McMaster Rowing Welcomes You
Guest article by R. Northway
While the majority of McMaster's students are for the most part fast asleep, a crew of about 80 takes to their bicycles/vehicles and heads down to one of Hamilton’s treasures, Hamilton Harbour. They gather at Leander Boat Club, and await the coach’s arrival; for the time is now 5:00am and rowing practice is set to begin. This is a ritual that has been carried out by
McMaster rowers since the 1950’s but has been a growing trend since the revitalization of the program in 2002. Like the many rowers before, those of the present and still to come, must hold themselves up to the pillars of hard work, determination and persistence to aspire to success.
Believe it or not these students relentlessly arrive at practice to fulfill their passion for rowing with smiles on their faces, despite what you may expect from a 4.45am wake up call. Practice consists of rigorous workouts which are guided to perfect technique, increase endurance, and ultimately increase speed of the boat. To most people, rowing may seem like a very basic sport determined by the strength of one’s upper body. When you step into the boat; you are coached as one crew and you also quickly learn how the sport is not confined to the strength of your bicep, but rather by dedication and attitude. At times when practices are restricted to land due to uncooperative weather rowers turn to the rowing machine termed an ergometer or ‘erg’ for short. This essential tool allows the coach and athlete themselves to analyze muscular and cardio respiratory endurance and strength, which are essential to rowing.
Coaching is a pivotal aspect to rowing here at McMaster which can make or break a season for an athlete. It is essential for every team to have in their possession individuals with expertise in the ins and outs of the sport but more importantly, the ability to communicate their knowledge to further athletes in their challenge of improving. Fortunately for McMaster Rowing, last year they acquired a new head coach Alan Oldham, whose vision for the accomplishment and presence of the team seems limitless. In addition to having represented McMaster rowing himself, Oldham earned a position on the Canadian National rowing team and competed on the international level. He is the face of McMaster rowing as he holds a clear passion for the sport as well as the ability to propel those who row with him in the direction of success.
Aside from the technical aspects of each workout and endless support from the coaches, the feeling of flying on the water in the heat of competition is a thrill that draws rowers back time and time again. Whether rowing sweep (one oar per rower) or scull (two oars per rower) there are a number of chances to relive the sensation over the course of the short two month university season (September-November). The season begins with the Western Invitational Regatta at Lake Fanshawe in London, ON which initiates the competitive season and sets the standard for the entire season. The Mac-Guelph challenge soon follows and is set to take place on Guelph Lake this time around. Progressing through the season the team will travel to Peterborough, ON for the Head of the Trent Regatta, then to the Royal Henley Course in Port Dalhousie, ON for the Brock Invitational Regatta, which serves as the trial run for the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) sanctioned regatta to be held the following weekend. Before the snow begins to fall select rowers who have proven themselves over the course of the season are selected as the crew to represent McMaster at the top regatta of the season, the Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC) set to take place in Fort Langley, British Columbia this year.
How does the average Joe sitting here reading this article get to race with the top crews in Canada? Simply put: a lot of hard work, persistence, determination and a great attitude on their part. The McMaster rowing team is unlike any OUA sport team on campus in that its competitive circuit has been designed to include a separate race category for individuals competing in their first year of rowing. This novice program is one that we as McMaster rowers are most proud of because without the strength of our novice program, our team could not have achieved what it has. For instance, our 2007-2008 OUA bronze medal winning Women’s Eight and CURC bronze medal winning Women’s Four possessed 5 and 3 women respectively, which began their rowing career in the novice program. With the help of a novice coach tailoring workouts and explanations of technique to your needs the newcomers quickly pick up speed in a relatively short amount of time. McMaster Rowing has a terrific novice program due in part to the welcoming environment upheld; after all the majority of the team was once in your shoes.
Finally, something that makes early mornings enjoyable and those 8.30am classes a breeze. To some you might say McMaster Rowing serves as your home away from home because of the amount of time we spend with one another and the experiences we will share. You will never have to fear about being alone while rowing, our athletes span from every faculty at the undergraduate and graduate levels and our academic support system unlike anywhere else – McMaster rowers continuously earn top honours as Marauder Scholars at the university’s athletics academic award ceremony. McMaster Rowing complements any university career and leaves lasting memories and friendships, come join us!
Come visit the McMaster Rowing team at Clubsfest of Welcome Week on Wednesday September 3rd from 9am until 1pm or email us at
macrow@mcmaster.ca. Novice women are encouraged to come join the team for a practice on Thursday September 4th and novice men on Friday September 5th. Contact the team for more details.
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