For a nation defined by winter, medals in the Summer Olympics are hard-won.
The national rowing team 鈥� based at Elk Lake in Saanich and Lake Fanshawe near London, Ont. 鈥� has been among the most reliable go-to podium summer sports teams for sa国际传媒.
Rowing has accounted for 40 Olympic medals 鈥� third in the Summer Games for sa国际传媒 behind only track and field鈥檚 53 and swimming鈥檚 42. Rowing鈥檚 nine Olympic gold medals are behind only track and field鈥檚 13.
But there was a dip in Canadian rowing medals from four at Beijing 2008 to two at London 2012, a fact that needs to be addressed, along with calming the waters after the controversial post-London ouster of legendary multi-medallist Olympic men鈥檚 eight coach Mike Spracklen of Sidney.
Also, several veterans from the London men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 silver-medallist eights crews have either retired or are taking the post-Olympic year off.
Rowing sa国际传媒 began the slow build this week by framing the outline of the team for Rio 2016.
The selected athletes will take part in two major European races, starting next weekend with the Holland-Beker Regatta in Amsterdam and continuing with the prestigious Samsung World Cup July 12-14 in Lucerne, Switzerland.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting, as it鈥檚 the first team event for this quadrennial,鈥� Peter Cookson, Rowing sa国际传媒 high-performance director, said in a statement.
鈥淭his will be a learning experience for the athletes and coaches as we move forward and develop crews for this year鈥檚 world championships.鈥� They鈥檒l be held Aug. 24-Sept. 1 in Chungju, South Korea.
The team includes London Olympians Patricia Obee of Victoria City Rowing Club, Michael Braithwaite of Duncan, Brentwood College-grad Will Dean and London-silver medallist Will Crothers of Victoria.
Among the emerging rowers named 鈥� and worth looking out for on the road to Rio 鈥� are Spencer Crowley of Lantzville; Christine Roper and Rosie DeBoef of Victoria; Josh Morris, Alyssa Weninger and Antje Von Seydlitz of the University of Victoria Vikes; and Mike Evans and Steve Van Knotsenburg of Victoria City. Final crew configurations will be announced later.
The coaches are John Keogh and former UVic Vikes coaching legend Al Morrow, both of London, Ont., and Martin McElroy and Howie Campbell, both of Victoria.
