Sage Named Row Ontario Sanctions Officer

Row Ontario is pleased to announce that Debbie Sage has been named the new Sanctions Officer for the organization.

Sage brings a wealth of experience to the role and began her rowing journey as an athlete in St. Catharines and later at Trent University. She then became involved in coaching and umpiring, which took her, quite literally, from coast to coast. Sage started coaching in St. Catharines, then Halifax, before moving to British Columbia where she coached for over twenty years at Brentwood College. During her time in BC, she served as Chair of the Brentwood Regatta from 1997-2019, became a certified RCA Coach and RCA Performance Coach, and began umpiring. Sage has been a Licensed Umpire for seventeen years, a Chief Umpire for fifteen years, and FISA Umpire for thirteen years. Most recently, in 2022, she received certification as an Umpire Clinician.

In addition to her extensive experience on the water, Sage has served on several boards and committees, which will greatly benefit her and the Sanctions Committee, in her role as Chair of the Committee. She is a past-member of the Rowing BC Board of Directors, including having served as President, and a past-member of the RCA Board of Directors. She was previously a member of the RCA Safety and Events Committee, and she is currently on the RCA Umpires Committee. For several years, Sage was also the Sanctions Officer for Rowing BC, giving her an even greater understanding of the sanctions policy and processes.

The Row Ontario Sanctions Officer serves as Chair of the Sanctions Committee, whose mandate is to provide an effective event sanctioning service to member clubs and associations that is timely, adheres to the RCA Rules of Racing and Sanction policy, and offers support to members to enhance the safety and fairness of regattas held in Ontario. The Sanctions Officer provides leadership to the Sanctions Committee, ensures the integrity of the Committee’s processes, and represents the Committee to outside parties.

Row Ontario launched a call for expressions of interest for the Sanctions Officer position in December 2022, when Tom Blacquiere stepped down from the role, after five years of dedicated service.

“First, I want to thank Tom for his years of service in the role of Sanctions Officer. He leaves this position with huge shoes to fill.” said Andrew Backer, CEO of Row Ontario. “Debbie is the ideal candidate to fill the gap with her extensive knowledge and understanding of the RCA Rules of Racing and possesses valuable leadership experience in the domains of regatta safety and sanctioning. When Debbie’s name was put forward, we were thrilled to have someone of such skill-level, expertise, and character as a candidate for this role. We are very fortunate to have Debbie back in Ontario, and we look forward to having her engaged with the Ontario rowing community in this new capacity.”