The song Renegades by X Ambassadors could have been written for Victoria rowers Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee, who have announced their retirements from the sport.
鈥淭here鈥檚 more to us than the end result,鈥� Jennerich said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the Olympic medal. It鈥檚 the whole story that goes with it.鈥�
The resolute duo won their silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics in women鈥檚 lightweight doubles by essentially rowing outside the system. They reached the podium on their own terms and now they retire on their own own terms.
鈥淲e had to create our own world,鈥� Jennerich said. 鈥淏ut we had unwavering belief in ourselves. It was like validation. We were small women, but we knew what we wanted.鈥�
The crux is Jennerich and Obee did not feel supported by Rowing sa国际传媒 in terms of equipment and other issues.
鈥淲e were the black sheep,鈥� added Obee, who came out of Stelly鈥檚 Secondary to row with the University of Washington Huskies in the Pac-12.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the silver medal. It鈥檚 the whole story that goes with it. We would not be Olympic medallists right now if we did it [Rowing sa国际传媒鈥檚] way. If we had not gone through this, it might not have felt so special as it does, or I might not feel as connected to Lindsay. This is why we are content to retire. When we hit the finish line [at Rio], it was such relief. We were done fighting . . . done fighting for respect.鈥�
Obee and Jennerich claim Rowing sa国际传媒 was ambivalent about their medal, despite it salvaging hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding by being the only podium performance by sa国际传媒 in rowing at the Rio Olympics.
鈥淩owing sa国际传媒 was sombre and embarrassed by our medal. It wasn鈥檛 their medal,鈥� said Obee.
鈥淲e had to fight for our equipment, even in the final year.鈥�
Jennerich admitted she and Obee could come off as 鈥減rincesses asking for too much 鈥� it is so easy to look like whining athletes.鈥�
Much of the problem centred on location. The national men鈥檚 heavyweight crews are based at Elk Lake. The women鈥檚 heavyweight and lightweight crews are based in London, Ont.
Jennerich and Obee are both from Victoria and could not understand why a reasonable accommodation couldn鈥檛 have been made for them to be centralized in their hometown, especially since doubles is the lone women鈥檚 Olympic lightweight rowing category.
Rowing sa国际传媒 was asked to respond to the parting shots made by its lone Olympic medal crew from Rio 2016.
鈥淚 am disappointed [Jennerich and Obee] feel that way,鈥� said Terry Dillon, the new CEO of Rowing sa国际传媒, who is based in Victoria.
Dillon is now in charge, but he took over the organization after Rio.
鈥淚 understand we have a set of circumstance over how the program was managed that led to this situation,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he program is being managed in a different manner now.鈥�
Obee and Jennerich have some advice: 鈥淩owing sa国际传媒 has a fear of trusting its experienced athletes and doesn鈥檛 use the biggest resource it has 鈥� its past Olympic athletes.鈥�
The whole process took a toll, Jennerich and Obee said. But the result is a medal to last a lifetime.
鈥淎ll the bad things created this [medal]. We were so beaten down, mentally and physically. We, however, are at peace,鈥� said Obee, who admitted falling into clinical depression during her stressful Olympic journey.
鈥淚 felt more comfortable at the University of Washington and Lindsay felt more appreciated at UVic because [Vikes coach] Rick Crawley empowered his rowers.鈥�
Others who Obee and Jennerich said supported them through the stressful times were Canadian sports psychologists Kirsten Barnes and Janice Mason, themselves former Olympic rowers, coach Tom Morris and chiropractor Michael Murray.
Olympic medallists Gabe Bergen, who is Jennerich鈥檚 fianc茅, and Will Crothers, who is Obee鈥檚 boyfriend, have also been there for them.
鈥淭hese people showed compassion and were our saviours,鈥� said Jennerich, a 34-year-old product of Claremont Secondary.
鈥淎s hard as it was, I don鈥檛 regret it,鈥� said Jennerich.
Added the 25-year-old Obee: 鈥淚f not for having gone through this, it might not have felt as special.鈥�
The unbending duo earned the nickname the Dirty Double.
鈥淚t represents our style,鈥� said Jennerich, who now works in athlete services, while Obee is a yoga teacher working on her masters degree in child and youth counselling.
鈥淲e are all done with rowing, but we have each other.鈥�
