was great,” said Diet. “We had 27 para athletes express interest in coming, which was unexpected but was a great start to the program. We’re a small club with nine ergs, so we had to space out the Try-It Days to fit everyone in. We’re still having people reach out to us about it, so we’ve been really pleased with how it’s started.”

The Come Try-It Days were run by the club’s coaching staff as well as several board members and junior volunteers who were there to assist. After a tour of the boathouse and a quick explanation of some of the rowing basics and equipment, the athletes were shown a video of the proper rowing stroke and got their first taste of an erg with a ten-minute workout. One of the Try-It Days saw three Paralympians participate, who were coincidentally all on the 2004 Athens Paralympic Team in swimming, athletics and wheelchair rugby respectively.

“It was amazing to see after the workout some of the athletes talk and bond with each other,” said Diet. “Some of them stayed for 45 minutes afterwards and socialized and talked about their experiences. It turned into more of a social thing and a community of para athletes getting together. We’re hoping we can continue to build that community.”

Despite a January disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club is pushing forward and has plans in place to expand the program in 2022. One of their main goals is to do some capacity building and get more coaches involved in the program. Moving forward into the spring and summer they plan on getting the athletes on the water, and perhaps even attend a few regattas towards the end of the season. LaSalle rowers attended their first regatta in 20 years in 2021, with some juniors attending the Western Invitational and masters rowers attending the Head of the Trent. The para athletes have already heard the stories of the regattas and are anxious to challenge themselves in a regatta setting.

It’s been a true team effort at the LaSalle Rowing Club to start up the para program and many people have pitched in to help both at the club and beyond. In addition to the assistance provided by the Windsor Essex Community Foundation, RCA para rowing coaches Samantha Heron and John Wetzstein have been great resources for the club, as has Rebecca Orr and the Argonaut Rowing Club. Internally, Stacey Trottier-Mousseau, an Invictus Games athlete who was the first para rower ever at the club is on the Development Committee and has been what Diet describes as a ‘workhorse’ in organizing the Come Try-It Days. Danielle Campo, a Paralympian in swimming and well-known member of the Windsor community, and Mike Whitehead, a Paralympian in wheelchair rugby, are also both on the Development Committee and have been integral in the whole planning process and providing a para-athletes perspective. The club’s Board of Directors has also been very supportive throughout the whole project and have also helped with all the planning and events.

For more information on the LaSalle Rowing Club, visit their website at www.lasallerowing.ca.