The Canadian team has hit the water this week in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for the 2018 world rowing championships.
But it鈥檚 what is happening off the water that is making waves as Rowing sa国际传媒 contemplates a move away from its long-standing actual and spiritual home base of Elk Lake, out of which have come most of the 26 Canadian Olympic rowing medals since 1984.
With the multi-use Elk Lake becoming crowded, especially over the summer season, a call for proposals from Rowing sa国际传媒 went out in the spring for communities wishing to host the national team.
It came as a shock to those in the rowing community on Elk Lake. Go anywhere across sa国际传媒, they say, and the one sport most mentioned in association with Greater Victoria is rowing.
The Island, however, remains in the hunt with two of the five proposals expected to be submitted by Friday鈥檚 deadline. A Lower Island group is proposing a revamped national team training centre that would utilize Elk Lake, Shawnigan Lake and Finlayson Arm.
鈥淲e walked them [Rowing sa国际传媒 officials] up to Finlayson Arm. It鈥檚 got good distance for rowing. It鈥檚 calm and it鈥檚 not so busy in terms of usage. It鈥檚 a potential site for sure,鈥� said Langford Mayor Stew Young.
鈥淟angford does as much as it can for Olympic athletes. We鈥檙e known for that. We鈥檙e working with Rowing sa国际传媒 as part of a regional perspective. But Rowing sa国际传媒 will do its due diligence.鈥�
North Cowichan is proposing Quamichan Lake, which has already been used by the national team for training on a part-time basis.
鈥淚t would be a beautiful fit with North Cowichan鈥檚 culture of outdoor recreation and activity, and a real opportunity for the young people of the Cowichan Valley to be inspired by Olympic athletes,鈥� said North Cowichan Mayor Jon Lefebure.
鈥淸Quamichan] has the perfect attributes. It鈥檚 the right size with not a lot of [conflicting] usage. And we have a long history with the Maple Bay Rowing Club. Our commitment is to provide the space [for a boathouse] in Art Mann Park.鈥�
A group on the Lower Mainland is preparing to put forward Buntzen Lake in Anmore, which is near Port Moody.
The other two proposals will be from Ontario, including London, which face the fact of being unavailable through much of the winter when crucial base training is done on water.
There are 47 athletes, seven coaches and eight support and medical staff on the Canadian team to the 2018 world championships in Plovdiv. There is also a further contingent of administrative staff at Rowing sa国际传媒鈥檚 current headquarters in Saanich. Add in the national B team and national U-23 team athletes and coaches, and it would be the equivalent of a mid-size company of about 200 leaving Greater Victoria if the national training centre is moved. That is an influx, however, that North Cowichan, Anmore or communities in Ontario would relish.
鈥淚t would be a huge benefit to our community,鈥� said Lefebure.
鈥淎nd there would be less expensive housing in the Cowichan Valley than in Victoria or the Lower Mainland. That is important for national-team athletes, who are not all that well off.鈥�
Previous national team configurations have had all the rowers based at Elk Lake followed by an arrangement in which the men鈥檚 team was based at Elk Lake and the women鈥檚 and lightweight teams in London, Ont.
All the national team rowers, however, have been at Elk Lake since last year, where they will remain in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The decision by Rowing sa国际传媒 on what happens post-Tokyo is expected in October or November when it examines all the proposals.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really good idea to have all the athletes in one location,鈥� said Rowing sa国际传媒 executive director Dave Calder.
In his position, the 2008 Beijing Olympic silver medallist is obviously advocating for the sa国际传媒 proposals over those from Ontario.
鈥淭he ability to row year-round would be a wise decision,鈥� said Calder.
But will it be back on Elk Lake, supplemented by Shawnigan Lake and Finlayson Arm, or on Quamichan Lake or Buntzen Lake?
鈥淚 hope the decision makers take into account what鈥檚 best for the athletes,鈥� said Calder.
Elk Lake retains a sentimental tug for many in the sport. It is really the only choice, says 2004 Athens Olympic silver-medallist and UVic Vikes women鈥檚 rowing head coach coach Barney Williams.
鈥淓lk Lake is still the best place for the national team to row in every sense,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 year-round, has community support and a history that has allowed athletes for many years to pursue their Olympic dreams. It ticks all the boxes.鈥�
The Elk Lake/Shawnigan Lake/Finlayson Arm advocates also point to the extensive Canadian Sport Institute and Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence systems of support in Greater Victoria to which national training centres for Triathlon sa国际传媒, Swimming sa国际传媒, Athletics sa国际传媒, Cycling sa国际传媒, Golf sa国际传媒, Tennis sa国际传媒, Surfing sa国际传媒, Rugby sa国际传媒 and Field Hockey sa国际传媒 are also hooked into.
At the world championships, sa国际传媒 is up against countries that have large bodies of water dedicated to only their national-team rowers. Canadian rowing fears falling behind because of it.
None of the Canadian proposals, however, is asking for rowing exclusivity on the respective bodies of water.
