McKinley Goes from Novice to International Medalist in 3 Years
In 2022, Ella McKinley was a rowing neophyte. By 2025, she was an international medalist.
McKinley, an Aurora, ON native, proved to be a quick study in rowing after being identified as a talent transfer athlete through RBC Training Ground, a program that aims to identify young, potential Olympic athletes. With just three years of rowing training under her belt, McKinley became an international medalist this summer as a member of Team Canada at the Junior Pan Am Games in Asuncion, Paraguay. She was one of the busiest members of Team Canada, competing in three events and earning a medal in each.
“The coolest part for me competing in Asuncion was being able to compete with other Canadian athletes in different sports,” said McKinley. “It was very unique because we didn’t know much about each other’s sports, but everyone was excited to see other Canadians succeed. I may be slightly biased, but I think it was most exciting to be a rower at the Games since we were the first event to compete for a medal.”
The three medals McKinley earned in Asuncion showcased how far she has come since beginning her journey in rowing. Before she dedicated her athletic pursuits to rowing, McKinley was involved in gymnastics, until an arm injury led her to transition to synchronized swimming. She competed in synchronized swimming during her high school years and in 2019 won a bronze medal at the UANA Pan Am Championships. Looking for a new challenge in her athletic career as she entered university, McKinley tried out for RBC Training Ground and was named one of the program’s 100 finalists in 2022. Her performance at Training Ground hit all the RCA Talent ID targets for rowing, and she was soon recruited to start training at the Ontario NextGen Performance Centre in Welland. She trained at the ONGPC throughout the spring and summer of 2022, before attending the University of Guelph in the fall. At Guelph, McKinley jumped right onto the varsity team and got her first taste of competitive regattas, racing in the coxed four and the eight for the Gryphon’s rowing team at several events throughout the year including the Head of the Trent and 2022 OUA Rowing Championships. She was also named the women’s rowing team’s rookie of the year.
In 2023, McKinley began training full-time at the ONGPC, while still taking some online classes at Guelph and a few in-person at Brock University. She made the decision to pause her full-time university studies to dedicate herself fully to the daily training environment at the ONGPC, in the hopes of laying the foundation for a successful rowing career.
“I came to the ONGPC when I was fairly new to rowing”, said McKinley. “I knew I wanted to be immersed back into competitive and intense training, and so naturally, the ONGPC felt like the right choice. I left a high-performance environment in synchronized swimming, and I was eager to get back into that environment again in rowing. I spent a year training in Welland before moving on to attend Syracuse. The calibre of coaching was a key ingredient for my growth as an athlete. There was always a great mix of technical advice, structured training plans and motivation from the coaches.”
During her time as a centralized athlete at the ONGPC, McKinley trained exclusively in a HUDSON single alongside like-minded athletes and worked diligently to improve as a rower on the water and in the weight room. Slow but steady progress was a key for her as she trained six days a week throughout 2023, and as she gained more experience on the water her potential began to shine through. While mostly focused on training, she did race at a few regattas in 2023, including the RowOn Championships and Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. At Henley, she advanced to the semi-final in the U23 women’s single, while at the RowOn Championships she earned a spot in the women’s single A Final and finished fifth overall against much more experienced competition. In the fall of 2023, she was recruited by Syracuse University and committed to attend the NCAA school become a member of the Orange’s rowing team for the 2024-25 school year.
With her university plans now set in place for later in the year, McKinley entered 2024 with the goal of qualifying for the U23 National Team. There was some added motivation to that goal, as the 2024 World Rowing Championships were taking place on home waters in St. Catharines, meaning all team members would have the opportunity to compete on the world stage in front of their family and friends. A solid start to 2024 led to McKinley accomplishing her goal and qualifying for the U23 World Championships Team in the coxed four, where the crew finished fourth behind boats from New Zealand, USA and Italy.
With her first major international regatta under her belt, McKinley headed off to Syracuse in the fall of 2024. Her first season in Orange saw her compete primarily in the varsity eight, where she helped the crew win a silver medal at the ACC Championships and finish 12th overall at the NCAA Championships. Following the NCAA season, McKinley relocated to BC for the summer to train at the National Training Centre in Duncan. In July, she was selected to compete on the Junior Pan Am Games team, where she would see her greatest success yet on the water.
A whirlwind five days of competition in Asuncion saw McKinley pull triple-duty, racing in the women’s pair, four, and eight. She began her regatta by earning a bronze in the four, which was the first medal for Canada on the second day of competition. A few days later she and partner Riley Richardson, an Ottawa Native who was a de-centralized member of the ONGPC, claimed another bronze in the pair, before returning to the racecourse less than two hours later to win the silver medal in the eight. Despite just three years of experience in rowing, McKinley showcased the skills and versatility she honed through countless training sessions at the ONGPC, medalling in three different boats in her first multi-sport regatta.
Now back at Syracuse for her junior year, McKinley has her sights set on continuing to improve and wearing the maple leaf again sometime in the future.
“I’m back at Syracuse University now, entering my junior year studying biology,” said McKinley. “We’ve got some big goals this year as a team, and there’s some good energy that’s being brought into training. I plan to finish off the 2025 year with lots of weight lifted and metres completed. I love the idea of getting to represent Canada again, which definitely brings lots of motivation!”
Pan Am Games picture is property of RCA.
