New rowing team at Salmon Arm Secondary
The Salmon Arm Secondary Rowing Team has started its inaugural season with some great experiences and achievements. There are 15 athletes participating, some who are returning from a successful club season last year where they competed at the BC Summer Games, and others who are just learning to row this spring.
The season started indoors at the atrium, where athletes from Jackson and Sullivan learned the basics on rowing machines. The first practice (seen below) on the water was on April 20!
The team was fortunate to have Olympic gold medalist Andrea Proske come to Sullivan on May 12 and give a presentation in the library. She then joined the team for a practice out on the water. It was an incredible experience for the SAS students to be able to row with an athlete of Andrea’s caliber! The following day, SAS rowers volunteered at the Salty Dog Street Fest to promote their sport, and Andrea took selfies with people who wanted to hold her Olympic gold medal.
The Delta Deas Scholastic Regatta on May 27 and 28 was attended by team member Heidi Miege, who competed with athletes from Vernon in the quadruple and double sculls events, finishing her races third and second respectively.
The next big event is the Lap the Lake Regatta in Vernon on June 17. A full crew of local rowers are expected to take part in a race around Swan Lake in the morning and head-to-head sprints in the afternoon. Several members of the team will also attend a U19 development camp the following day.
On June 19, yet another Olympic gold medalist is visiting the club. Terry Paul won gold in the men’s eight in 1992 and will be a guest coach for our rowers.
The team’s coaches are David Miege (a former Canadian National Team member) and Doris Mills, with school support from Jennifer Reed, Miege, and Ryon Ready.
