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Dal’s novice women’s crew leaves the dock for an early morning practice. Photo courtesy of Deborah Skilliter. |
Dalhousie rowers may not have varsity status, but they do have the best abs.
It’s the push-pull action that makes rowers such fit specimens. A great aerobic exercise, rowing uses the muscles of the arms, legs, abdomen and torso.
“Rowers are among the fittest athletes. They’ve got good core strength and are just all-round strong athletes,” says Tara Barnett, coach of the Dal Rowing Club. Club members, including novice and experienced athletes, train out of MicMac Rowing Club on Lake Banook in Dartmouth.
For now, Dal rowers are in it for the fitness and love of the sport. Club president Hilary Moors would like to see the sport get varsity recognition, but that’s still a way off.
Varsity status by the university would entitle the team for funding for travel to competitions, uniforms, equipment, a coach’s salary and athletic scholarships. The club now gets limited funds from the Dalhousie Student Union, Dalhousie Sports Club Council and Dal alumnus Rod MacLennon.
The club recently took a first step to varsity status by attending the first Atlantic University Rowing Championships held on Lake Banook on Oct. 27. Teams from St. Francis Xavier, University of New Brunswick, Memorial University, St. Thomas University and Dalhousie took part. At the end of the day, Memorial edged out Dalhousie by just one point on the 1,000-metre course to win the regatta.
“This is huge for university rowing in Canada,” says Ms. Moors, who is studying whale communication for her PhD. “There’s not a lot of clubs to compete against but if it keeps up, we’ll gain support.
“It’s a huge step, but at the same time it’s a baby step. This is going to take awhile.”
Al Scott, director of Athletics and Recreational Services, says Dalhousie is not in expansion mode and is struggling to fund its existing varsity programs, such as hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming and soccer.
“Every year, I’ll have two or three student athletes or coaches come knocking on my door and looking for varsity status,” he says. “But the fact is, we want to make our existing varsity team compete better. And you can’t do that when you widen your array of offerings. There’s only so much money.”
In the meantime, athletes wearing Dalhousie’s black and gold like Emily Duann and Dan Murray, both from Dartmouth, will keep rowing at their own expense because of the fitness benefits and the opportunities to compete. Earlier this month, Ms. Duann came in ninth in women’s singles at the Canadian University Rowing Championships held in Welland, Ont. Mr. Murray finished 10th in the lightweight men’s single race at the Canadian Rowing Championships, also held in Welland.
A fourth-year student majoring in theatre and history, Ms. Duann says rowing makes her a better student.
“It gets me up and working,” she says. Dalhousie rowers are out on at Lake Banook for training by 5:15 a.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. on the weekend. “It makes me so much more disciplined, and that’s something that carries through my school work too.”
“It wakes me up and gets me going on my day,” agrees Ms. Moors, from Kentville, N.S. “Five in the morning may seem like a pain in the butt, but once you’re out there in the boat, there’s nothing better than seeing the sunrise.”
While the rowing season is coming to an end, the club is always looking for new members. Experience is not necessary.
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